Harding Bisons

2007 Archives

Harding earns fourth straight winning season; Downs OBU November 10, 2007 By Amanda Pruitt Harding Sports Information SEARCY – Harding University junior quarterback David Knighton passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns and both Bison tailbacks broke long touchdown runs as Harding defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 38-36 on Senior Day at First Security Stadium.   Harding (6-4, 5-3 Gulf South) collected its fourth consecutive winning season with the victory and posted its second straight winning season in Gulf South Conference play. The Bisons defeated the Tigers for the 10 th consecutive time in Searcy. Coach Ronnie Huckeba, who took over as head coach on Sept. 11, finished the season 4-3 and won five of his last six games.   Ouachita Baptist (4-5, 2-5) lost its third consecutive game and sixth in its last seven.   Harding took an early lead on its first drive when Knighton completed a 5-yard pass to sophomore Zac Ross. Ouachita Baptist tied the game 7-7 on the following drive with a 12-yard scoring run from Willie Hopson with 8:17 left.   Harding then scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 21-7 first quarter lead. Senior Calvin Roberts broke away for a 56-yard touchdown run, his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, with 7:29 remaining, and sophomore Kurt Adams caught a 35-yard pass from Knighton at the 3:25 mark.   Adams caught his second touchdown pass on a 19-yard strike from Knighton to open the second quarter, but the Tigers scored on a touchdown pass by Lance Parker to narrow the lead to 28-19 at halftime.   After passing for an incompletion on his first pass of the game, Knighton completed 18 consecutive passes, tied for the third-longest streak in GSC history. It was his sixth game this season with three or more touchdown passes and seventh with 300 passing yards or more, finishing with 364 yards.   Parker rushed for a seven-yard touchdown with 4:42 remaining in the game, and the Tigers trailed 31-29. Harding answered three minutes later when junior Alan Webster broke several tackles before scoring on a 32-yard run to give the Bisons a more-comfortable 38-29 lead with 1:55 left.   Ouachita Baptist wasn't finished scoring, however, as Parker passed for his second touchdown of the game, completing a three-yarder to Tony Taylor to trail 38-36 with 18 seconds remaining.   Harding recovered the following onside kick and took a knee to run down the clock and seal the victory.   Ross broke the Harding single-season kickoff return yardage record of Lafe Caton, father of current Bisons Zach and Cade Caton. Ross fielded two kickoffs for 40 yards on Saturday and finished the season with 826 yards.   Hopson rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns, including a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.   Harding junior Tracy Brown finished with 13 tackles and a forced fumble. Sophomores Jermaine Blanchard and Kyle Young each had 10 tackles.

Knighton named one of 24 candidates for Harlon Hill Award November 9, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID FLORENCE, AL – Harding University junior quarterback David Knighton was named one of 24 candidates for the 2007 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year.   Knighton is one of five players from the Southeast Region. The others are senior linebacker Michael Eubanks of Delta State, sophomore wide receiver Cedric Jones of Valdosta State, junior quarterback Lamar Little of Virginia Union and senior quarterback A.J. Milwee of North Alabama.   Through nine games in 2007, Knighton has completed 263-of-408 passes for 2,834 yards and 29 touchdowns. He leads the Gulf South Conference in completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes. Knighton ranks second in NCAA II in touchdown passes and third in passing yards per game ( 314.9) and total offense per game (328.6).   Knighton has twice been named d2football.com National Offensive Player of the Week. Against West Georgia, the Seminole, Okla., native passed for 401 yards and five touchdowns and topped that performance with a 529-yard, seven-touchdown effort against Arkansas Tech.   Players are nominated and voted on by the sports information directors at the 150 NCAA Division II football-playing institutions. The 24 initial candidates will be placed on regional ballots and the top two players from each of the four NCAA regions will advance to the national ballot when regional voting concludes on November 16.   The winner of the 2007 award, which is presented by the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, will be announced at the 22nd annual Harlon Hill Trophy Presentation Banquet on Friday, December 14 at the Florence Conference Center at 6:30 p.m. This year's Hill Trophy Banquet will also include the ninth induction into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.   Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight and can be purchased by calling Sarah Beth Vandiver at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at (256) 764-4661.

