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Harding University Athletics

2015 Football at Southeastern Oklahoma Final
63
Winner Harding HU 5-2 , 5-2
60
Southeastern Okla. SOSU 3-4 , 3-4
Winner
Harding HU
5-2 , 5-2
63
Final
60
Southeastern Okla. SOSU
3-4 , 3-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT OT OT OT F
HU Harding 14 7 14 0 7 7 8 6 63
SOSU Southeastern Okla. 0 7 7 21 7 7 8 3 60

Game Recap: Football | | by Scott Goode (10/17/15)

Harding Football Defeats Southeastern Oklahoma in Four-Overtime Thriller

Postgame Interview with Ronnie Huckeba


Radio Highlights

DURANT, Okla. – It was the longest game in Harding football history and the highest scoring. It appeared that the Bisons would win the game several times, and that they would lose it. But in four overtimes and after nearly four hours, Harding junior quarterback Park Parish scored Harding's ninth rushing touchdown on a 1-yard sneak to give the Bisons a 63-60 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday at Paul Laird Field.

It was the first four-overtime game in Great American Conference history.

Records
Harding improved to 5-2 overall and in the Great American Conference. The Bisons are tied with Arkansas Tech and East Central for second place in the GAC, one game behind leader Henderson State. Southeastern Oklahoma fell to 3-4 overall and in the GAC and lost to Harding for the fifth consecutive season.

Scoring Plays
Harding 7, Southeastern 0 – 9:55, 1st Quarter – Zach Shelley 58-yard run. 4 plays, 67 yards, 2:17 (Key play: Harding took over after holding Southeastern on 4th-and-3 at the HU 33).
Harding 14, Southeastern 0 – 0:45, 1st Quarter – Michael Latu 4-yard run. 4 plays, 81 yards, 1:58 (Key plays: Park Parish hit Andrew Dather with a 35-yard completion, and Parish rushed for 26 yards to the SOSU 4).
Harding 21, Southeastern 0 – 10:29, 2nd Quarter – Dwayne Carter 41-yard run. 5 plays, 90 yards, 2:30 (Key play: Carter's touchdown run was preceded by a 38-yard run by Eric Kelly).
Harding 21, Southeastern 7 – 0:11, 2nd Quarter – Kaymon Farmer 4-yard pass from Ryan Polite. 11 plays, 87 yards, 2:04 (Key plays: Two Harding penalties on 4th-and-10 at the HU 20 kept the drive going).
Harding 21, Southeastern 14 – 5:05, 3rd Quarter – Ronnie Green 2-yard run. 12 plays, 76 yards, 5:49 (Key plays: Ryan Polite completed a pair of 19-yard passes on the drive).
Harding 28, Southeastern 14 – 1:59, 3rd Quarter – Dwayne Carter 2-yard run. 6 plays, 74 yards, 3:04 (Key plays:
Harding 35, Southeastern 14 – 1:03, 3rd Quarter – Park Parish 1-yard run. 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:51 (Key play: Harding took over at the SOSU 14 when Vanard Placide recovered a fumble on the kickoff).
Harding 35, Southeastern 21 – 12:47, 4th Quarter – Ronnie Green 6-yard run. 5 plays, 28 yards, 1:58 (Key play: SOSU took over at the HU 28 following a Harding fumble on a punt return).
Harding 35, Southeastern 28 – 10:43, 4th Quarter – Franky Okafor 14-yard pass from Ryan Polite. 7 plays, 37 yards, 1:47 (Key ANTplay: SOSU again took over following a fumble on Harding's first play from scrimmage at the HU 37).
Harding 35, Southeastern 35 – 0:12, 4th Quarter – Kaymon Farmer 1-yard pass from Ryan Polite. 14 plays, 80 yards, 2:46 (Key play: 14-yard pass from Ryan Polite to Franky Okafor on 4th-and-5 at the SOSU 38).
Harding 42, Southeastern 35 – 1st Overtime – Zach Shelley 4-yard run. 5 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: Matt Tenison 11-yard run on first down).
Harding 42, Southeastern 42 – 1st Overtime – Franky Okafor 33-yard pass from Ryan Polite. 8 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: Touchdown came on 4th and 28 from the HU 33 after a 7-yard sack by Trevon Biglow).
Southeastern 49, Harding 42 – 2nd Overtime – Kaymon Farmer 12-yard pass from Ryan Polite. 5 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: 15-yard pass from Ryan Polite to Franky Okafor on 3rd-and-8 at the HU 23).
Harding 49, Southeastern 49 – 2nd Overtime – Matt Tenison 25-yard run. 1 play, 25 yards. (Key play: Tenison scored on the first play of the drive).
Harding 57, Southeastern 49 – 3rd Overtime – Matt Tenison 2-yard run. Conversion: Park Parish rush attempt good. 7 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: Matt Tenison 8-yard pass from Park Parish on 3rd-and-7 at the SOSU 22).
Harding 57, Southeastern 57 – 3rd Overtime – Asanti McCrae 15-yard run. Conversion: Franky Okafor pass from Ryan Polite. 4 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: Kaymon Farmer 11-yard pass from Ryan Polite on 3rd-and-11 at the HU 26).
Southeastern 60, Harding 57 – 4th Overtime – Joel Carlos 35-yard field goal. 4 plays, 7 yards. (Key play: Ryan Polite threw an incomplete pass to Ty Miller in the end zone on 3rd-and-3.
Harding 63, Southeastern 60 – 4th Overtime – Park Parish 1-yard rush. 5 plays, 25 yards. (Key play: Park Parish 19-yard run on the first play of the series).

Team Stats
It was the first multiple overtime game Harding has ever played. It was also the first time Harding played two overtime games in the same season since 1999. Harding is 2-0 in overtime in 2015. The Bisons also defeated Oklahoma Baptist 20-19 in the season opener.

Harding has won 12 of its last 13 regular-season road games.

Harding rushed for 528 yards on 69 carries. It was the second time this season the Bisons eclipsed the 500-yard mark and is the second-highest rushing mark ever. Harding's record of 566 yards came earlier this season against Southern Arkansas. 

Harding tied a school record with nine rushing touchdowns, matching the mark set against Arkansas Tech in 2012 and at Southern Arkansas earlier this season.

Harding's defense held Southeastern to only 67 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Individual Stats
Park Parish scored two rushing touchdowns to push his season total to 15, only two off the Harding school record of 17 by Alan "Snake" Dixon in 1972. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all seven games. Dixon holds the school record by scoring in 10 straight in 1972.

Trendall Stevenson, a senior from Cedar Hill, Texas, played in his 30th victory as a Bison. With Harding's next win, Stevenson will have played in more Bison victories than any other Harding player in program history.

Zach Shelley rushed for a career-high 157 yards on 10 carries, and Matt Tenison rushed for 106 yards on 20 carries. It is the 15th time two Harding teammates have rushed for over 100 yards in a game and the first since Romo Westbrook (121 yards) and Alapeti Magalei (111 yards) did it last season against Southeastern Oklahoma.

Southeastern quarterback Ryan Polite was 37-of-68 passing for 398 yards and five touchdowns.

Harding safety DeAndre Baines had eight tackles, including a half-sack, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and tied a school record with four pass breakups. Junior defensive lineman Trevon Biglow had five tackles and two sacks, both of which came during the overtime periods.

Next Week
Harding hosts East Central for Homecoming. Kickoff at First Security Stadium is at 2 p.m.

 

by David Crouch

Posted by Harding Sports on Saturday, October 17, 2015

 
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