MONTICELLO, Ark. – Two games, two very impressive victories for the Harding football team, now 2-0 for the first time since 2005.

Harding used a series of big plays to score four first quarter touchdown and defeat Arkansas-Monticello 52-7 on Saturday at Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium in the Great American Conference opener for both teams. The win came a week after a 31-10 victory over North Alabama in Florence.

In the first quarter, junior Colton Kamper scored on a 50-yard run. Sophomore Jason Oller scored on a 7-yard run that came two plays after senior Roderick Cohn's 48-yard punt return. Sophomore Donatella Luckett scored on an 81-yard touchdown pass, the fifth-longest pass play in program history, and Harding led 21-0 less than 11 minutes into the game.

The first three drives went three plays, two plays, and three plays, and took a combined 3 minutes, 18 seconds off the clock. The fourth touchdown drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Romo Westbrook, seven plays after junior Ashtun Williams' interception that he returned to the UAM 26.

Harding tacked on a 20-yard field goal by sophomore John Gay to run their lead to 31-0 before UAM scored its only touchdown on a 3-yard run by quarterback Hunter Leppert with 6:48 left in the half.

Westbrook added two more rushing touchdowns in the second half, sandwiched around a 50-yard touchdown run on a keeper by senior Kelvin Martin.

Harding did everything well.

The Bisons rushed for 368 yards and had 455 yards of total offense, averaging 7.5 yards per play. Defensively, Harding held Arkansas-Monticello (1-2, 0-1) to only 274 yards, forced three turnovers and sacked UAM's quarterbacks four times.

Harding's special teams also excelled. The Bisons returned four punts for 128 yards, with Cohn returning three for 84 yards and Michael Belin returned on 44 yards.

Harding played all 60 players who made the trip to Monticello.

Oller, a native of Rogers, Ark., led Harding in rushing with 73 yards on only four carries. Westbrook had 47 yards on 11 carries and became the first Bison since Chaz Rogers in last season's opener to rush for three touchdowns in a game. Harding had six rushing touchdowns total, tied for third-most in a Harding single game.

The Bisons will play on the road for the third straight time next week in a non-conference game against Southern Nazarene, a provisional member of the GAC. Kickoff in Bethany, Okla., is scheduled for 6 p.m.