Harding wins homecoming game for the ages November 3, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID SEARCY – It was a game that an overflow Homecoming crowd of 5,600 will not soon forget. Harding broke a plethora of school records and held on for a 62-55 victory over Arkansas Tech on Saturday at First Security Stadium in the highest-scoring game in Bison football history. It was Harding's 17 th win in its last 18 Homecoming games. Harding junior quarterback David Knighton completed 46-of-62 passes for 529 yards and seven touchdowns, but his most important score came on the ground. The Seminole, OK, native dove in from a yard out with 1:41 left to give the Bisons the victory. Arkansas Tech's Marcus Arnold returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the Harding 43, and with 1:32 left, the Wonder Boys looked poised to tie the game for the sixth time. Then on 4 th-and-5, Tech quarterback Justin Ray left the pocket in an attempt to rush for the first down. He was met at the Harding 21 by Andrew Jackson, Cam Clark and Jordan Huckeba, who flipped Ray into the air, forcing a fumble that Harding sophomore Ray Hatfield recovered. Harding (5-4, 4-3 Gulf South Conference) needs a victory next Saturday in its season-finale against Ouachita Baptist to secure its fourth consecutive winning season. Arkansas Tech (5-5, 3-5) had its season end against the Bisons. With the score tied at 48-48, Arkansas Tech's Tracey Stiger returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Wonder Boys the lead. Harding came right back, driving 56 yards on seven plays with Knighton hitting redshirt freshman Jordan Watson with a 10-yard pass to knot the game at 55 with 12:00 left. Harding's defense, which had forced only two punts in the game's first three quarters, came alive in the fourth. The Bisons held the Wonder Boys to two consecutive three-and-outs and three straight punts in the final period before forcing the game-deciding fumble on the final drive. The two teams combined for 70 first downs, the most ever in a non-overtime game in NCAA II history. The old record was 67 by Indianapolis and Michigan Tech in 2003. Harding's 39 first downs were a school record, tied a GSC record and were only three off the all-time NCAA II record of 42 set by Delaware in 1973. Knighton broke nearly every school passing record in the game, including completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. His 46 completions set a GSC record and were the fourth-most in NCAA II history. Knighton also became Harding's career and single-season leader in passing yards and touchdowns in the game. He has 29 passing touchdowns in 2007 and 53 in his career. Knighton has passed for 2,834 yards this season and 5,757 in his career. Harding sophomore Zac Ross set career highs with 10 receptions and 125 receiving yards. He caught two touchdown passes and added 95 yards on kick returns for 220 all-purpose yards. For Arkansas Tech, Ray rushed for 131 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns and completed 21-of-39 passes for 244 yards and two more scores. Senior wide receiver Chris Gunter had nine catches for 111 yards.

Bisons fall 22-19 at Henderson State October 27, 2007 By Amanda Pruitt Harding Sports Information ARKADELPHIA — Harding junior quarterback David Knighton passed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but the Harding Bisons could not hold onto a third-quarter lead, losing to the Henderson State Reddies 22-19 at Carpenter-Haywood Stadium on Saturday. The loss snapped Harding's three-game Gulf South Conference winning streak.     The Bisons (4-4, 3-3 GSC) trailed 14-7 early but rallied with two passing touchdowns from Knighton and led 19-14 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter. The lead held less than two minutes when Henderson State's Bernard Palmer scored on an 18-yard touchdown run, and the Reddies took the lead for good at 22-19.   Henderson State (5-3, 4-2 GSC) entered the game leading the Gulf South Conference in total defense, averaging 234 yards per game. The Reddies' defense had only given up four passing touchdowns all season before Knighton's three-touchdown performance. Harding compiled 421 yards Saturday.   The Reddies took an early 7-0 lead when Palmer scored on a 4-yard touchdown run on their opening drive of the game.   Harding answered with a five-play, 82-yard drive capped by a 30-yard pass from Knighton to junior Daniel Phipps.   The Bisons collected 165 total yards of offense in the first quarter and quickly surpassed Henderson State's average of 111 passing yards allowed with 14:22 left in the second quarter.   Henderson State took a 14-7 lead with 10:43 left in the second quarter on a 25-yard screen pass from Roch Charpentier to junior Greg Godfrey.   Harding kicker Ryan Ferrell missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the second, snapping a streak of five straight made field goals. The Bisons later scored when Knighton connected with sophomore Jordan Watson on a 10-yard pass with 25 seconds remaining in the first half. Ferrell's extra point missed wide right, and the Bisons trailed 14-13 at halftime.   Knighton was 20-of-32 for 224 yards and two touchdowns at halftime. The Bisons had 222 passing yards in the first half, exactly twice as many as the Reddies average allowed for the season. He finished the game, completing 30 of 49 passes for 331 and three touchdowns. In the process, Knighton broke Harding's single-season completions record and moved to within one touchdown pass of the school's career touchdown record of 47, held by Freddie Langston.   Harding took a 19-14 lead on their second possession of the second half. The Bisons drove 68 yards on 11 plays, and Knighton tied his own Harding single-season record with his 22 nd touchdown pass on an 8-yard fade to Kurt Adams   Palmer gave Henderson State back in the lead with an 18-yard touchdown run. Garett Manning hit Robert Espinoza for a two-point conversion to put the Reddies ahead 22-19 with seven seconds left in the third quarter.   Harding retook possession after an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal at its 7-yard-line with 6:28 left. It looked as if Henderson State had recovered a fumble, but the Reddies were whistled for a defensive holding penalty that kept the Harding drive alive. The drive ended on an interception from Knighton, his first in three games.   Henderson State controlled possession for much of the fourth quarter, keeping the ball for more than 10 minutes. The Reddies ran 22 plays, 19 on the ground.   Palmer finished with 23 carries for 155 for Henderson State.   Senior Ardell Briggs had 10 receptions for 94 yards for Harding. Defensively, junior safety Tracy Brown had two interceptions and 11 tackles.   The Bisons will host their first home game in nearly a month when Arkansas Tech travels to Searcy for Homecoming on Nov. 3. The game will begin at 2 p.m.

