GAMENOTES - GAME 1 - HARDING UNIVERSITY

SBU vs. Harding gamenotes

SBU will open up against Harding University

August 28

Searcy, Arkansas

6 p.m.

The Series
Harding University - Southwest Baptist
This is the first time that SBU has seen Harding University in its 21 year history of football. Both schools are in similar situations as they are private, Christian instutions in a tough football conference.

Against Gulf South Conference, SBU is 3-12. The Bearcats have played Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist, and Delta State. SBU has only beat Ouachita and holds a 3-6 against OBU. The last time SBU played a GSC team was in 1999 when they played both Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist.

Series vs. GSC
Arkansas-Monticello 0-2
Arkansas Tech 0-3
Delta State 0-1
Ouachita Baptist 3-6

The Coaches
Harding University - Randy Trimble
Coach Trimble is in his 11th year at Harding and holds a 55-47-1 record. He is the fourth winningest coach at Harding with a .539 winning percentage. He has had four winning seasons in 1994 (5-4-1), 1996 (6-4), 1998 (8-3), and 2002 (9-2). The 2002 season was his finest season as they finished second in the Gulf South Conference.

A Harding graduate, Trimble has been on the HU coaching staff for 24 years. He graduated from HU in 1997 after playing four years of football for the Bisons. He came back to his alma mater in 1981 as a member of the football staff coaching the secondary. He moved up to offensive coordinator in 1985 and then the defensive coordinator in 1988. In 1994, he was named the head coach for the Bisons after being on staff for 13 years.
Southwest Baptist - Ray Richards
Ray Richards begins his fourth year at SBU. He has led the Bearcats to a 12-21 record in three years and was 6-5 in his first season. The 2001 season was the first winning season in 10 years at SBU and because of his accomplishment he was named the MIAA “Coach of the Year/."

Richards came to SBU from NCAA Division I University of Louisiana-Monroe. He spent two years there as the defensive backs coach. Prior to ULM, he was at Southeastern Oklahoma State for 10 years. He has also made one more stop at the NCAA Division I level as he was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech for one season.

Graduating from Northern Michigan in 1981, Richards helped NMU to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1980.

The Teams
Harding University
The Bisons are coming off of a 4-6 year and are looking to get back on to the winning track. They return five starters on offense and five starters on defense. There top offensive returner is quarterback Adam Lybrand. The others returning are Tobias Brown (TE); Chris Evans (OG); Grant Taylor (C); and Dondtray Thomas (TB). On the defensive side of the ball, they return Justin Currie (DT); Torrance Daniels (FS); Scott Dutile (LB); Izzy Fieilo (LB); Robert Towns (CB).

A big boost to the HU defense will be defensive back Torrance Daniels. He was recently named a second team preseason all-american by D2football.com. He recorded 69 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two interceptions in 2003.

Southwest Baptist
Coming off of a 3-8 season, SBU will look to better the 2004 season. They return a veteran offensive line and a strong secondary on defense. The offensive line will start three seniors in L.V. Hill, Aubrin Rhem, and Jeremy Montz. Also returning is all-MIAA running back Marco Kirven. Kirven finished second in the MIAA in rushing last year and is the top returning running back in the MIAA.

Defensively, the Bearcats return linebacker Joey Maiwelmal, defensive linemen Ben Glidewell and Haydn Gilbert, and defensive backs Ulexis Williams, Donald Williams, and Michael Pearl.

SBU vs. Arkansas Teams
The Bearcats have not faired to well against teams from Arkansas. The last time SBU played a team from Arkansas was in 1999 when both Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist defeated the Bearcats. SBU holds a 3-11 record vs. Arkansas teams with all three wins against Ouachita Baptist. All the Arkansas teams they have played belong to the Gulf South Conference.

SBU defeated Ouachita Baptist in 1991, 1992, and 1998. It was in 1998 that the Bearcats last beat an Arkansas team in OBU, 8-3.

Wins vs. Arkansas Teams
SBU 26, OBU 21 1991
Wins vs. Arkansas Teams (cont.)
SBU 37, OBU 27 1992
SBU 8, OBU 3 1998

SBU in August Openers
In its 21 years of football, SBU has gone 2-1 in August openers. Two of those three August openers have come under Ray Richards tenure. He won his first ever game at SBU on August 25, 2001, against Quincy (IL) when the Bearcats won 19-0. The following year, they were beaten by NCAA Division I-AA University of Tennessee-Martin on a last second field goal, 19-18.

