Football Performance Gains Yardage The Bisons began the season with hopes .of doing better than in 1983. Then 'Bisons finished in last place. The pre-season writers poll had Harding picked to finish no better than fourth place in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. The Bisons opened the 1984 campaign at home against the Lane College Dragons on Parent's Night. At the half the Bisons trailed the Dragons , 17-19. After the Dragons first possession, Harding got the ball on Lane College' s 49 yard line. On the the first play quarterback Manny Lowery dropped back and threw a 49 yard touchdown bomb to Gil Stegall , a native of Searcy, giving the Bisons the lead . The defense held the Dragons at bay during the rest of the second half. The game ended Harding 24 , Lane College 19. The next weekend the Harding Bisons traveled to Durant, Okla. to take on Southeast Oklahoma Savages. Things looked hopeless for the Bisons when Lowery left the game with a broken thumb on the Bisons second possession. Harding would not be denied their second win of the early season. Freshman Roddy Mote stepped into the quarterback position and took the ball 24 yards on a keeper to score the Bisons only touchdown of the night. The game remained tied until late in the fourth quarter when Byron Walls intercepted the ball·on the 41 -yard line with 8:29 to play. Once again Mote directed the Bisons down the field. The drive stalled after 12 plays and 59 yards. Placekicker Stu Varner was sent in with 3:45 to play. Varner responded to the pressure with a game winning 35-yard field goal. Final score was lO-7 Harding. The team had two weeks to get ready for the first conference opponent, Arkansas Tech University at Russellville. Coach Prock had his team work on two problem areas, fumbles and the quarterback position. With the loss of Lowery for several weeks, Mote moved to starting position, but David Escue and Ryan Blickenstaff were made ready just in case Mote did not respond or was injured. The Bisons ranked 20th in the NAIA were upset in Tech's rain soaked Homecoming, 13-3. Harding was held to only 82 yards rushing and only nine completed passes in 23 attempts. The Bisons had several opportunities to score touch* downs, but penalties stopped long drives. All the Bisons could manage was a Varner field goal of 34 yards. The team returned home 2-1 and winless in the AIC. The Bisons came home to face non-conference foe Evangel College Crusaders. The game was anything but boring with a total of 61 points scored. The winner was still indoubt until Paul Maturi fell on a Crusdaer onsides kick with Looking Ahead. Gill Stegall checks the defenders in front of him before he makes his cut. - photo by Public Relations Office . only 44 seconds left in the game. The Bisons won 33-28. This was the highest scoring game since 1981. Harding rolled up 481 yards of total offense while Mote amassed 212 yards passing completing 9 out of 18. The following week Harding played once again at home , but this time it was a conference opponent, Henderson State Reddies. Stegall scored on a deflected pass play that covered 80 yards with only 1: 24 left in the game. The touchdown gave the Bisons the win 15-8. This deflection was not the only gift the Reddies gave the Bisons. Earlier in the game the Harding defense stopped the HSU quarterback in the end zone for a safety. Harding traveled down to Monticello to take on the Boll Weevil's of University of Arkansas at Monticello. The game was UAM homecoming. This was the second time the Bisons had faced a conference foe on their homecoming. The homecoming crowd was kept silent much of the game. The Bisons never trailed in the game, but with 49 seconds the Boll Weevils were on the Bisons 5 yards line threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown. Both teams' fans came alive trying to rally their team to the victory. UAM's quarterback dropped back to pass on second down and goal-togo to his receiver who appeared to be all alone in the end zone. Just as the ball was to be caught, cornerback Drake Jackson lunged for the ball to preserve the victory for Harding. Final score was HU 13, UAM 9. The Bisons returned home on November 3, to play Southern Arkansas University in their own homecoming. Harding entered the game just behind the University of Central Arkansas in the race for the conference championship. The Bisons had 1984 Football Team. Front row: Duncan , Gunter, Hoo/nagle, Leverson, Cook, Jones, Mote , M. Lowery, A Lowery , Stegall, Mickey Adkison. Second row: Ragsdale-graduate assistant, Pettit-trainer, Moody, Moturi, Fox, Walls , Quinn, Rackley , Uhatafe , Kiggins, Fuchs , Clouser, Williams, Hill , Clepper , Browder, McCoy-graduate assistant. Third row: Peacock-assistant coach , Tribble-assistant coach, Collins, Painter, Patterson , Segars, Shumate , Gerbholz , Potter, Smith , K. Hunt , Dudley, Mackey , Harvey, Nannie , Golden, Varner , Prock-coach , Johnson-assistant coach. Back row: Martin, Jackson, DaVis , Frost , Franklin , Roddenberry, Mark Adkison , Escue , Klein , Von Luckner, Johnson, Corbin , Benson , Qualls , W. Hunt, Blickenstaff, Hamric , Avalos , .McDaVid, Raddick, Thompson-graduate assistant. _ photo by Public Relations Office. 138 Football
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