Bisons wreck SAU homecoming in overtime, 31-24 October 20, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID MAGNOLIA – Harding senior Calvin Roberts scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run in overtime to lift the Bisons to a 31-24 victory over Southern Arkansas on Homecoming at Wilkins Stadium.   Harding (4-3, 3-2 Gulf South Conference) won its third straight conference game and its fifth in the last six meetings against Southern Arkansas (2-6, 1-5) in Magnolia. The loss for the Muleriders was their fifth straight.   Harding, which rushed for a season-high 208 yards in the game, kept the ball on the ground for all six of its overtime plays. Junior Alan Webster carried for 12 yards to the SAU 13 before Roberts picked up eight more to get to the 4-yard line. On 2 nd-and-2, Webster dove to within inches of the goal line. After two plays with no gain, Roberts powered in the eventual game-winning score.   Southern Arkansas picked up one first down on its drive, but a false start penalty and a two-yard rush set up 2nd -and-13 from the Harding 17. That is when the Harding defense made three straight game-saving plays.   Bison junior rover Michael Solano dropped Mulerider tailback Steven Ashley for a six-yard loss. On third down, freshman Marcus Jones and sophomore Jeremy Townsend recorded a four-yard sack. SAU quarterback Josh SanFilippo's pass into the end zone on fourth down sailed over the head of intended receiver Marco Coleman, and Harding had its sixth win in seven overtime games since joining the NCAA in 1997.   With the game tied 17-17 after the third quarter, Harding recaptured the lead on the third play of the fourth when Ardell Briggs burst up the middle for a 42-yard touchdown run. It was the Bisons' longest touchdown run of the season.   With 2:46 remaining, SAU scored on a 17-yard pass from SanFilippo to Coleman to send the game into overtime.   Harding had not played in 16 days following its 49-31 victory over West Georgia on Oct. 4. In the first half, the rust was evident, especially for the Harding offense. The Mulerider defense limited the Bisons to only 67 yards and four first downs before the break. Harding quarterback David Knighton, the GSC's leading passer at 302 yards per game, had only 44 passing yards on 9-of-15 attempts.   Southern Arkansas led 10-3 at halftime.   Knighton's third quarter was much better than his first half. The junior threw a pair of touchdown passes, the first going to Calvin Roberts from two yards out. The key play of the drive was Webster's season-long 52-yard run. Following a Southern Arkansas punt, Harding drove 60 yards on four plays with Knighton hitting Webster on a swing pass for a 24-yard score.   Webster finished with 16 carries for 119 yards, Harding's first 100-yard rushing game in 2007. Knighton was 19-of-28 for 162 yards and the two scores.   Possibly the biggest story for the resurgent Bisons was the play of the defense. Harding limited Southern Arkansas to only 325 total yards, the Bisons' best effort of the season. The defense also recorded five sacks, equaling its total from the season's first six games. Sophomore Jermaine Blanchard led the squad with nine stops, and sophomore Kyle Young added eight.   Southern Arkansas completed only 7-of-24 passes 108 yards.   Harding will look for its fourth consecutive victory under new head coach Ronnie Huckeba next Saturday at Henderson State.

