If the league coaches are accurate, the Great American Conference football title will be on the line Oct. 25 at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia.
That's when defending champion and preseason favorite Henderson State plays host to Harding, the only other team to receive a first-place vote in the GSC coaches' poll released Thursday. The Reddies defeated Harding 45-30 last year in Searcy in winning their second-straight GSC title. HSU closes the season Nov. 15 with a home game against crosstown rival Ouachita Baptist, which the Reddies defeated 60-52 in triple overtime last year on OBU's former A.U. Williams Field.
The Reddies have 21 straight conference victories and are ranked in the top 10 in three NCAA Division II preseason polls.
With coaches not permitted to vote on their own teams, Henderson received 10 first-place votes and 100 points total. Harding outpoined Ouachita Baptist 89-84 for second place, the Bisons playing host to the Tigers Oct. 18 in Searcy.
East Central was fourth with 63 votes, followed by Southern Arkansas (60), Southwestern Oklahoma (54) and Arkansas Tech (44). Rounding out the poll were Southeastern Oklahoma (41), Arkansas-Monticello (37), Northwestern Oklahoma (22) and Southern Nazarene (11).
HSU features All-Americans Kevin Rodgers and Darius Davis. Rodgers, two-time GSC Offensive Player of the Year, is 27-3 as the Reddies' starting quarterback. He led NCAA Division II with 400.6 yards passing per game last year, throwing 40 touchdowns.
Davis holds the HSU single-season and career records for yards receiving and touchdowns. Last season, he was third nationally in yards receiving (1,597), fifth in average yards per game (133.1) and fourth in receiving touchdowns (16).
The Reddies open the season Sept. 6 against Southern Nazarene in Bethany, Okla., kickoff set for 6 p.m. After a road game against Division I FCS opponent Nicholls State (Thibodeaux, La.), HSU plays its first home game Thursday, Sept. 18 against Southeastern Oklahoma, the 7 p.m. kickoff serving as CBS Sports Network's NCAA Division II national game of the week.
Arkansas Tech opens the season Thursday, Sept. 4 in Russellville with a 7 p.m. home game against Northwestern Oklahoma. Other games Sept. 6, all with 6 p.m. kickoffs, are East Central at Arkansas-Monticello, Southeastern Oklahoma at Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma at Harding. Ouachita Baptist, following an open date, dedicates new Cliff Harris Stadium Sept. 13 in a 6 p.m. home game against Southern Nazarene.
Sports on 08/01/2014