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Harding University Athletics

2023 Football story vs. East Central.jpg
7
East Central ECU 3-7 , 3-7
48
Winner Harding HAR 10-0 , 10-0
East Central ECU
3-7 , 3-7
7
Final
48
Harding HAR
10-0 , 10-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ECU East Central 0 0 0 7 7
HAR Harding 7 14 21 6 48

Game Recap: Football | | Scott Goode (11/4/23)

Homecoming Hammer: Harding Pounds East Central 48-7 for 14th Straight Win

SEARCY – When the sun came up Saturday morning, there were four undefeated teams in NCAA Super Region 3. As the sun set Saturday night at First Security Stadium, only one undefeated team remained.

Fourth-ranked Harding rushed for 528 yards and seven TD and held the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 48-7 Homecoming victory over East Central. The win came after losses by previously unbeaten Pittsburg State (31-30 vs. Missouri Western), UIndy (21-16 vs. McKendree) and Davenport (28-10 vs. Ferris St.). Harding was No. 2 in the first NCAA Region Rankings released last Monday with the next set of rankings coming this Monday.

The victory was Harding's school-record 14th straight and pushed the Bisons to 10-0 overall. East Central lost its 11th straight to Harding and fell to 3-7. Harding won its ninth straight Homecoming.

Harding scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, all on drives of 52 yards or longer with the longest drive of 92 yards early in the second half.

Quarterback Cole Keylon had his first career three-TD game, scoring from 5 yards out for Harding's first TD, 4 yards out on the Bisons' last drive of the first half, and again on a 1-yard plunge midway through the third quarter. The third TD pushed Harding's lead to 35-0.

Blake Delacruz led Harding with 112 rushing yards on 18 carries and scored a 3-yard TD on the first play of the second quarter. Braden Jay carried five times for 104 yards and a 27-yard TD early in the second half.

Harding added a 4-yard TD from Omar Sinclair late in the third quarter and a 10-yard score from Myron Mason on the Bisons' first drive of the fourth quarter.

Harding's defense limited East Central to only seven first downs, 22 rushing yards, 134 total yards and 3-of-12 on third down.

TEAM NOTES
  • Harding entered the game as NCAA Division II's leader on third-down conversions at 57.6% ... the Bisons were 8 of 10 on third down Saturday.
  • Harding is now 44-17-2 all-time on Homecoming.
  • Harding is 10-0 for the second time in program history, also in 2016.
  • Harding is 67-9 (.882) in GAC games since 2016.
  • With 528 rushing yards, Harding surpassed the 400-yard mark for the fourth straight game and for the sixth time this season ... it was Harding's second-best total this season behind only the 631 rushing yards vs. Southern Arkansas.
  • Harding scored seven rushing TD for the third straight game and fourth time this season ... the Bisons have 57 rushing TD this season, four off the school record of 61, set in 2016.
  • Harding ran 71 plays vs. East Central ... none of them went for negative yardage.
  • Harding had a season-high 30 first downs, the most since Harding had 30 in a 73-14 win over Northwestern Oklahoma in 2021.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
  • Blake Delacruz led Harding with 112 rushing yards ... it was his third 100-yard game of the season and fifth of his career ... has scored at least one rushing TD in eight straight games ... has 17 rushing TD in 2023, tied for fifth in an HU single season.
  • Braden Jay had 104 rushing yards on five carries ... it was only the sixth time in program history that a player rushed for more than 100 yards on five carries or fewer ... the last two do it was Blake Delacruz with 116 yards on four carries last season vs. Arkansas Tech ... he became the fourth active Harding player with more than 1,000 career rushing yards (Delacruz, Keylon, Jhalen Spicer).
  • Chauncey Martin rushed for a career-high 93 yards on four carries.
  • Cole Keylon rushed for three TD for the first time in his career.
  • Myron Mason scored his first career rushing TD.
  • Clark Griffin led Harding with six tackles.
  • Wesley Coleman matched his career high with 2.0 tackles for loss.
  • Dre Hall had another sack to give him 7.5 for the season.
SERIES NOTES
  • Harding now leads the series 18-3 ... the Bisons have won all 12 meetings in Searcy ... Harding has held ECU to 20 points or fewer in nine straight games.
NEXT UP
  • The Bisons will play Arkansas Tech on Saturday in Russellville to conclude the regular season. The Wonder Boys defeated Southeastern Oklahoma 14-7 today and has won five of its last six games.





 
Gallery: (11-4-2023) 2023 Football vs. East Central


 
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