Ronnie Huckeba named head football coach at Harding University October 15, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID SEARCY – Ronnie Huckeba was named the head football coach at Harding University on Monday. Huckeba had served as the team's interim head coach for the last four games following the resignation of former coach Randy Tribble on Sept. 11. "We are very fortunate to have someone like Ronnie Huckeba at Harding University who is willing to accept the responsibilities of the head coach," said athletic director Greg Harnden. "I've known Coach Huckeba for a long time, and it is encouraging and satisfying to see the way he has taken over the program. He has given it the direction and leadership we need at this time, and we have all the confidence in the world that he is the man for the job." Huckeba, 52, directed the Bisons to a 2-2 record, including wins in its last two games, as the interim head coach. He is in his 22 nd season on the Harding coaching staff and began the 2007 season as the offensive coordinator. From 1994-2004, Huckeba was the team's defensive coordinator. He also served as defensive front-seven coach from 1988-1993 and secondary coach from 1986-87. Huckeba was a tight end and defensive end at Claxton (GA) High School from 1969-72 before lettering four seasons as an offensive lineman for the Bisons from 1973-76. A 1978 Harding alumnus, Huckeba joined the Harding coaching staff after spending five seasons as co-head coach with Adrian Hickmon at Ouachita Christian School, where he was named the Louisiana Class A Coach of the Year after leading OCS to a 15-0 record and a state championship. Huckeba began his coaching career as an assistant at Carlisle High School and at Fort Worth (Texas) Christian. Harding has four games remaining on its 2007 schedule, beginning with road games at Southern Arkansas (Saturday) and Henderson State (Oct. 27). The Bisons conclude the season with home games against Arkansas Tech (Nov. 3) and Ouachita Baptist (Nov. 10). After the announcement of Huckeba's promotion, he released the following statement: "It is an honor to be named head football coach at Harding University. It is a dream job because of the type of university this is. Harding is so unique. The football program at this university also has the opportunity to be unique. I am so appreciative to Dr. Burks and to Coach Harnden for the confidence they have shown in me. I intend to do everything in my power to justify their confidence. That has more to do with the direction of this program than anything else. This is a Christ-centered university, and my goal is to make this a Christ-centered football program. In the process, I believe that if we do the things that would allow us to exhibit the characteristics of Jesus Christ, then we will be successful. At the same time, we are in an extremely competitive conference in Division II. From top to bottom, it is the toughest Division II conference in America. It is always a challenge to compete at the top levels of the Gulf South Conference. But we have every intention of being competitive in this conference. "As far as the present is concerned, our focus is the same as it was four weeks ago when I was named the interim head coach. That is to focus on these young men that are on this football team. I am going to do my best to give them the opportunity to win on Saturday and to do my best to help them learn the things from this game that will make them better men, better husbands, better dads. There are so many things we have experienced this season that will help them deal with things that I know that they will face later on in their lives. Foremost, I hope that being a part of the Harding football program will help our players grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. If we don't accomplish some of these other things, but we accomplish that, then we will have had a successful season."

