ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – No. 7-ranked Harding rushed for 307 yards and scored 21 points off Henderson State turnovers in a 41-17 victory Thursday at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. It was the season and Great American Conference opener for both teams.
Harding has won 14 of its last 17 season openers and eight of its last 10. It was the sixth straight meeting between the teams won by the visitors.
Harding scored 14 points off turnovers in the first half and used a 90-yard drive late in the second quarter to pull out to a 24-7 halftime lead.
Harding scored first on a 25-yard Cameron Scott field goal with 4:39 left in the first quarter, then took a 10-0 lead when Frank Herbert scored on an 11-yard fumble recovery only 14 seconds later.
Henderson State's lone drive of longer than 25 yards in the first half culminated with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Richard Stammetti to Chase Lodree with 8:50 left before halftime.
Harding tacked on two more touchdowns with less than five minutes left in the second quarter. Preston Paden completed his first collegiate scoring pass to Taylor Thompson from 22 yards out. The touchdown was the eighth play on a 90-yard drive and gave Harding a 17-7 lead with 4:17 left in the second.
Three plays later, T.J. Winslow forced a fumble that Michael Mounga recovered. Paden then scored on a 1-yard sneak to make the score 24-7.
Scott kicked a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Harding tacked on fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns of 3 yards by Romar Reades and 36 yards by Tristan Tucker.
Harding's next action is Saturday, Sept. 8, at First Security Stadium in Searcy. The Bisons will host Southern Arkansas, a 38-0 winner over Arkansas Tech, with a 6:05 p.m. kickoff. The game will stream live on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
Facts and Figures
- Cole Chancey and Tristan Tucker both rushed for 103 yards. It was the 21st time in program history that two players rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game.
- Preston Paden, making his second career start at quarterback, was 3-of-3 passing for 78 yards and one touchdown.
- Senior defensive end T.J. Winslow had 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles to lead the Harding defense. The last player to have 3.0 sacks in a game was current Harding defensive line coach Tre'von Biglow in 2015 against Northwestern Oklahoma. The last player to have two forced fumbles was Sam Blankenship last season against Arkansas Tech.
- Senior defensive back Dra Smith led Harding with eight tackles and also forced a fumble.
- The victory was Harding's sixth consecutive GAC road win. The Bisons have won nine consecutive regular season road games.
- Frank Herbert's first-quarter touchdown was the 10th scored by the Harding defense in the last three seasons.
- Harding outgained Henderson State 385-324.
- Henderson State quarterback Richard Stammetti, making his first start, completed 21-of-33 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
