ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – After a sluggish first half, Harding turned to junior fullback Blake Delacruz to lead them to a 27-16 victory over Henderson State in Great American Conference play at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium on Saturday.

The 10th-ranked Harding improved to 4-0 overall and in conference with the win, while 20th-ranked Henderson State dropped to 3-1 both overall and in conference play. This victory marked Harding's fifth consecutive win over Henderson State in Arkadelphia.

Delacruz, a native of Springfield, Missouri, carried the ball an impressive 31 times, accumulating a career-high 179 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

Trailing 9-7 at halftime, Delacruz propelled the Bisons to victory with two crucial third-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 2-yard run, capping off an 11-play, six-minute drive and giving Harding a 13-9 lead. Later in the quarter, after Henderson State briefly regained the lead, Delacruz broke free for a 53-yard run, putting Harding ahead 20-16.

In the fourth quarter, Delacruz continued his dominance with a 12-yard TD run, sealing the game's final margin.

Harding's offensive success was primarily on the ground, gaining 353 of its 363 total yards through rushing.

Defensively, Harding held Henderson State to just 10 first downs and a 2-for-11 conversion rate on third downs.

In the first quarter, Henderson State took a 3-0 lead with only 8:00 remaining, courtesy of a 38-yard field goal. A punt from the Reddies hit a Harding cover man in the back, granting Henderson State possession at the HU 26-yard line.

Both teams managed just one drive exceeding 50 yards, resulting in touchdowns. Henderson orchestrated a 76-yard drive over seven plays, benefiting from consecutive facemask penalties against Harding. Following an 8-yard TD pass, the Reddies missed the extra point, leading 9-0 with 4:32 left in the second quarter. Harding responded with a 6-play, 74-yard drive culminating in a 37-yard touchdown run by Braden Jay. Jay received the pitch around the left end, sprinted across the field, and dove inside the right pylon for his second rushing TD of the season.

During the first half, both teams amassed 146 yards in total. Harding recorded 136 yards on the ground, while Henderson State gained 112 yards through the air.

**TEAM NOTES**

- Harding exceeded the 300-yard rushing mark for the 99th time since switching to the flexbone offense in 2010, accumulating 353 rushing yards.
- This win marked Harding's eighth straight overall victory, the longest current winning streak in Division II, and the Bisons have also won their last five road games.
- Since 2016, Harding boasts a remarkable 61-9 record in GAC games.
- The team's defense allowed only 54 rushing yards on 20 carries, extending their streak of holding opponents below 100 rushing yards to three consecutive games. Over the last three games, opponents have averaged just 1.54 yards per rush (97 yards on 63 carries).
- Harding limited Henderson State to only 244 total yards, marking the third consecutive opponent held below 300 total yards.
- Henderson State struggled on third down, going 2-for-11, and Harding has now held its last two opponents to a 5-of-27 (18.5%) conversion rate on third down.
- Harding controlled possession for 39 minutes and 53 seconds, marking its highest time of possession this season and the most since holding the ball for 41:04 in the last season's game against Southwestern Oklahoma.

**PLAYER NOTES**

- Junior fullback Blake Delacruz had a standout performance, setting career highs with 31 carries and 179 rushing yards. He had never carried the ball more than 18 times in a game before. Delacruz scored three rushing touchdowns in this game, bringing his total for the season to 10 and making it his third career 100-yard rushing game. He currently shares eighth place all-time at Harding with 21 career rushing touchdowns, tied with Terrence Dingle (2015-17).
- Sophomore slot back Braden Jay contributed with a 37-yard touchdown run, his second rushing touchdown of the season and his longest run so far.
- Senior punter Ryan Fox punted four times with an impressive 46.0-yard average, including a career-best 54-yard punt.
- Senior linebacker Zach Strickland led Harding with eight tackles, setting a career high with 3.5 tackles for loss (TFL). He also had a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
- Sophomore defensive back Ty Dugger recorded a career-high six tackles.

**SERIES NOTES**

- With this win, Harding closed the gap in the overall series with Henderson State to 34-24-1. The Bisons now hold a 10-21 record in Arkadelphia and have won the last five meetings at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. Harding has now scored 999 points all-time against Henderson State, and they have won four of the last five meetings between the teams.
- Harding now holds a 20-37 record since 1997 against nationally ranked NCAA II teams. This victory marked Harding's first road win over a nationally ranked team since defeating No. 9 Henderson State 46-21 in 2021.

**UP NEXT**

- Harding will host Southwestern Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-4 with a 41-7 loss at Southern Nazarene on Saturday.