Box Score

SEARCY — Arkansas-Monticello rallied for 26 points in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining to give the Boll Weevils a 46-43 victory over the Harding Bisons on Homecoming at First Security Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Harding (2-7, 1-5 Gulf South Conference) had won 17 of its last 18 Homecoming games, but lost its second consecutive game to the Boll Weevils. Arkansas-Monticello (7-2, 5-1) remained alive in the Division II playoff hunt with the victory. The Boll Weevils also broke the series tie, leading 23-22.

Junior Kurt Adams caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from senior David Knighton to give Harding a 36-20 lead as the third quarter expired, but Arkansas-Monticello scored 19 unanswered points to open the fourth quarter and took a 39-36 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Nick Green with 3:31 remaining.

On the following possession, Knighton once again found Adams, who raced down the left side past several Arkansas-Monticello defenders and dived into the end zone for a 59-yard touchdown run. Senior Ryan Ferrell kicked the extra point, and the Bisons led 43-39 with 2:37 remaining.

The Boll Weevils began its final drive at its own 40-yard line after the kickoff bounced out of bound. Quarterback Scott Buisson completed a 53-yard pass to Tim Harris at Harding's 6-yard line. Harding's defense stopped the Boll Weevils on three downs, but Buisson scored on a 1-yard rush and led 46-43 following Green's extra point with 1:53 remaining.

Harding, out of timeouts, began a quick march down the field, with freshman Kale Gelles catching a 15-yard pass on the sidelines and Adams collecting two first downs on receptions of 14 and 12 yards respectively.

After three incomplete passes from Arkansas-Monticello's 29-yard line, Ferrell missed a 47-yard field goal into the wind that would have tied the game with nine seconds left. His career long was 43 yards, set in 2007.

Knighton completing 30 of 56 passes for 493 yards and three touchdowns, which was his sixth career 400-yard passing game. He broke his school season records in passing and total yards with 3, 559. He also passed the 10,000-yard threshold in career total yards with 10,069.

Adams caught nine passes for 205 yards, the fourth-most yards gained by a Harding receiver in a game. He has gained 995 receiving yards this season, less than 100 yards behind Gerald Payne's record of 1,087 in 2000.

In the loss, Harding still finished with 569 total offensive yards, which was a season high and the fourth-most yards gained in a game in school history.

Buisson passed for 352 yards and rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns to help Arkansas-Monticello finish with 624 yards of offense. The 624 yards were still less than the 812 yards collected by the Boll Weevils in last season's 48-32 victory over Harding.

Senior Sevohn Greer led Harding's defense with 11 tackles. Senior Tracy Brown finished with nine tackles, and redshirt freshman Luke Tribble had eight tackles.

Harding will face Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark., next week at 3 p.m.