SE Travels to Take on Ranked Bisons

Football | 10/31/2014 1:58:00 PM

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern sets out on its second-to-last road trip of the season looking to win its fifth-straight contest when it takes on No. 17 Harding at 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 in Searcy, Ark.
 
The Savage Storm are coming off a 45-7 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State for its fourth-straight win to lift their record to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in Great American Conference play.
 
The streak is the longest since the 2008 season and SE is looking to win five games in-a-row for the first time since winning the final four games of the 2008 season and the opener of the 2009 season.
 
The Bisons come into the weekend at 6-1 overall and in league play after posting a win over then No. 3 ranked Henderson State last time out.
 
Saturday will be the 26^th meeting between Southeastern and Harding dating back to 1978, a game the Storm won 30-8.
 
However, since then Harding has built an 18-7 advantage in the series, a series which includes rivalries as members of both the Lone Star Conference and now the GAC.
 
The Bisons have won the last three in the series, all as members of the GAC.
 
SE will look to remained balanced on offense, with Ryan Polite completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,805 yards and 14 touchdowns.
 
His most popular target has been Anthony Foster who has hauled in 35 catches for 521 yards and three scores, while Franky Okafor, Kaymon Farmer and Layton Dworaczyk have each posted over 200 yards receiving on the season and scored at least twice.
 
Devlon Wortham leads the team on the ground, returning to form with a 100-yard outing against the Rangers which lifted him to 644 yards on the season with 10 touchdowns and an average of 8.0 yards per carry, while Ronnie Green surpassed the 500 yard mark and has 529 yards and five scores.
 
The Storm will also look to its special teams for a boost, including the reigning Special Teams Player of the Week in the GAC Dworaczyk who posted the team's first punt return touchdown since the 2009 season in the win over NWOSU.
 
The team is averaging 22.9 yards per kickoff return and 13.5 yards per punt return, while Jared Heim leads the conference in punting with 42.8 yards per punt and Jake Walters has made 11 field goals on the year, the second most by an SE kicker in a season in the Division II era.
 
The defense is paced by Thomas Curry who has racked up 47 tackles, while Chad Tucker is not far behind with 41.
 
Trent Hannah has a team-high six tackles for loss, while Raheem Wilson has posted a pair of interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries, returning one of each for scores.
 
Harding does the vast majority of its offensive damage on the ground where as a team it averages 394.9 yards per game.
 
That group is led by Romo Westbrook who has 7891 yards and six touchdowns, while five others have at least 200 yards rushing and 11 players have combined for 35 rushing touchdowns.
 
Keenan Kellett by contrast is just 29-of-51 on the season for 543 yards through the air and five touchdowns, with 18 of those passes going to Donatella Luckett for 388 yards and three TD's.
 
Devonte Britt leads the HU defense with 33 tackles, while Aric Stock has snagged three interceptions and Darious Lane has picked up three fumble recoveries.