December 5, 2024 6:30 p.m

For the second straight year, the Harding Bisons represent the Great American Conference in the Super Region Three finals. After defeating Grand Valley State a year ago, the Bisons now face No. 1 seed Ferris State for a place in the semifinals.

Harding played great in the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating both Pitt State and Grand Valley State, but the Bulldogs will be a completely different animal (literally!). Ferris State destroyed Central Oklahoma 78-17 last week, putting up nearly 500 yards on the ground against the Bronchos. While we know that won’t happen against this elite Harding defense, the task will still be a tall order for the Bisons.

Let’s take a closer look at this match and see who will emerge victorious on Saturday.

The Bisons have had five straight games with at least 400 yards rushing. That will be put to the test against a really good Bulldogs defense that is giving up just 101.3 yards per game on the ground and 3.0 yards per carry. Here’s a wild stat for you: Ferris has only given up six rushing touchdowns all season. The Bisons have scored six touchdowns in one year Game seven times. So this is about a lot of power against power. When you look at the Bulldogs defensively, statistically speaking, there isn’t anyone who is just off the charts. It’s a very solid unit with 82 tackles for loss and 23 sacks, but no one on the roster has more than eight TFLs or three sacks. The fact that the Bulldogs did what they did this year without a big star is truly impressive. On the other hand, the Bison were equally impressive with the stability of the backs at their disposal. Two of them are 1,000-yard runners and neither of them is last year’s leading runner, Blake Delacruz. It’s pretty wild to have three guys in the backfield who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a previous season. That depth has allowed the Bisons to be more explosive this year than in years past, and that’s what really makes this Harding team better than previous iterations.

For Ferris State’s offense, it all starts with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a junior who appeared in eight games a season ago. This year he has thrown for over 2,400 yards with 20 touchdowns and passed for 731 yards with 18 touchdowns. He leads the team with 125 rushing yards, making him the catalyst for this balanced and explosive offense that averages nearly 500 yards and 45 points per game. He is complemented by Kannon Katzer, who leads the team with 790 yards rushing and an astounding 8.7 yards per carry. There’s plenty of talent at receiver: 12 guys caught a touchdown pass this year. Emari O’Brien leads the team with 37 receptions.

The final image we have of Ferris State shows bulldog after bulldog running unscathed through the middle of the Central Oklahoma defense. I highly doubt we’ll see that on Saturday. The Bison allowed one IN TOTAL of 169 yards on the ground in the last four games, and that includes the two playoff games. Harding has only allowed three opponents to top the 100-yard mark on the ground this year, so I expect it will be difficult for the Bulldogs to get anywhere close to their season average of 260 yards on the ground.

This game should be a standout game. It’s a shame that it’s a national quarterfinal game and not the national championship. Damn, regionalization. However, the Bulldogs lost to Pitt State 19-3 in their season opener, the same team just beat Harding 48-3. The end of the season wasn’t exactly marked by dominant performances either, as the Bulldogs defeated Saginaw Valley by three wins and Davenport by a score of 24-9. The Bisons have wiped out everyone in their path this year, with the exception of a loss at Ouachita Baptist in October. I think it’s worth noting that the further we get from this game, the clearer it becomes that the Tigers made their Super Bowl, because it’s a complete outlier for Harding in every way.

I think the Bulldogs will definitely slow down the Bisons. I would be surprised if Harding hits 40 points again this week. However, I don’t know how effective Ferris State’s offense will be. There is a pretty wide range of results for the Bulldogs this year, both in terms of results and production. For the bison, there is no such range. I think we’ll have a close matchup in Michigan, but it’s the defending champs who advance.

Harding 31, Ferris State 17