SEARCY, Ark. — Last year, the Harding University football team did it all.
The Bisons went 15-0, outscoring their opponents 703 to 163. All but three games were won by at least four touchdowns. It was an utterly dominating season that was capped off by a 38-7 win over Colorado School of Mines in the Division II National Championship.
Harding not only received attention from the entire state but national prominence as well. In the offseason, the Bisons were invited and attended an event at the White House in Washington D.C.
"Just to think that you know, maybe what we did made our state proud is a big deal to me," said head coach Paul Simmons. "I mean I've been here my whole life... proud to be from Arkansas and to feel like Bison football made the state proud, that's a big deal to us."
Now, the page turns to 2024 where Harding is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as national champions.
The Bisons have been ranked number one in the country in multiple preseason polls. Most people would think that a national title and preseason hype would put a lot of pressure on a program. However, Simmons doesn't see it that way.
"Maybe I'm naive, but I don't feel pressure. To me, pressure is when you haven't done anything yet. If anything, winning a national championship really allows us to double down on doing things the right way," Simmons said.
Players on both sides of the ball agreed with Simmons' sentiment.
"You know, we're not really too worried about 'defending champions' or anything like that," said senior fullback Blake Delacruz. "We're trying to be the best team we can be and just have the best culture in college football."
Junior defensive end Dre Hall explained how they don't think they're under pressure because they already know what to expect.
"We always talk about expecting hard things. We've got to put ourselves through those hard things so that way when we get to Central Missouri or Grand Valley, we've been through it. We know what to do. The pressure is going to be on everybody else. Because, we're the champs, and we know what to expect," Hall added.
It certainly should bring some confidence to the coaches, players, and fans knowing that every team they played in the regular season of 2023, they'll face again this season. The Bisons also have a host of returning playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Maybe the biggest of the returners is the aforementioned Delacruz.
As a junior, the fullback rushed for 1,502 yards and 21 touchdowns under the old-school offense that the Bison's run called the "flexbone."
Delacruz had some big games but none was bigger than the national title game where he ran for 212 yards— a Division II championship game record. Simmons seemed to be more than pleased with what Delacruz has done much beyond his play on the field.
"We've never had a guy in our program that is more special. His level of humility, his level of selflessness, he is the ultimate teammate," Simmons said. "He is just a fantastic teammate, fantastic person, and he's the kind of guy that makes everybody around him better."
Delacruz proved his humility when asked about his phenomenal season and the state of the Bisons program where he gave the praise back to his head coach.
"Coach Simmons has put his blood, sweat, and tears in this program and developed a culture that, guys, no matter their role, they want to stay," Delacruz remarked. "It goes to show how good our culture is and how strong it is."
It's a culture that's built on selflessness. Players and coaches alike aren't hyping up themselves but rather hyping up each other.
Many wonder what the key to success for the Bisons is— it seems like it's the unity that is shared among every player and coach. A unity that is so strong they feel no pressure as the defending national champions and pre-season number-one team in the country.
The Bisons will kick off their season on Thursday, September 5, 2024, playing at home against Southern Nazarene.