2007 Harding Bisons Football Game 3
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2007 Harding Bisons Football Game 3 Home of the Bisons Contact: Scott Goode ([email protected]) www.hardingsports.com Ph: (501) 279-4760 • Fax: (501) 279-4020 2007 SCHEDULE HARDING HOSTS NORTH ALABAMA Date Opponent Time/Result 8/30 Southwest Baptist W, 43-40 IN GSC-TV OPENER 9/8 at Missouri Southern L, 20-48 9/13 North Alabama (GSC-TV) 7 p.m. Harding Bisons (1-1) vs. #3 North Alabama Lions (1-0) Thursday, Sept. 13 • First Security Stadium (5,000) • 7 p.m. 9/22 at Arkansas-Monticello 6 p.m. 9/29 at West Alabama 7 p.m. TONIGHT’S GAME 10/4 West Georgia (GSC-TV) 7 p.m. • The Harding Bisons and third-ranked North Alabama Lions will open the Gulf South Conference 10/20 at Southern Arkansas 2:30 p.m. season Thursday, Sept. 13 at First Security Stadium. It is the fi rst of eight games on the GSC-TV 10/27 at Henderson State 3 p.m. package that will be broadcast in the Southeast on CSS cable network. 11/3 Arkansas Tech (HC) 2 p.m. - Harding is in its 57th season of intercollegiate football and its 49th season since 11/10 Ouachita Baptist 2 p.m. reinstating football in 1959. - The Bisons have a 257-264-18 all-time record and a 59-48 mark since joining the NCAA in 2006 RESULTS 1997. - Tonight’s game will be the fi rst for Harding under interim head coach Ronnie Huckeba, who Date Opponent Result took over Tuesday following the resignation of former head coach Randy Tribble. 8/31 at Southwest Baptist W, 42-30 9/9 Missouri Southern L, 27-30 • Harding and North Alabama are meeting for the eighth time overall and for the fourth time in Searcy. 9/14 at North Alabama L, 14-41 All seven of the previous meetings have come in GSC play. (See p. 36 of HU media guide). 9/23 Arkansas-Monticello W, 29-21 - Harding leads the series 4-3 and have won two of three meetings in Searcy. 9/30 West Alabama W, 24-16 - North Alabama has won the last two meetings, both in Florence. Last season the Lions 10/7 at West Georgia W, 34-16 won 41-14, also in the fi rst game of the GSC-TV package. North Alabama scored the game’s 10/19 Southern Arkansas W, 17-6 fi r st 34 points and had 504 total yards. Harding QB David Knighton threw two touchdown 10/28 Henderson State W, 34-28 (ot) passes, an 11-yarder to WR Jonathan Paulson and a 43-yarder to WR Darrick Ware. 11/4 at Arkansas Tech L, 3-26 - Harding is 2-5 in GSC openers since joining the league in 2000 ... the Bison victories in GSC 11/11 at Ouachita Baptist L, 20-34 openers came against West Georgia (28-21 in 2004) and North Alabama (45-38 in 2002). HU - UNA SERIES HISTORY 2007 BISONS Overall:...................................HU leads 4-3 • The 2007 Bisons are a team with many new faces. Only fi ve of 22 starters off last season’s team- In Searcy: ..............................HU leads 2-1 -four on offense and one on defense--started in Harding’s opener ... The Bisons returned 33 In Florence: ................................. Tied 2-2 letter-winners and lost 21 ... 21 Harding players made their debuts against Southwest Baptist. Last Meeting: ................UNA, 41-14 (2006) - Harding has three true freshmen on its 2007 active roster--defensive back Rashad Rayner, Tribble vs. UNA: ...................................4-3 defensive end Marcus Jones and long snapper Darby Palmer. HARDING QUICK FACTS • Harding is coming off a 6-4 record in 2006 ... it was the Bisons’ third consecutive winning season and fourth in the last fi ve years ... Harding last had four consecutive winning seasons from 1991- Location: ................................. Searcy, Ark. 94 ... the Bisons tied for fi fth in the GSC at 5-3. Founded: ........................................... 1924 Enrollment: ...................................... 6,332 LAST WEEK Conference: ............................... Gulf South • Harding moved to 1-1 on the season with a 48-20 loss to Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. The Nickname: ....................................... Bisons Bisons fell behind 14-0 in the fi rst quarter for the second straight week and never recovered.Lions Colors: .................................Black and Gold QB Adam Hinspeter threw four fi rst-half touchdowns. Harding’s lone touchdown before the break Stadium: .....................First Security (5,000) came on a one-yard Calvin Roberts score that followed Ardell Briggs’ 70-yard burst. Surface: ............... ProPlay (artifi cial surface) - Offensively, Briggs led the Bisons with 79 rushing yards on six carries. His 70-yard run was President: ............................... David Burks the longest by a Harding player in 10 years (Chris Pierson, 80 vs. Tarleton State, 1997). Athletics Director: ............... Greg Harnden QB David Knighton completed 24 