Postgame Interview with Coach Ronnie Huckeba
ADA, Okla. – Harding quarterback Keenan Kellett threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and senior Jason Oller scored three touchdowns as the No. 16 Bisons defeated East Central 41-14 on Saturday in Great American Conference play at Norris Field.
Harding improved to 8-1 overall and in the GAC and extended its school-record road winning streak to nine games. East Central fell to 6-3 overall and in conference play and lost to Harding for the third straight game.
The Bisons will play their final regular season home game next Saturday. Harding hosts Arkansas Tech at 2 p.m. at First Security Stadium.
Romo Westbrook carried 25 times for 102 yards, his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season. Harding rushed for 318 yards on 70 carries against an East Central defense that had allowed only 148 rushing yards total in its last three games. Harding had 168 rushing yards at halftime.
Harding's defense allowed 362 total yards but yielded touchdowns only on East Central's first and last drives of the game. The Bisons turned the Tigers over on downs three times in the second half, and defensive lineman Bentley Alsup intercepted a pass deep in Harding territory on the first Tiger drive of the third quarter.
Harding led 21-7 entering the fourth quarter and extended its lead on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Kellett to redshirt freshman wide receiver Andrew Dather with 13:41 left in the game. The extra point missed and Harding led 27-7.
East Central failed to convert fourth downs on each of its next two possessions, and Harding took advantage with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kellett to Oller for his third touchdown of the game.
Both teams tacked on late touchdowns. East Central quarterback Spencer Bond completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Pickett with 3:44 left, and Harding scored on a 1-yard run by Matthew Tenison with 40 seconds remaining.
The Bisons took advantage of three special teams errors by the Tigers in the first half—a 29-yard loss on a bad punt snap, a blocked punt by Harding's Darious Lane, and a missed 31-yard field goal by David Massuere.
Harding took the opening kickoff 75 yards on 15 straight rushing plays with Oller scoring on a 2-yard touchdown.
East Central answered with a 6-play, 65-yard drive and tied the game on Bond's 20-yard scoring pass to Randall Chase.
With the score tied at 7-7, Harding took over late in the first quarter at the ECU 35 when the punt snap sailed over the head of Bond, who also serves as the team's punter.
Nine plays later, Oller scored his second touchdown from 5 yards out to give Harding a 14-7 lead with 12:22 left in the half.
Lane blocked Bond's punt on the next Tiger possession, and Harding answered with a 10-play drive punctuated by Kelly's 15-yard run with 4:47 remaining in the second quarter.
East Central appeared to be on a scoring drive at the close of the first half, but Massuere's field goal attempt missed wide left.
