Eli Dean
The Harding Bisons set the Arkansas collegiate record for the most consecutive collegiate football victories this past weekend during their 66-0 victory against the No. 20 Henderson State Reddies. The offense averaged over nine yards per play and never let up after scoring on the first play of their opening drive. Brayden Jay made the most of his four carries, leading the team with 162 yards while scoring three touchdowns. He said while the Bisons hadn’t played a ranked team the first three weeks of the season, the resounding victory shows they can beat anyone.
“We wanted to send a message to the whole country that it doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going to play our game,” Jay said. “We wanted to show that last year wasn’t a fluke, and we’re going to try to win it all again.”
With the victory, Harding has now outscored opponents 247-10 during the season’s opening four games. Both home games for the Bisons have resulted in shutouts. The Bisons defense has not given up a point in the first quarter to start the 2024 campaign.
Senior defensive lineman Wesley Coleman said the defense prides itself in the run game; which only allowed 28 rushing yards against the Reddies.
“This year, we have some amazing athletes, but we don’t rely on just talent,” Coleman said. “We know that we have to lock in with the system, everyone has to do their job and nobody has to be Superman out there.”
Head coach Paul Simmons said while the team’s performance against a ranked opponent like Henderson State might be surprising to outsiders, it is the least surprising result to the people in the room.
“If you had been around the guys all week long and seen the look in their eyes, the focus, this really wouldn’t be surprising,” Simmons said. “They have been on fire all week, and I’m really excited for them.”
The Bisons continued to push for extra yards in the second half and took the ball on a 10-play, seven-minute opening drive that ended in a Magnus Lepak field goal. Coleman said the defensive side continued to create big plays on their side of the ball, which led to the Reddies committing turnovers on their first two drives of the second half.
“We know what’s at stake, the team we have, the talent we have, it makes you want to fight harder,” Coleman said. “Coach Simmons always tells us the game is won in the small details, so we really try to focus on those things.”
The No. 1 ranked Bisons will travel to Weatherford, Oklahoma this week to take on the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs. The game will be streamed live on KVHU 95.3.
