Box Score
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist sophomore quarterback Steven Gachette scrambled for 127 yards and passed for 291 more and taiback Jeff Finnell rushed for four touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to a 43-31 victory over Harding on Saturday at Plaster Stadium. It was the Bearcats' first victory over the Bisons in the fifth meeting between the schools.
Harding (1-2) had many chances to punch it in, driving inside the Southwest Baptist 20-yard line eight times but came away with only four field goals. The Bearcats stopped the Bisons three times on downs and blocked a field goal attempt. Southwest Baptist (1-2) had the ball inside the Harding 20 seven times and scored each time.
Gachette rushed for two first half touchdowns, both on broken plays and gave Southwest Baptist a 24-16 halftime lead. It could have been a larger deficit, but Harding quarterback David Knighton rolled to his left and found junior Kurt Adams in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. It was Knighton's only touchdown pass of the game, snapping a streak of 13 straight games with two or more.
Gachette rushed for 111 yards and passed for 160 in the first half alone, as Southwest Baptist gained 329 yards before halftime.
The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense, with Southwest Baptist gaining 534 and Harding compiling 545.
The Bisons had a 300-yard passer (David Knighton, 365 yards), a 100-yard rusher (Jeremy Holt, 139 yards) and a 100-yard receiver (Kurt Adams, 113 yards) in a game for only the second time in school history. The other occasion was also against Southwest Baptist in 2006.
Holt's 12 carries included a 65-yard touchdown run down the Harding sideline. His 11.6 yards per carry ranked fifth all-time by a Harding player. The true freshman from Nashville, Tenn., also led Harding with eight receptions, gaining 80 yards and had 219 all-purpose yards in the game.
The Bisons rushed for 180 yards as a team after rushing for only 102 yards in the first two games of the season.
Harding pulled within one score on six different occasions but trailed the entire game after Southwest Baptist scored on its first possession.
The Bearcats converted 13-of-21 third downs. The Bisons had 24 third downs, the most in a game by Harding since joining the NCAA in 1997. The Bisons also smashed a school record with 103 offensive plays in the game.
Ferrell, a senior, had five field goals, tying the school record, set by Steve Hunter against Southeastern Oklahoma in 1981.
Southwest Baptist's victory snapped an 18-game losing streak, dating to the 2006 season. The Bearcats, in their first season as NCAA Division II independents, were 0-10 in 2007.
Harding's Gulf South Conference opener is next Saturday at First Security Stadium against Delta State. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
