At a press conference held on Nov. 20, the Live United Texarkana Bowl organizers selected Harding University out of the Great American Conference to face Texas A&M-Commerce from the Lone Star Conference. The first ever Texarkana Bowl at Razorback Stadium in Texarkana, Ark. has been postponed due to inclement weather. Officials made the decision Thursday morning and are working on rescheduling the game.
The Bisons turned in an 8-2 record for the second straight year, giving them back- to-back eight-win seasons for the first time in school history.
The team came back after Thanksgiving break and got right back to work, starting their practice schedule Sunday night to get back where they left off against Arkansas Tech.
“I was really pleased on how we came out,” head football coach Ronnie Huckeba said.”We looked like we had fresh legs, and we didn’t miss a beat from an execution standpoint.”
Huckeba said going into break, he had three varsity slot backs at his disposal, and was happy to see players like senior Ty Finley, junior Jason Oller and sophomore Eric Simmons back in action Sunday night, healthy and ready to go.
The Bisons look to continue their domi- nance on the ground as they finished third in the NCAA with 366 yards rushing per game. When they do pass the ball, they rank as the best in DII with 22 yards per pass.
To run the ball effectively, the Bisons need the front five to not have a good performance, but a dominant one as they take on the Lion team which is among the best in the nation in tackles for loss at (10.7) and second in sacks with (4.6) a game. Junior offensive lineman Mike Thompson said he is ready for a battle.
“We have to play our game and grind it out on the ground, which we’ve shown to be effective at,” Thompson said. “They have a very talented D-line; however, I don’t believe they’ve faced an offensive line as athletic as ours.”
Defensively, the Bisons will have their hands full as the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions will be throwing often as they average more than 300 yards a game passing, something Harding has had trouble stopping in previous games.
Harding allowed only 71.5 yards a game rushing, which could lead to the Lions being one-dimensional at the bowl game.
“I think the break was good for us and will allow us to play at a faster, more physical pace than the past few games,” senior safety Ashtun Williams said. “The message this week was simple, ‘We are not done yet.’ We are still playing for our seniors and for our program, so we are going to do our absolute best to represent ourselves well.”
The Bisons faced the Lions three times between the years 1995-2001, posting a record of 1-2.
“This game means a lot for our team, our alumni and our school,” Williams said. “We are ready for anything they throw at us, and we will counter in dominant fashion.”
