Skip To Main Content

Harding University Athletics

Harding defeated Ouachita to remain undefeated at 5-0.
20
Ouachita Baptist OUA 3-2 , 3-2
24
Winner Harding HU 5-0 , 5-0
Ouachita Baptist OUA
3-2 , 3-2
20
Final
24
Harding HU
5-0 , 5-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
OUA Ouachita Baptist 7 10 3 0 20
HU Harding 10 7 0 7 24

Game Recap: Football | | by Scott Goode (10/1/16)

No. 20 Harding Remains Undefeated; Downs Ouachita 24-20

Audio Highlights



SEARCY – Harding quarterback Park Parish rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown and passed for another touchdown to lead the 20th-ranked Bisons to a 24-20 victory over Ouachita Baptist on Saturday in Great American Conference action at First Security Stadium.

Harding's defense also forced two key turnovers, the first resulted in a touchdown and the second sealed the victory in Ronnie Huckeba's 100th game as head coach of the Bisons.

Harding improved to 5-0 for the third time in the last five years. The Bisons also defeated the Tigers in Searcy for the first time since 2007. Ouachita fell to 3-2 overall and in GAC games.

With Ouachita holding a 20-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Harding forced a punt and took over at their own 21. Two plays later, Parish broke through the Tiger defense with a 75-yard run and was tackled at the OBU 2. He scored on the next play to give Harding its first lead of the second half.

Ouachita had one more opportunity for a comeback, but on 2nd-and-14 at the OBU 38, Harding cornerback Isaiah Jefferson intercepted a pass by Tiger quarterback Austin Warford. Ouachita had only one timeout left, and Harding picked up three first downs on its final drive to run out the clock.

The game was tied 17-17 at halftime, and Ouachita took the lead in the third on a 40-yard field goal by Cole Antley.

Harding led 10-7 after one quarter. The Bisons scored their first passing touchdown of the season with 1:28 remaining in the first period, as Parish connected on 69-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Dather, who made a one-handed grab and outran the Tiger defense.

Bison defensive end Trevon Biglow recovered a fumble in the second quarter on the OBU 22 that led to Harding's next touchdown, a Grant Kimberlin 6-yard run with 3:59 left in the first half that gave the Bisons a 17-10 lead.

Ouachita answered with a 77-yard touchdown pass from Warford to Tarrodd Collier that tied the game with 2:25 remaining before halftime.

TEAM STATS
Harding, who entered the game as the top-ranked rushing offense in Division II, rushed for a season-low 215 yards, but averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

Ouachita rushed for 176 yards on 48 carries with Division II's top-ranked Harding defense limiting the Tigers to only 3.7 yards per rush. Ouachita did not have a rushing play longer than 14 yards.

Ouachita only reached the red zone one time, on a drive in the first quarter that resulted in a field goal. The Tigers' longest drive of the second half was 43 yards and resulted in a punt.

INDIVIDUAL STATS
Parish's 144 rushing yards were a career high, topping his previous best of 128 yards against Northwestern Oklahoma in 2015. Parish also completed 2-of-7 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Kris Oliver led Ouachita with 82 rushing yards on 22 carries. Warford was 8-of-17 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior defensive back Dalylon Markham and senior linebacker Daylan Skidmore led Harding with 11 tackles each. Arthur Akers had a sack, Trevon Biglow had a fumble recovery and Isaiah Jefferson had his second interception of the season.

UP NEXT
Harding travels to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to meet Henderson State at 2 p.m. at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in a battle of two nationally-ranked and undefeated teams.








 
Print Friendly Version