WEATHERFORD, Okla. – No. 17 Harding remained in the hunt for the NCAA Division II Playoffs with a 37-29 road victory over Southwestern Oklahoma on Saturday at Milam Stadium.

With the victory, Harding improved to 8-2 overall and in the Great American Conference. The Bisons conclude the regular season next Saturday at home against Arkansas Tech. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.

Harding entered the game ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Rankings with the top seven teams advancing to the NCAA II Playoffs.

Southwestern Oklahoma fell to Harding for the sixth straight time and dropped to 3-7 overall. The Bulldogs' loss was their fifth consecutive.

Southwestern led 23-21 with 11:23 left in the fourth quarter after the Bulldogs returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

Harding then went on an 11-play, 70-yard drive with Jhalen Spicer scoring his second touchdown of the game on a pitch around the right side from 29 yards out. Quarterback Cole Keylon added a two-point conversion to give the Bisons a 29-23 lead with 5:58 left.

Southwestern did not gain a first down on its next possession and lined up in punt formation. Harding's Jake Madding tackled the punter before he could get the kick off and gave the Bisons the ball at the Southwestern 17.

Four plays later, Blake Delacruz scored on a 1-yard run, and Spicer added the two-point conversion to put the Bisons ahead 37-23 with 2:33 left.

Southwestern added a late touchdown for the final margin.

Harding rushed for 385 yards on 75 carries with Spicer leading the way with 108 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns. Keylon rushed for 95 yards on 22 carries, and Delacruz had 82 yards on 18 totes.

Harding possessed the ball for more than 41 minutes and converted 6 of 12 third downs.

Harding led 14-10 at halftime with touchdowns coming on the Bisons's first two possessions. Josh Jones scored from 3 yards out and Spicer had a 55-yard touchdown. Jones scored again on a 1-yard dive on Harding's first possession of the second half.

Clark Griffin led the defense with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Dre Hall had both of Harding's sacks.