Knighton passes for five touchdowns in 49-31 Harding victory October 4, 2007 By Amanda Pruitt Harding Sports Information SEARCY — Harding quarterback David Knighton passed for over 400 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to help lead the Bisons to a 49-31 victory over the West Georgia Wolves on Thursday night, Harding's second regionally-televised game as part of the GSC-TV package.   After collecting a 36-35 victory over West Alabama last Saturday, the Bisons won their second game in five days to improve to 3-3 overall and even its Gulf South Conference record to 2-2. West Georgia dropped to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in conference.   Harding amassed 548 total yards of offense, the fourth-most since Harding restarted its football program in 1959. The Bisons set a school record with 31 first downs, breaking the previous record of 29, set against Delta State in 2000.   The Bisons took a 10-0 lead early in the game as junior Ryan Ferrell kicked a 43-yard field goal and junior Daniel Phipps caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Knighton with 4:24 remaining in the first quarter.   West Georgia scored two consecutive touchdowns in the next two minutes to take a 14-10 lead. Knighton brought the Bisons back, hitting redshirt freshman Jordan Watson for a 66-yard touchdown and connecting with Kurt Adams on a 25-yard strike following a Kyle Young fumble recovery. Harding led 24-14 after the first quarter.   Knighton passed for 229 yards and three touchdowns before the second quarter began. He finished the game completing 26-of-43 passes for 401 yards, the third most in a Harding game. It was his second 400-yard passing game of the season.     West Georgia closed the game to 27-20 when quarterback Ryan Poole passed to Jimmy Howard for a 23-yard touchdown. Knighton ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Harding led 33-20 at halftime.   Knighton's fourth and fifth touchdown passes came in the third quarter. He scrambled to his left and threw to Ardell Briggs in the corner of the end zone, but not before Briggs' backfield mate, Calvin Roberts, deflected the pass into the air where Briggs grabbed it before falling out of bounds. The unusual play appeared at No. 3 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. Knighton threw a second touchdown pass to Kurt Adams, and his record fifth of the game, with 1:22 left in the third.   Redshirt freshman Alan Webster rushed for 82 yards, the highest total for a Harding player this season.   Adams caught four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns for Harding, his second-career two touchdown game. Watson led the Bisons with 94 receiving yards.   West Georgia quarterback Ryan Poole completed 31-of-49 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns.   Harding will not play next week, but will resume its GSC schedule against Southern Arkansas in Magnolia on Oct. 20.

Bisons rally to nip West Alabama September 29, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID LIVINGSTON, AL – Harding junior quarterback David Knighton passed for over 300 yards for the third straight game and the much-maligned Bison defense forced three second half turnovers to defeat West Alabama 36-35 on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. It was the first career victory for Harding interim head coach Ronnie Huckeba. Harding improved to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama fell to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the GSC, losing to the Bisons in Livingston for only the second time in six meetings. Harding trailed 35-33 entering the fourth quarter but junior defensive end Michael Solano sacked West Alabama quarterback Kurt Kennedy for a 16-yard loss on 4 th-and-6 to give the Bisons the ball on the UWA 45 with 11:20 remaining. Harding drove to the 21 before the drive stalled, and junior kicker Ryan Ferrell booted the eventual game-winning field goal, his third field goal of the game. West Alabama had three more possessions with a chance to take the lead, but the Harding's defense that had allowed 600 yards per game through the season's first four games, stiffened and forced a missed field goal, a punt and UWA's third fumble of the half on the Tigers' final drive. Harding trailed 28-13 with 5:47 left in the first half after West Alabama's Terry Allen returned a kickoff 100 yards. Harding last allowed a 100-yard kickoff to Ricky Hughes of Missouri Southern in 2005. After the two teams traded punts on their next possessions, the Bisons executed a series of plays that bordered on the impossible. With only 1:18 left in the half and Harding at its own 11, Knighton connected with sophomore Zac Ross for a 12-yard gain and followed that with a wrong-footed 53-yard pass to Kurt Adams down the visitor sideline. Two plays later, Knighton hit Ross on a 21-yard touchdown pass, Ross' first touchdown as a Bison. Ferrell's extra point cut the UWA lead to 28-20 with 0:35 left in the half. West Alabama then ran three plays, lost six yards and had to punt from its own 38. Harding junior Daniel Phipps came untouched through the line and blocked his second punt in as many weeks. Harding took possession at the UWA 27, and one play later Knighton threw is second touchdown pass in 38 seconds, connecting with Ardell Briggs on a scoring strike. The Bisons' two-point attempt failed, and Harding trailed 28-26 at the break. Harding's defense forced fumbles on each of UWA's first two second-half possessions. The Bisons could not take advantage of the first, but turned the second into a 13-play, 90-yard drive that culminated in a Ross nine-yard TD run on a direct snap. The extra point gave Harding a 33-28 advantage, its first of the game. West Alabama came storming back with a 37-yard touchdown run from junior Cole Mason to give the Tigers a 35-33 lead with 3:24 left in the third quarter. But the fourth quarter belonged to the Bisons' defense, which limited UWA to only 19 yards in the period. Knighton completed 26-of-41 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns. He moved past Luke Cullins (1997-99) and Tad Niblett (1988-91) into fourth in career completions at Harding with 379. Ross rushed three times for 13 yards and a touchdown, completed a 24-yard pass, caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown and returned two punts for 36 yards, including a 34-yard return that set up Harding's first touchdown. Senior Ardell Briggs led Harding with six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Mason rushed 21 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns for West Alabama, but Harding's defense limited the Tigers to 344 yards of total offense, over 100 yards less than the Bisons' previous best defensive effort this season and less than half of the 812 yards allowed to Arkansas-Monticello last week. Harding recorded season-highs with 25 first downs and 474 yards of total offense. The Bisons have a quick turnaround this week. Harding hosts West Georgia, which suffered a 37-17 defeat to Henderson State on Saturday, on Thursday, Oct. 4 in the GSC-TV Game of the Week.

