SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (2-6) is heading to national power and second-ranked Harding (8-0) on Saturday, Nov. 1 for a 3 p.m. Great American Conference contest inside First Security Stadium.
The Bison are coming off a 14-10 Homecoming loss to Southeastern while Harding dealt Arkansas-Monticello a 55-0 defeat on Oct. 25 in Searcy.
Todd Miller and Dave Myrick of the Bison Sports Radio Network will be on site in Searcy and will have the call of the game starting at 2:30 p.m. Below are notes on both teams.
Fumblerooski!
How often has one seen a whopping eight fumbles in a single game? The was the case last Saturday in the Bison's home contest with Southeastern Oklahoma State. The visitors lost control of the ball eight times, twice on special teams. That's the most fumbles by an opponent in OBU's D2 era. The previous high was earlier this year when Southern Arkansas lost control six times in the season opener in September.
In The Right Place at the Right Time
Defensive backs
Jojo Wash and
Chase Whitebear each had a say in a few of those Southeastern handling mishaps. Wash recorded two forced fumbles, one in the first quarter and another in the second while Whitebear recovered a muffed punt and one of Wash's forces in that same timeframe. For each player, it marked the first time in their careers that they notched multiple forces and recoveries in the same game.
The Only Issue…
OBU's offense struggled to convert those turnovers into points. On SE's muffed punt in the first,
Deuce Wise later scored a 16-yard rushing touchdown. The Savage Storm fumbled again in the opening stanza, however, the Bison didn't capitalize on that miscue. The Bison got another turnover early in the second which led to a
Carter Lowry 49-yarder with 11:37 left before halftime. It would be the last time OBU put points on the board.
A Reliable Defender
Transfer
Colt Humphrey tallied a season- and game-high 13 tackles against Southeastern last weekend. That included three solo stops and 10 assisted tackles. Those totals bumped his season mark to 63, the fifth-best total in the Great American Conference. Plus, he's the only Bison defender to eclipse 60-plus tackles this fall.
Lowry Adds Another
Sophomore
Carter Lowry now has the third-longest field goal make in school history. After he hit a school-record 53 yarder at East Central, he followed that up with a 49-yard effort in the pouring rain against Southeastern. Furthermore, Lowry has made nine field goals this fall tying
Luke Watkins (2023) and Austin Manger (2013) for the most in school history.
Brown's Stellar Campaign
Defensive lineman
Jahden Brown added another sack to his season total after the matchup versus the Savage Storm. Brown had a third-quarter sack of Levay Duncan to run his total to 4.5. That is good for fifth in the GAC. Plus, his 7.5 tackles-for-loss ranks sixth in the league.
A Change at Quarterback
Freshman
Brady Bricker will get the start on Saturday against Harding. The 6-foot-2 native of Allen, Texas was one of OBU's top signees last recruiting cycle from 6A Allen High School. Just this past February, he was named a Padilla Poll Coaches Honorable Mention All-State selection and during his junior campaign led the 6A Region I District 5 with 1,580 passing yards.
NCAA Stat Updates
OBU continues to possess the GAC's top-ranked passing offense at 256.8 yards per game. That total is also 30th best in the nation. The Bison are also 11th in the nation with nine fumble recoveries. Plus, the team's 66.7 fourth-down conversion rate is No. 20 in Division II while its 5.75 penalties per game checks in at 38th.
Individually,
Chase Whitebear's three fumble recoveries this fall is slotted second in the country. After that,
Nick Harris' 598 receiving yards are 30th while Lowry's 1.13 field goal makes per game checks in at No. 22.
Coach's Thoughts
HC
Chris Jensen: "Harding is very good at what they do. Their schemes on offense and defense haven't changed much through the time we have been in the conference. We will have to match their discipline and physicality for all four quarters."
OC
Daniel Eaton: "Harding is the number one defense in the country, and it shows. They play hard and have some of the best athletes at the D2 level. No defensive line is tougher to go against than these guys. Huge respect to their defensive staff for what they've done."
DC
Tyler Roberts: "It's going to be an exciting test facing Harding. They are a sound, physical football team. They will do a great job with their scheme. They bring back some dynamic athletes."
About Harding
Since installing Paul Simmons as head coach in 2017, Harding has won an incredible 85 of 100 games in his tenure.
Included in that win total was the program's 2023 NCAA Division II National Title win over Colorado School of Mines. It was Harding's first national championship in an NCAA sport.
HU's conference record since 2017 is 75-10.
This season's Harding team continues to dominate its opponent with the help of its triple-option offense and stingy defense.
On offense, they average 435.3 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the country. Harding also ranks fourth in scoring at 43.6 points per contest.
Harding's rushing yardage totals make up for 94.5 percent of its total offense.
Individually, Braden Jay and Andrew Miller lead the GAC and are slotted fifth nationally with 12 rushing touchdowns. Plus, Miller's 8.90 yards per carry is second-best in Division II. Furthermore, that duo is the top-two rated rushers in terms of yards – a combined 1,659 yards – this year in the GAC.
Defensively, Harding is putting together a spectacular year. It ranks first in points allowed (5.4), fifth in team passing efficiency defense (96.37), ninth in team tackles-for-loss (65.0) and first in team red zone defense, allowing touchdowns on just 36.4 percent of drives.
They also give up just a 29.4 percent conversion rate on third down, the No. 15 mark in D2.
Linebacker Clark Griffin is one of the key leaders on defense. His 88 tackles lead the GAC and rank 10th nationally. He also is 11th in the country with 0.38 forced fumbles per game. Lastly, Griffin's two fumble recoveries are slotted 13th in D2.
Redshirt freshman Kaden Spencer is having a fine year on the defensive line. He leads the conference and ranks 26th in the nation in sacks per game (0.75). Spencer also has four quarterback hurries and 8.5 tackles-for-loss which are only behind Griffin (9.5).
As for special teams, Magnus Lepak's 53 points on 41 extra points and four field goals ranks fourth in the GAC.
