The No. 23 ranked Bisons go on the road to face the No. 4 ranked Henderson State University Reddies, where the Bisons will look to stay near the top in the Great American Conference (GAC) race.
Harding lost a nail-bitter last weekend against Ouachita Baptist University in overtime. OBU scored in the last few seconds of the fourth quarter and followed with a two-point conversion that tied the game 28 all. The Tigers then forced a turnover and kicked a field goal on their first drive of overtime to seal the victory over the Bisons 31-28.
“As a coach, you hurt with the players because we all put so much into each game,” special teams and safety’s coach Clay Beason said. “You only play for 60 minutes, but you prepare all off-season, summer, pre-season and each week for big games like this. Lots can be learned from tough losses in life: always be prepared for unique situations; be a team player; accept responsibility; stay humble and stay hungry.
The Bisons defense faced the third best scoring offense in the GAC last week against OBU, but this weekend it only gets tougher as HSU is the second best scoring offense in the GAC, behind only Harding’s top scoring offense.
“The keys always boil down to execution. If we execute our stuff, then we have a great opportunity to be successful on the scoreboard, too,” Beason said. “We must be very disciplined and each person do his job and trust the other 10 players on the field.”
Beason said as a secondary, they need to be able to trick HSU quarterback Kevin Rodgers and disguise coverages to keep him thinking.
That is easier said than done. Rodgers has thrown more than 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in the first seven games this season.
“As a unit we need to come with relentless pressure on that offense, especially Rodgers,” senior defensive lineman Romas Roberson said. “We know they like to air it out, so we want to pursue and make them pay for every catch.”
Roberson said this is the game they have been waiting to play. Roberson said despite last week’s loss, there is a lot left to play and continue this remarkable season.
Offensively, the Bisons put up a great effort on the ground, rushing for more than 300 yards and totaling over 400 yards for the game against OBU, but turnovers and crucial penalties helped keep the Tigers in the game.
“We made mistakes last week and are focusing on cleaning them up before Henderson State,” senior offensive lineman Mike Thompson said. “We are working on getting back to the fine details of our offense and getting back to the basics in striving for perfection.”
Harding will face the No. 2 ranked defense in the GAC; HSU has allowed only 13.2 points per game and only 87 yards a game rushing. The Bisons will have a chance to break that average this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to the matchup with Henderson State’s defense,” Thompson said. “They’re very talented and will be a good test for our offense.”
Thompson said this game is huge because it could turn this conference around and even out the playing field once again.
Harding plays Saturday, Oct. 25, in Arkadelphia, Ark., at 3 p.m. against the Henderson State Reddies for a chance to redeem last week’s heartbreaking loss.