UAM upends Harding, 48-32 September 22, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID   MONTICELLO — The Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils collected more than 800 yards of total offense to defeat the Harding Bisons 48-32 at Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium on Saturday night.   Haring junior Daniel Phipps blocked a punt, resulting in a team safety. Junior quarterback David Knighton passed to senior Calvin Roberts for a 27-yard touchdown, and Harding (1-3, 0-2) took the lead 10-7 in the first quarter.   Arkansas-Monticello (1-3, 1-1) retook the lead near halftime when the Boll Weevils marched down the field 80 yards in three plays. Junior Ryan Ferrell kicked a 41-yard field goal with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter to cut Arkansas-Monticello's lead to 14-13 at halftime.   The Boll Weevils pulled away in the third quarter, scoring four touchdowns and outscoring the Bisons 27-6 in the period.   Arkansas-Monticello rushed for 328 yards and freshman quarterback Scott Buisson completed 27 passes for 484 yards and four touchdowns. The Boll Weevils' 812 total yards is the most Harding has allowed in a game all-time.   Junior quarterback David Knighton completed 28 passes for 326 yards, the second consecutive game Knighton has passed for more than 300 yards. Knighton passed for three touchdowns for the seventh time in his career. Sophomore Kurt Adams caught six passes for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown.   Sophomore Zac Ross broke the single game record for kick return yardage, fielding eight kickoffs for 199 yards. Lafe Caton held the previous record with 191 yards set in 1980 against Livingston State.   Harding will face West Alabama in Livingston, AL, on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.

Tank Daniels signed to N.Y. Giants practice squad September 20, 2007 By Scott Goode    Harding SID   SEARCY – Former Harding University linebacker Torrance "Tank" Daniels signed with the New York Giants on Wednesday and was placed on the team's practice squad.   Daniels spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, playing in six games (including one against New York on Dec. 17) and making nine special-teams tackles and five defensive tackles. He also played in both Eagles' playoff games, including a Jan. 7 games against the Giants in which he had three special-teams tackles.   Daniels, a native of Clarendon, has a connection with the Giants. His linebacker coach last season was Steve Spagnuolo, who is now the Giants' defensive coordinator.   A three-time All-Gulf South Conference performer at Harding, Daniels spent the first 11 weeks of last season on the Eagles' practice squad before taking the 53-man roster spot of injured Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb.   NFL teams are allowed to carry eight players on their practice squads and 53 on their active rosters.

UNA offense nearly unstoppable in 58-17 victory over Harding September 13, 2007 By Amanda Pruitt Harding Sports Information SEARCY — Third-ranked North Alabama put on an amazing offensive display Thursday in a 58-17 victory over Harding at First Security Stadium. The game was the first of 10 televised Gulf South Conference games on the CSS cable network.   North Alabama (2-0, 1-0 GSC) compiled 606 total yards (358 passing, 248 rushing), the most ever by a Harding opponent, and scored touchdowns on eight of its 11 possessions. The Lions' 58 points were also a First Security Stadium record by a Bison opponent.   Harding (1-2, 0-1) led briefly after junior Ryan Ferrell kicked a 35-yard field goal in the Bisons' first drive of the game. North Alabama tied the game with a field goal on the following drive and had little trouble scoring the rest of the game.   Bison junior quarterback David Knighton found redshirt freshman Jordan Watson for a 26-yard touchdown pass, one of two Knighton touchdown passes. He also connected with junior Alan Webster, who broke numerous tackles on a screen pass for a 35-yard touchdown, late in the third quarter.   Knighton completed 35-of-51 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns, making him only the fifth Bison quarterback with more than 30 career touchdown passes. He posted a career high for completions (second in an HU single game) in a game and passed for over 300 yards for the second time in his career.   Senior Ardell Briggs caught eight passes for 107 yards, the ninth time a Harding running back has collected more than 100 receiving yards a game. Aaron Evans was the last to accomplish the feat after a 100-yard, nine-reception performance in 1998 against Southwestern Oklahoma State.   North Alabama's A.J. Milwee passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns.   Thursday's game was the first as interim head coach for former offensive coordinator Ronnie Huckeba. Huckeba took over for former head coach Randy Tribble, who resigned Tuesday.   The Bisons will play against Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m., in Monticello.

