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Harding University Athletics

7
Winner Ouachita Baptist OUA 6-0 , 6-0
3
Harding HU 4-2 , 4-2
Winner
Ouachita Baptist OUA
6-0 , 6-0
7
Final
3
Harding HU
4-2 , 4-2
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
OUA Ouachita Baptist 0 0 0 7 7
HU Harding 0 3 0 0 3

Game Recap: Football | | by Scott Goode (10/6/18)

Ouachita Edges Harding 7-3 in Battle of Nationally Ranked Foes

SEARCY – No. 19 Harding had two 14-play drives in the second half Saturday against No. 6 Ouachita Baptist. The Bisons needed a touchdown on either but came up empty on both. Harding fumbled at the Ouachita 6 on the first drive and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down on the second, allowing Ouachita to collect a 7-3 victory in a Great American Conference defensive battle at First Security Stadium.

Ouachita improved to 6-0 overall and in the GAC with the victory, its first over Harding in the last three seasons. Harding dropped to 4-2 overall and in conference and goes on the road Saturday to take on Southwestern Oklahoma in Weatherford.

Trailing 7-3, Harding took possession on their own 25 with 9:22 left in the game. The Bisons converted a 4th-and-2 at the Ouachita 36 with a 16-yard Matt Fuller run down to the OBU 20. A 5-yard Fuller run on 2nd-and-3 gave Harding 1st-and-goal at the OBU 8. Harding pounded the ball down to the 1 and had 3rd-and-goal. Quarterback Preston Paden was unable to get in on a sneak setting up 4th-and-goal.

It appeared Harding had scored the go-ahead touchdown when fullback Cole Chancey plowed into the end zone, but an illegal motion penalty pushed Harding back to the 6-yard line. A pass into the corner of the end zone sailed high, and Ouachita ran out the clock.

Harding took a 3-0 lead on a 19-yard Cameron Scott field goal with 10:12 left in the first half.

Ouachita, playing without injured starting quarterback Braden Brazeal after the second drive of the game, struggled offensively. The Tigers did not have a drive of longer than 40 yards until the fourth quarter.

Harding took the opening possession of the second half and drove 59 yards on 14 plays. The drive took more than eight minutes off the clock, but a mishandled snap resulted in a fumble at the Ouachita 6.

The Tigers' only scoring drive of the game came early in the fourth quarter. Ouachita drove 85 yards on 11 plays. Brockton Brown ran 26 yards on the first play of the drive, and the Tigers converted two key third downs. Kris Oliver rushed for 3 yards on 3rd-and-2 at the HU 41, and Drew Harris completed a back shoulder pass along the Tiger sideline to La'Darious McElroy on 3rd-and-15. The play went for 24 yards, and Shun'cee Thomas scored from 19 yards out on the next play.

It was the first rushing touchdown Harding allowed this season.

Facts and Figures
  • Harding outgained Ouachita 308-176 overall and had 277 rushing yards.
  • Ouachita entered the game averaging almost 285 rushing yards per game, but Harding's defense held the Tigers to 110 rushing yards on 32 carries.
  • Harding had a season-high 40 minutes, 21 seconds of possession. The Bisons have held a time-of-possession advantage of at least six minutes in every game.
  • The 10 points was the lowest-scoring game involving a Harding team since the Bisons lost 7-3 to Southeastern Oklahoma on Sept. 23, 1989.
  • Cole Chancey led Harding with 92 rushing yards on 22 carries, pushing his career total to 1,749 yards and moving him into 11th on Harding's all-time rushing list.
  • It was Harding's first game without a rushing touchdown since the 2016 playoff game at Northwest Missouri State.
  • Ouachita had only 42 plays from scrimmage, the fourth fewest ever by a Harding opponent.





by Jeff Montgomery

Posted by Harding Sports on Saturday, October 6, 2018
 
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