FDDTBALL_ Bisons Fight for Ale Lead In the case of the Bisons' 1978 football season, the 5-4-1 record was more than a statistic . It was, in a symbolic way , representative of a team and a season that went through iis ups and downs. To be sure, the Bisons played brilliantly at times. In its first Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference clash, Harding was victorious in a stunning 17-10 upset over Arkansas Tech. At that time the Wonder Boys were ranked 12th nationally by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, but Harding effectively shut down Tech's offensive machine. Two weeks later, ' Harding took on tenth-ranked Henderson State in Searcy, battling to a 20-20 standoff in another AIC contest. With: 13 left on the clock, the Bisons missed on a lastditch chance for a win when a 22-yard field, goal attempt went wide to the left. Nevertheless, the tie kept both teams tied for the lead in the conference race. The Bisons remained a viable contender for the league title until the second week of November, but lost 28-14 in a disappointing game against Ouachita Baptist. The Tigers punched holes in the Harding defense, scoring in each quarter. Bison quarterback Cam Prock threw four interceptions as OBU's secondary hemmed up Harding's passing game. In the last game of the season, the Bisons wellt up against powerful University of Central Arkansas, then the third-ranked NAIA team. In a 31-26 effort Harding came out on the short end of the score and arrived at its 3-2-1 AIC record that was good for fourth place. Perhaps Head Coach John Prock summed up the season in a March chapel program when he said, "This is one of the best three teams I've coached . but last year we also had the toughest schedule we've played, ever." Seniors Gail Gregg and Jeff Earnhart received honorable mention status on the NAIA All-American squad, and Earnhart was named to the second team of the COSIDA Academic squad. Workhorse senior tailback Mike Vanlandingham became the second man in Harding history to pass the 1 , 000-yard rushing mark. The Seminole, Okla. , native totaled 1,003 yards on 267 carries. Three more seniors did some writing in the school's record book. John Paul Orr, the versatile offensive back, burned up UCA's secondary for a record 218 yards in pass receptions for a single game. Three different times Orr caught passes deep in the left side of the field in the fourth quarter for major gains. All those connections with Orr earned Prock a 255-yard single game passing yardage record. Steve Johnson's eight pass interceptions for the season sur1. ON THE SIDELINES because of an in - jury , Curtis Dupriest closely observes the Bison game . 2. DEFENSIVE END John Pettit rushes in and attempts to block the pass . 3. SENIOR John Orr moues across field to carry out th e play. 4. QUICKNESS and accuracy are the important factors in keeping the opponent's offense from gaining yardage. 5. LINEBACKER Mark Weston moues quickly to recover a fumble on the field. 6. FRESHMAN members of the Bison football team chant - "We're number one!" - at the first pep rally of the year on the front lawn. Football ~ 147
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