KICKING OFF
One final game is all that is left on the 2021 schedule for the Arkansas Tech football team and while postseason action may not be in the cards for the Wonder Boys this season, there is still a lot to play for as Tech hosts consensus top-10 nationally-ranked Harding on Saturday.
First and foremost, the Wonder Boys are looking to continue the positive trend that their season has been on since Week 5 when they beat Southern Nazarene 51-41. Prior to that, Tech got off to an 0-4 start with a pair of one-possession defeats. Starting with that shootout victory on the road, however, the Wonder Boys are 4-2 over their last six games and conceivably could be 6-0 during that stretch.
Saturday also marks one final time that 23 senior Wonder Boys will play in front of a home crowd at Thone Stadium. Listed among those seniors are: Derek Albers, Caleb Batie, George Brooks, Darryn Cain, Caleb Canady, Damien Carroll, Aaron Carter, Alex Chambers, Corey Chunn, Luke Curtis, Tucker Kennedy, Jack Lindsey, Christian Maier, Cameron McKasson, Tyler Polk, Trey Smith, Ron Thompson, Drew Wade, Denzel Washington, Andre White Jr., Dio Williams, Gio Williams, and Cade Yeager.
Finally, the Wonder Boys are in position to play spoiler to their rivals. Harding enters play virtually a lock for the NCAA Tournament as they are ranked No. 2 in the latest regional rankings. Despite that, the Bisons are playing to maintain that ranking and position themselves for a home playoff game or even move up to the top spot in the rankings and earn a first-round bye.
Both of those would take a severe blow should the Wonder Boys pull the upset.
TECH TIDBITS
OFFENSE
» The Wonder Boys rank seventh in the GAC in total offense with an average of 364.1 ypg. On the ground the Wonder Boys average 156.4 ypg rushing to rank sixth in the GAC. Through the air, Tech ranks seventh in the GAC and averages 207.7 ypg.
» QB Jack Lindsey has been the Wonder Boys starter under center for all 10 games. He has totaled 1,907 yards through the air and tossed 15 TDs. Lindsey has also added 183 yards rushing and two scores on the ground. Overall, Lindsey is averaging 209.0 yards of total offense.
» Senior tailback Ron Thompson is the team's leading rusher with 515 yards on 115 carries. Freshman tight end Jordan Edington leads the team in rushing TDs with five. The second-leading rusher is Caleb Batie with 457 yards on 134 carries.
» Redshirt freshman Joyrion Chase has the most receiving yards with 547 on 45 receptions. He also leads the team with four TD receptions.
DEFENSE
» The Wonder Boys rank sixth in the GAC in scoring defense with an average of 28.9 ppg allowed. They also rank ninth in total defense allowing an average of 411.0 ypg. On the ground, Tech's opponents average 175.0 ypg rushing to rank seventh in the GAC. Through the air, Tech's defense ranks 11th in the GAC averaging 236.0 ypg.
» As as team, the Wonder Boys have come away with 13 turnovers with five INTs and eight fumble recoveries. Five different players account for the five picks while Tyrus Fort has three of the eight fumble recoveries.
SPECIAL TEAMS
» Senior kicker Jesus Zizumbo is a perfect 35-of-35 on extra-point attempts and is 10-of-14 in field goal tries. Zizumbo has now moved into fifth all-time at Tech in made field goals with 28. He is three away from pulling into a tie for fourth all-time.
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ABOUT HARDING
LAST GAME
The Harding Bisons come into Saturday's game as one of the hottest teams in the country having won eight-straight games to give them a 9-1 overall record. The one loss was a one-point defeat on the road at turnaround Southeastern Oklahoma in Week 2 of the season. Since then, the Bisons have out-scored their opponents 393-93.
In their most-recent game, Harding beat Southwestern Oklahoma 55-7 to close out their home slate during the regular season.
THE COACH
The Bisons are coached by Paul Simmons, who is in his fifth year as the head coach at Harding. A Harding alum, Simmons has amassed a 39-10 overall record. In each of his first three seasons coached (2020 not played due to COVID), Simmons has led his Bisons to the NCAA Playoffs advancing to the National semifinals. He has also won at least nine games in all four seasons played.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE
Offensively, the Bisons feature a flexbone offensive attack. Through 10 games this year, Harding has the top-ranked scoring offense in the GAC at 45.2 ppg and the third-ranked total offense with an average of 435.8 ypg. Through the air, the Bisons are averaging just 32.8 ypg to rank 12th in the GAC, but on the ground, Harding is averaging 403.0 ypg to rank 1st in the GAC.
The leading rusher thus far has been Cole Chancey with 938 yards gained. He also leads the team with an remarkable 20 rushing touchdowns scored. Eight other Bisons have carried the ball at least 20 times. Of that, four have rushed for over 300 yards and scored five rushing TDs.
Rarely passing the ball, the Bisons are QB'd by Preston Paden. Thus far, Paden has only thrown just over 30 passes, but has tossed four touchdowns against one INT.
The leading receiver for Harding is Kage Citty with four receptions for 97 yards. All but one of his receptions has gone for a TD.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bisons base out of the 4-2-5 scheme and currently rank first in scoring defense, allowing 12.5 ppg. Their total defense ranks first in the GAC allowing 258.9 ypg of total offense by their opponents. Through the air, Harding ranks fourth in the GAC with 185.2 ypg. On the ground, the Bisons allow an average of 73.7 ypg and rank first in the GAC.
Individually, Harding has nine players with 20 or more and are led in stops by Dylan Hendricks with 39. The Bisons defense has forced 20 turnovers with 10 INTs and 10 fumble recoveries.
THE SERIES
This will be the 58th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Harding in a series that dates back to 1928. After that initial meeting, the two did not play again until 1960, but played annually as conference foes in the AIC until 1995 when both teams made the jump to NCAA DII. The series renewed for the 1996 and 1997seasons, but it wasn't until 2000 that the two became annual conference rivals once more.
In the time since their transition to DII, Harding leads the series 13-8. Since both teams joined the GAC in 2012, Harding leads 7-1. Overall, Tech leads the series 31-26.