The only other opener in August came in 1991 when Jim Hall was the coach. They defeated Olivet Nazarene University, 42-7.

August Openers (2-1)
Aug. 31, 1991 SBU 42, Olivet Nazarene 7
*Aug. 25, 2001 SBU 19, Quincy (IL) 0
Aug. 29, 2002 UT-Martin 19, SBU 18

*Ray Richards first win at SBU

Big Opening Wins in August
When SBU has won their opener in August, they have gone onto have a winning season. SBU has only played three games in August for openers and two of the three have been wins.

In 1991, Jim Hall guided SBU to a 7-4 record and they opened up with a 42-7 win over Olivet Nazarene. In 2001, Ray Richards posted his first SBU win over Quincy and the Bearcats went on for a 6-5 season, the first winning season since 1991.

4 Season Opener Suspicions
SBU is 8-13 in season openers in the 21 year history of football. In four of those eight wins, SBU went on to have winning seasons. There was also one season where they went 5-5. So SBU is 4-3-1 in winning seasons when the win their season opener

Winning Season Openers
Year Outcome Record
1986 SBU 28, Central Methodist 9 5-3-1
1987 SBU 37, Central Methodist 7 7-4
1989 SBU 22, SE Missouri State 15 5-5
1991 SBU 42, Olivet Nazarene 7 7-4
1992 SBU 37, Ouachita Baptist 27 2-8
2000 SBU 20, Quincy 0 2-9
2001 SBU 19, Quincy 0 6-5
2003 SBU 48, Kentucky Wesleyan 7 3-8

Road Openers
The Bearcats have not faired as well in season openers on the road. They have a 3-8 record when on the road. They have picked up their three wins vs. Central Methodist (1987), Ouachita Baptist (1992), and Kentucky Wesleyan (2003).

Arkansas is Home
On the 2004 roster, SBU has three players from Arkansas. Two are freshmen and one is a redshirt freshmen. Steve Alverson and Chase Orr are the freshmen from Arkansas while Jeffrie Finnell is the redshirt freshmen. Finnell is the only player that will be making the trip back to Arkansas to play.
Players Hometowns
Steve Alverson Rogers
Jeffrie Finnell Gravette
Chase Orr Rogers

Moving Up in the MIAA
In the preseason MIAA football poll, SBU was voted to finish in seventh place. This ties the highest spot that they have been voted to finish. In Coach Richards second season, they were voted to finish seventh and went on to a 3-8 season. SBU came way with 32 points and was just nine points behind Washburn(41 points).
2004 MIAA Coaches Poll
1. Pittsburg State (4) 75 points
2. Central Missouri 72 points
3. Northwest Missouri (3) 71 points
4. Emporia State 56 points
5. Missouri Western 50 points
6. Washburn 41 points
7. Southwest Baptist 32 points
8. Truman 23 points
9. Missouri Southern 18 points
10. Missouri-Rolla 12 points

NFL Watch
In his final season at SBU, senior L.V. Hill is being watched by the NFL scouts. Early on in spring practice, through summer, and now two-a-days, several NFL scouts have come to see what L.V. Hill is about. L.V. is a 6’5", 300 pound, offensive tackle that use to play tight end. Last year, he moved from tight end to strong tackle in the middle of the season because of injuries on the offensive line. Since that move, he has not left and was awarded 2003 all-MIAA honorable mention at the tackle spot.
Specs on L.V. Hill
4Squat 545
4Bench 400
4Clean 300
440 5.19
4Broad 9 ft.
4Pro I 5.2

Running Rampede
A major strong point to watch in the 2004 season will be SBU’s running game. Returning is junior Marco Kirven, senior Deon Boykin, and freshman JoJo Rawls. Kirven fell just 40-yards short of breaking the SBU single season rushing record last year when he compiled 1,352 yards rushing. Those numbers made him #2 in the MIAA and in the top 30 rushers in the NCAA Division II.

Boykin has rushed for 1,392 yards in his career and has had three 100-yard rushing games.

A great addition to the SBU running game will be freshman JoJo Rawls. He comes from a rich high school tradition in Texas and had 33 rushing touchdowns, led East Texas in rushing, and was the district MVP twice.