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GAME NOTES | SAU | HU | GAC Weekly FB Notebook

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Setting the Scene: Early Season Clash
A thrilling come-from-behind win in week one against Southwestern Oklahoma and a convincingly dominant defensive effort in week two at Northwestern Oklahoma has the Southern Arkansas football team 2-0 on the young season for the first time since the 2012 season when the Muleriders finished the year 8-3 and played in their first post-season game since 2003 with an appearance in the Heart of Texas Bowl against McMurry.

The quick and successful start to the 2015 season for the Muleriders sets up a pivotal early season clash with nationally-ranked #16/17 Harding University, who also enters the game unbeaten at 2-0 after vicories over GAC newcomer Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. The Muleriders have not beaten Harding in over a decade with the last win over the Bisons coming in the 2003 season. While not playing every year since 2003, the Bisons have won the last nine matchups with four of those contests taking place in Magnolia.
 

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About Harding
SCHEDULE
The Harding University Bisons football team enters tonight's game with a 2-0 overall record and a 2-0 record in the Great American Conference. The Bisons opened the season with a 20-19 overtime win at Oklahoma Baptist and then rolled past Southern Nazarene 42-0 in their home-opener. It is the third time in the last four years that Harding has begun a season 2-0.

THE COACH
The Bisons are coached by Ronnie Huckeba, who enters into his ninth season as head coach at Harding while also entering his 30th overall season with the Bisons. In his time as head coach at Harding, Huckeba has amassed a 51-35 overall record. Over half of those wins have come in the last four years as Coach Huckeba has led the Bisons to a 29-6 record since the start of the 2012 season. In the three seasons prior to this current one, Harding has gone 9-2 each year and have made a postseason apprearance with two coming in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Bisons run the throwback Flexbone style that prominently features the running game and the deceptive triple option. Under that system, the Bisons have established one of the nation's most-prolific rushing attacks ranking among the top-5 in Division II at season's end each year since 2010. Last year, the Bisons were second in DII in rushing as they averaged 371.7 yards per game.

This year, the Bisons are forced to replace nine starters on offense including their entire offensive line as well as skill positions at QB, slot back, full back, and wide receiver.
Coming into this game, Harding is averaging 420.0 yards of total offense per game with 283.0 of that being gained on the ground and 137.0 through the air. The leading rusher for Harding is QB Park Parish as he has gained 199 yards and has a team-high four rushing TDs. Parish has only attempted 13 passes but has completed eight of them for 253 yards and a TD. Behind Parish in rushing is starting slot back and reigning GAC Freshman of the Year Zach Shelley with 131 yards and one TD.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bisons run a 4-2-5 scheme and enter the game allowing just 219.0 ypg of total offense from their opponents as well as holding them to just 9.5 ppg. The Bisons are also coming off a game in which the defense held Southern Nazarene scoreless and to a miniscule 202 yards of total offense.The leading tackler for the Bisons is Daylan Skidmore with 17 stops. Chris Sarkissian and Madison Firmin are the other two defenders with double-digit tackles. As a defense, Harding has forced three turnovers (two INTs) and have totaled five sacks and 21 tackles for lost yardage. 

THE SERIES
This will be the 52nd meeting all-time between Southern Arkansas and Harding with the series now tied at 25-25-1. In recent history, however, the series has been dominated by Harding as they have won the last nine meetings dating back to 2006 and the last win for SAU in the series came in 2003.
 

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News & Notes on SAU
"It's Our Time"
With the departure of several househould names within the Great American Conference ranks including the starting quarterbacks at Harding, Henderson State, and Ouachita, it appears that landscape that has been the top of the GAC over the last three-to-four years may be in for a shakeup in 2015. While the Muleriders are among those that will feature a new starting quarterback, head coach Bill Keopple feels that his 2015 team may be the most talented team in his tenure and feels that this year is when the Muleriders make their move to assert themselves as the class of the GAC; rallying his team on a single mantra since spring ball; "It's Our Time."

.500 or Better Three Years Running
Last season, the Muleriders finished the year 5-5 over their 10-game schedule to give them a .500 winning percentage. That marked the third-straight season in which the Muleriders have finished with a .500 winning percentage or better. In those three years, the Muleriders are 19-12 overall for a .613 winning percentage, which marks the best three-year stretch ar SAU since 2002-04.

Fountain of Youth
After losing over 25 seniors a year ago, the Muleriders appear to have found the ever-elusive fountain of youth heading into the 2015 season as an overwhelming majority of the roster will be underclassmen. This season, the Muleriders will field only 20 upperclassmen with 12 of those being seniors. While the Muleriders will be young in terms of experience, they figure to be a talented bunch all the same. Listed among the preseason two-deep, the Muleriders have 28 underclassmen that are projected to either be a starter or backup in 2015.

Negatively Good
Last week, the Southern Arkansas defensive unit flexed their muscle and completly dominated against Northwestern Oklahoma State as the Muleriders allowed just 210 yards of total offense to the Rangers, who hung over 450 yards the week prior against Arkansas-Monticello. Helping the total offense total go so low was the Muleriders holding the Rangers to -22 net rushing yards. The negative rushing total in that game was the lowest the Muleriders had allowed in rushing since the 2005 season when
they held East Texas Baptist University to -8 rushing yards.

Stoping the Triple-Option
While SAU turned in a tremendous defensive effort against the running game last week and have limited their opponents to just 63.0 yards per game through the first two games, the Muleriders will likely have their run defense tested the most all year this weekend as they take on the nearly run-excusive Triple-Option attack that Harding prominently features on offense. In the last four years, Harding has rushed for an average of 391.8 yards per game against the Muleriders with their lowest output coming in 2012 when SAU limited the Bisons to 127 yards on the ground.

No One the Weis(heit)er
Sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Weisheit got his 2015 season off to a great start as he shined in multiple roles for the Muleriders. As a wide receiver, Weisheit has hauled in 15 receptions for 302 yards with a pair of touchdowns. His 302 total receiving yards tops the GAC and ranks third in NCAA DII. Additionally, his 151.0 receiving yards per game also leads the GAC and ranks fourth in DII.

Playing Nickel Back is Cool
Senior defensive back Chris Wilson has made the move to Nickel Back in the Muleriders' revamped defensive scheme and through the first two games of the year, Wilson appeared to take to the new position just fine. Wilson has racked up 9.0 total tackes with 3.5 going for lost yardage. Additionally, Wilson broke up five passes and had a quarterback hurry as well. His five pass breakups has him tied with teammate Darren Crawford for the GAC lead as well as being ranked fifth in DII.

Defensive Stand Outs
Through the first two games of the year, the Southern Arkansas defense has showed marked improvement from a year ago. So far this year, the Muleriders have allowed 19.0 points per game and 276.5 yards of total offense per game. Last year, through two games, the Muleriders were allowing 38.0 points per game and 454.5 yards of total offense per game.

One of the areas that has been spearheading this early season turnaround has been the play of the defensive line. So far this season, the defensive line has combined for 38 total tackles with 12.0 being for lost yardage and 7.0 coming via the sack. Leading that charge so far has been redshirt freshman Davondrick Lison as he is second on the team in tackles with 11 and is first in tackles for loss (4.5) and sacks (2.5).