One of the unique aspects of the 12-team Great American Conference is the jump-right-into-the-deep-end nature of the football schedule.
There's no buffet of Division II pastries for top teams to pick and choose from before reaching the meat of the schedule.
Everybody plays everybody in the GAC, 11 consecutive weeks of nonstop conference games.
And this week, it just so happens that the team picked to finish first in preseason (Harding) plays host to the team picked to finish third (Southern Arkansas).
That both teams opened with impressive victories last week -- Harding 41-17 at Henderson State and SAU 38-0 over Arkansas Tech in Magnolia -- makes for fun talk, but not a do-or-die situation for either team.
"We're trying to climb up the ladder, and they're at the top of the ladder," SAU Coach Bill Keopple said. "That's where we want to be."
Harding Coach Paul Simmons said the Bisons, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II, are fired up about playing the Muleriders, who defeated Harding 35-24 last season in Magnolia.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at First Security Stadium in Searcy.
"Our kids know it's a big football game," Simmons said. "They really put it on us last year. We're certainly looking forward to it."
It's the GAC game of the week, and it will give the winner a game up in the standings and a tiebreaker advantage, but with No. 19 Ouachita Baptist (1-0) looming down the road, along with treacherous trips to the Oklahoma outposts of the GAC and against other instate rivals, trophy hosting will have to wait until early November.
Harding showed last season that an early season loss or three doesn't necessarily ruin a season. The Bisons started 0-3, then won their final eight GAC games to sneak into the playoffs and advanced to the Division II semifinals in an 11-4 season.
SAU lost 2 of its first 4 games as preseason favorites, and ended up at 7-4, finishing outside the playoff bracket and short of Division II bowl festivities.
Don't tell Keopple and Simmons that Saturday's game is not important, even though nothing definitive will be determined.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3, and both programs are eager to have their helmets shine in the glare of nationwide visibility.
"It's big for our league and it's big for our school," Keopple said.
"It's a huge deal for recruiting," Simmons said.
Mutual respect
Like all good coaches Southern Arkansas' Bill Keopple and Harding's Paul Simmons didn't need much prompting to break into praise of each other's teams.
When asked about SAU and its senior all-GAC quarterback, Barrett Renner, Simmons said the Bisons defense will be challenged from the first play.
That's the same Harding defense that recovered three fumbles and registered four sacks in last week's victory at Henderson State.
"That quarterback is a major stud, the best we've seen in a long time in this league," Simmons said of Renner, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 304 yards, 3 touchdowns, in the opener against Arkansas Tech. "We've got our hands all the way full."
Keopple, fully aware of Harding's triple-option Flexbone offense, said he thought sophomore quarterback Preston Paden (3-3 passing, 78 yards, 1 TD) gave his team another dimension to defend.
"That's different," Keopple said, "but they're still ground and pound. That's what they do, that's who they are. ... We're going into a a street fight. That's what this game is going to be."
Waiting in the wings
Defending conference champion Ouachita Baptist (1-0, 1-0 GAC) survived 99-degree game-time heat and the nearly 500-mile bus ride to Alva, Okla., last week and emerged with a 29-21 victory over Northwestern (Okla.) State.
Coach Todd Knight said he was impressed with the performance of redshirt freshman quarterback Brayden Brazeal, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 167 yards, 0 interceptions and 1 touchdown.
"Very efficient," Knight said of Brazeal. "He graded out very well."
The Tigers rushed for 281 yards against the Rangers, led by senior Kris Oliver (24-107 rushing, 2 TDs). Senior wide receiver Allie Freeman totaled 136 all-purpose yards (5-57 receiving, 1 TD; 5-52 rushing and 27 on punt and kickoff returns).
The Tigers led 26-7 midway through the third quarter and 29-14 in the fourth until the Rangers scored with 2:46 to play.
"We played good," Knight said. "We didn't finish it off."
OBU hosts Southwest Oklahoma State on Saturday in Arkadelphia, the second of four Oklahoma opponents the Tigers play before meeting its first Arkansas opponent, Arkansas Tech, on Sept. 29. The Tigers travel to Harding on Oct. 6 and host Southern Arkansas on Nov. 3.
Secondary issues
University of Arkansas-Monticello Coach Hud Jackson didn't need to be reminded about how Southwestern Oklahoma State blitzed the Boll Weevils defense for seven touchdown passes, ranging from 22 to 67 yards, in a 49-35 loss. The Boll Weevils resumed practice with an emphasis on eliminating breakdowns in the secondary.
"They big-played us," Jackson said. "You just can't allow explosive plays."
Southwestern Oklahoma outgained UAM 553-483, with 300 of the yards coming on the seven touchdown passes.
Freeman averaged 22.2 yards per completion, and 42.8 yards per touchdown pass.
The Boll Weevils scored a defensive touchdown, on a 34-yard fumble return by Deontae Haynes in the second quarter, and UAM's offense picked up 27 first downs.
Senior quarterback Cole Sears (26-52, 283 passing, 1 TD; 16-44 rushing, 3 TDs) pulled the Boll Weevils within 42-35 with 10:57 to play, but they could not stop Freeman.
Back to drawing board
Arkansas Tech held Southern Arkansas scoreless in the second half of the Aug. 30 season opener in Magnolia.
It was that 38-0 first-half deficit that gave Coach Raymond Monica and his staff an endless number of teaching points.
The Wonder Boys defense yielded three touchdown passes, but the Muleriders added touchdowns on defense (27-yard interception return) and special teams (68-yard punt return).
"It's just regroup and get at it," Monica said. "We're focusing on getting better, on each and every play."
Players of the week
Harding senior T.J. Winslow was named the GAC's defensive player of the week. He was credited with 3 sacks and forced Henderson State quarterback Richard Stammetti into 2 lost fumbles. ... Southwestern State QB Casey Freeman, who threw 7 touchdown passes against UAM, was the offensive player of the week.
Sports on 09/07/2018