An extraordinary opportunity awaits the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys.
Seizing it will require extraordinary effort, extraordinary execution…and perhaps some good fortune.
Arkansas Tech University (7-3) will close out its 2025 football regular season by hosting the nationally second-ranked Harding University Bisons (10-0) for a 2 p.m. Great American Conference contest at Simmons Bank Field at Thone Stadium in Russellville on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Tickets are available at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets.
Harding isn’t simply undefeated. The Bisons have steamrolled their first 10 opponents by a cumulative margin of 470-57 on their way to their third consecutive GAC football championship and their fourth title in the last five years.
At 449.2 rushing yards per game, Harding not only leads every level of NCAA football in that category, it is almost 100 yards per game in front of the second-most prolific rushing attack in all of NCAA football.
For good measure, the Bisons also lead NCAA Division II in total defense (223.7 yards allowed per game).
Harding has only lost one GAC game the last three years. That was a 17-13 setback at Ouachita Baptist University on Oct. 19, 2024. The architect of the Ouachita defensive game plan that stymied the Bisons on that evening was Roy Thompson, who is now in his first season as the head coach at Arkansas Tech.
“I’m excited about it,” said Thompson. “If you feel the energy around the building this week…our players are excited and our coaches are excited. For us to get where we want to go, we have to beat those guys. Saturday is a step in seeing what we have to do to be able to compete for conference and national championships here at Arkansas Tech. Right now, the road to that championship goes through Searcy, and we want to change that.”
Winners of three consecutive games, the Wonder Boys feature the talents of running back Bryson Roland. He needs 26 rushing yards to post the 11th 1,000-yard rushing season in ATU history and the first since Bryan Allen topped that figure in 2015.
Roland, who ranks third among all NCAA Division II freshman in rushing this season (97.4 yards per game), may become the first Wonder Boys football player to ever win a conference freshman of the year award when the GAC doles out its annual honors next week.
“The strength coach gave me some evaluations the other day, and Bryson is one of the stars in the weight room,” said Thompson. “He’s a great student, a good football player…what we get on the football field is what he’s doing in every area of his life. That says a lot about his parents and his upbringing. For a freshman to go out this year and put a team on his back alongside the offensive line…it’s been really impressive to see that young man work.”
If the Wonder Boys do something extraordinary on Saturday, it will be their first win over Harding since 2015 and just their second win over the Bisons since 2009.
If the Wonder Boys do something extraordinary on Saturday, they will force the folks who pick the teams for the NCAA Division II Playoffs to talk about them.
If the Wonder Boys do something extraordinary on Saturday, every person who loves Arkansas Tech will want to be there and experience that moment.
Live coverage of the Tech-Harding game will be provided by KCJC 102.3 FM, the EAB Media Group app and www.arkansastechsports.com.
Talk to you on the radio.
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