Randy Tribble resigns as Harding head football coach September 11, 2007 By Scott Goode Harding SID SEARCY – Randy Tribble, head football coach at Harding University since 1994, submitted his resignation to President David Burks and athletics director Greg Harnden on Tuesday morning. His resignation is effective immediately. Current offensive coordinator Ronnie Huckeba (pronounced: HUCK-a-bee) has been named interim head coach. Tribble, 52, cited personal reasons as the motivation for his resignation. Harnden expressed appreciation for immeasurably positive impact that Tribble has had on Harding University and the Bison football program during his 31 years as a player, assistant coach and head coach. "Randy Tribble has had a great effect on the lives of all the Harding football players he has coached over the years. He is a close personal friend, and we in the Harding athletics department and the Harding community love Randy and his family." During his 14-year tenure as Bison head coach, Tribble directed the team to a 74-62-1 record. His 2002 squad compiled a 9-2 record, the second-best win total in program history. Tribble's 74 victories and .544 winning percentage both rank second all-time at Harding. Prior to taking the head coaching position in 1994, Tribble served 13 years as an assistant coach under John Prock and Larry Richmond. He coached the secondary from 1981-84, was the offensive coordinator from 1985-87 and was the defensive coordinator from 1988-93. Tribble was a four-year letterwinner at safety for Choctawhatchie High School in Fort Walton Beach, FL. He also lettered four seasons as a safety at Harding from 1973-76, earning All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference honors in 1976. Tribble was inducted into the Harding Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. Prior to coming to Harding, Tribble coached for three seasons at Fort Worth Christian, serving as head coach in 1979 and 1980, winning the state championship his second season. Huckeba, 52, is in his 22nd season on the Harding coaching staff. He is in his third season as the offensive coordinator. From 1994-2004, Huckeba was the team's defensive coordinator. He also served as defensive front-seven coach from 1988-1993 and secondary coach from 1986-87. Huckeba was a tight end and defensive end at Claxton (GA) High School from 1969-72 before lettering four seasons as an offensive lineman for the Bisons from 1973-76. A 1978 Harding alumnus, Huckeba joined the Harding coaching staff after spending five seasons as co-head coach with Adrian Hickmon at Ouachita Christian School, where he was named the Louisiana Class A Coach of the Year after leading OCT to a 15-0 record and a state championship. Huckeba began his coaching career as an assistant at Carlisle High School and at Fort Worth (TX) Christian. Harding, currently 1-1 in 2007, plays again Thursday night against third-ranked North Alabama. The game begins at 7 p.m., at First Security Stadium and is the first game of the Gulf South Conference television package that will air around the Southeast on CSS cable network. Interim head coach Ronnie Huckeba will be available for brief interviews tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. He can be reached through the Harding Sports Information Office at 501-279-4760 or 501-279-4363.