passes for 161 yards and 2 TD. Briggs and WR Jonathan Paulson had TD catches. Coaching Staff: Ronnie Huckeba (offensive - Defensively, senior DB Rocky Hall and redshirt freshman LB Braden Binkley led the team coordinator), Clay Beason (linebackers), James with nine tackles each. DE Michael Solano and NG Keenan Kitchen combined for the team’s Frank (running backs), Scott Ragsdale (QB/re- fi r st sack of the season. DB Steve Hudson batted down and recovered an option pitch to ceivers), Paul Simmons (defensive line) account for Harding’s lone takeaway. THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT - NORTH ALABAMA INTERIM HEAD COACH • The fourth-ranked North Alabama Lions scored touchdowns on their fi rst two possessions of the RONNIE HUCKEBA season and went on to a 43-24 rout of Tusculum at Braly Municipal Stadium. • UNA put up 404 yards of total offense on the Pioneers and forced fi v e Tusculum turnovers in the game. Joemal Campbell had six catches for 136 yards and one touchdown, Tim Hicks rushed for 86 yards and two TDs and A.J. Milwee threw for 248 yards and two scores. • North Alabama is now 4-0 all-time against Tusculum, having defeated the Pioneers in its season- opener in each of the last four seasons. The win was UNA’s 13th straight in the regular season. NEXT WEEK • Harding plays its fi rst Gulf South Conference road game of the season when it meets Arkansas- Monticello on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Convoy Leslie-Cotton Bowl Stadium. HU holds a 22-21 lead in the series and have won the last two meetings ... Harding has won two of the last three games played in Monticello. BISONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS • Harding ranks 24th in NCAA II in Fumbles Recovered (3.0). Individually, RB Ardell Briggs is 23rd in Kickoff Returns (29.3) and 32nd in Receptions/Game (6.0). QB David Knighton is 33rd in • Ronnie Huckeba (pronounced: HUCK-a- Total Offense/Game (254.5). WR Zac Ross is 27th in Kickoff Returns (28.5). DB Steve Hudson bee) became Harding’s fi f th head coach on is 24th in Solo Tackles/Game (6.5). an interim basis Tuesday, Sept. 11, replac- ing former head coach Randy Tribble. BISONS PICKED FIFTH IN THE GSC • Harding junior guard Ross Conn earned mention on the 2007 Gulf South Conference Football • The 2007 season is Huckeba’s 22nd as a Pre-Season All-GSC Team ... the conference’s coaches picked the Bisons to fi nish fi fth among the member of the Harding coaching staff and league’s 11 teams in the pre-season poll. his third as a offensive coordinator. • Huckeba joined the Harding staff in 1986, GSC PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL serving as secondary coach through 1987, 1. North Alabama (6) ...............................95 defensive front-seven coach from 1988-93, 2. Valdosta State (3) ................................89 and defensive coordinator from 1994- 3. Delta State (1) .....................................84 2004. 4. Henderson State (1) .............................75 5. Harding ........................................... 56 • Huckeba was a tight end and defensive 6. Arkansas Tech ......................................55 end at Claxton (Ga.) High School from 7. West Alabama ......................................54 1969-72 before lettering four seasons as 8. Southern Arkansas ...............................33 an offensive lineman for the Bisons from 9. West Georgia .......................................30 1973-76. 10. Ouachita Baptist .................................19 • A 1978 Harding alumnus, Huckeba joined 11. Arkansas-Monticello ............................15 the Harding coaching staff after spending fi v e seasons as co-head coach with Adrian Hickmon at Ouachita Christian School, STATISTICAL LEADERS where he was named the Louisiana Class HARDING NORTH ALABAMA A Coach of the Year after leading OCS to Rushing Att Yds Avg. TD Rushing Att Yds Avg. TD a 15-0 record and a state championship. Alan Webster 10 77 7.7 1 Tim Hicks 10 86 8.6 2 Huckeba began his coaching career as an Ardell Briggs 9 77 8.6 1 Brandenn Picket 9 39 4.3 0 assistant at Carlisle (Ark.) High School and David Knighton 18 68 3.8 0 David McCants 8 30 3.8 1 at Fort Worth (Texas) Christian. Passing C-A Pct. Yds I-TD Passing C-A Pct. Yds I-TD • Huckeba, 52, is married to the former David Knighton 52-79 65.8 441 4-5 A.J. Milwee 18-34 52.9 248 1-2 Peggy Jones of Shreveport, La. The couple has three children-Hope, Jeb and Jordan, Receiving Rec Yds Avg. TD Receiving Rec Yds Avg. TD who is a team captain and senior defensive Ardell Briggs 12 59 4.9 1 Joemal Campbell 6 136 22.7 1 back. Jordan Watson 9 127 14.1 2 Jason Messing 4 41 10.2 1 HARDING COACHES Alan Webster 8 120 15.0 1 Tim Hicks 2 15 7.5 0 Coach Years Record Field Goals FG-A Pct.