Missouri Southern downs Harding, 48-20 September 8, 2007 By Scott Goode    Harding SID   JOPLIN, MO – Missouri Southern junior quarterback Adam Hinspeter threw four touchdown passes in the first half to lead the Lions to a 48-20 victory over Harding in non-conference action Saturday at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. Missouri Southern led 38-7 at halftime. Harding (1-1) committed four first-half turnovers, including three interceptions thrown by Bison junior quarterback David Knighton. Missouri Southern's Corderi Collier returned the third interception 37 yards for the final score of the first half. Hinspeter, who completed 17-of-26 for 215 yards, handled the rest. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Norman and a five yarder to Korie Henry in the first quarter. Harding trailed 14-0 after one period for the second straight week. Missouri Southern (2-0) made it 21-0 on Hinspeter's second hookup with Norman, a 22-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the second quarter. Harding's lone score of the first half came one play after senior Ardell Briggs broke a 70-yard run down the sidelines to the MSSU 1-yard line. Senior Calvin Roberts punched in his second touchdown of the season with 13:28 left in the half. Hinspeter's fourth touchdown pass was a 67-yard strike to Colin Bado with 12:15 left in the half. The Lions tacked on a 45-yard Brian Malette field goal, tying his career long, and Collier's interception return. Missouri Southern had 328 total yards in the first half, 160 rushing and 168 passing, and 16 first downs. Harding managed only 137 yards and five first downs. Missouri Southern also unveiled Alley Broussard, a senior transfer from LSU, against the Bisons. Broussard broke numerous tackles and rushed for 110 yards on 10 carries and scored on a 39-yard run with 7:38 left in the third quarter. Harding cut the lead to 45-14 on a two-yard Knighton pass to Jonathan Paulson that culminated an eight-play, 77-yard drive with 5:40 left in the third quarter. Briggs finished with a team-high 79 rushing yards on six carries and scored the Bisons' last touchdown on a five-yard reception from Knighton with 11:39 left in the game. Missouri Southern compiled 463 yards of total offense. Harding had 305 total yards. Knighton was 24-of-34 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Briggs and Zac Ross each had five receptions, and Alan Webster had a team-high 49 receiving yards. Harding opens Gulf South Conference play Thursday against North Alabama in Searcy. The game will open the conference's eight-game television package on CSS

Harding wins breath-taking opener, 43-40 August 30, 2007 By Amanda Pruitt Harding Sports Information     SEARCY—The Harding Bisons rallied in the final minute of the game for a 43-40 season-opening victory over the Southwest Baptist Bearcats at First Security Stadium on Thursday night. It was Harding’s sixth straight season-opening victory.   Harding and Southwest Baptist traded leads four times and combined for 31 points in the fourth quarter alone.   The Bearcats led 40-35 with 2:04 remaining and needed only to run out the clock for the victory. Harding’s defense held Southwest Baptist to one yard on the first two downs. On the third down, Bearcat quarterback Steven Gachette, who passed for 379 yards and set stadium records with 40 completions on 61 attemtps, panicked and spiked the ball into the ground, stopping the clock with 1:15 remaining.   Sophomore Zac Ross returned the ensuing punt 20 yards to give Harding possession at Southwest Baptist’s 26-yard line with 1:02 remaining.   After throwing a pair of incomplete passes, Harding quarterback David Knighton found senior Heath Adams for a 19-yard gain, moving to the 12-yard line. Knighton then completed a pass to Ross, who reached the 1-yard line, and senior Ardell Briggs followed with the game-winning touchdown run with 32 seconds remaining.   Senior Rocky Hall intercepted a pass from Gachette to end the game.   The Bisons led 28-24 after the third quarter, but Southwest Baptist took the lead with 13:36 left when Gachette completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Deon Whiteside, giving the Bearcats a 31-28 lead.   Junior quarterback David Knighton connected with redshirt freshman Jordan Watson for a 44-yard touchdown on the following possession to give the Bisons a 35-31 lead.   Southwest Baptist took the lead and the momentum over the next three minutes. Gachette collected his fourth touchdown pass of the game on a 10-yard pass to Lamarcus Windham. Kicker Jeremy Ware missed the extra point but Southwest Baptist retook the lead 37-35.   After Harding and Southwest Baptist exchanged possession on fumbles, Southwest Baptist regained possession on when Jordan Jackson intercepted a pass from Knighton at Harding’s 15 yard line. Ware kicked a 34-yard field goal to extend Southwest Baptist’s lead to 40-35 with 10:17 remaining.   Knighton completed a career-high 28 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed 11 times for 51 yards.   Webster was Harding’s leading rusher with seven carries for 56 yards. He also had five receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown. Watson had six carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns.   Southwest Baptist compiled 519 yards of total offense and had 28 first downs, tying the most ever by an opponent at First Security Stadium.   Harding trailed 14-0 to open the game and allowed two safeties in the second quarter but scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 21-18 at halftime.   The Bisons will play again Sept. 8 against Missouri Southern beginning at 6 p.m. in Joplin, MO. The Lions were 51-0 winners over Haskell on Thurday.