ARKADELPHIA - Harding Coach Ronnie Huckeba had lots of nice things to say about Henderson State's coaching strategy Saturday.
But when all your offensive options are whittled down to run, it's not hard to make the right decisions.
Henderson State's 22-19 victory over the Bisons at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium was a case of finding out what works and sticking to it. With the passing game ineffective, the Reddies (5-3, 4-2 Gulf South Conference) used running back Bernard Palmer to get past a Harding team that beat them in almost every statistical category.
Palmer, a junior, rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. That made up for a passing attack that was adequate at best, with quarterbacks Garett Manning and Roch Charpentier completing a combined seven passes for 121 yards.
"I thought they made a wise coaching move when they brought in their big people and started handing it off to [Palmer]," Huckeba said.
Harding (4-4, 3-3) outgained the Reddies, rolled up more passing yards and had more first downs and more offensive snaps. Quarterback David Knighton completed 30 of 49 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns.
"They've got a hell of an offense," Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield said. "They've got an experienced quarterback, and we were trying to put some pressure on him."
Palmer put the Reddies up first with a 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, capping a drive that was highlighted by a 48-yard third-down scramble by Manning.
The teams then exchanged touchdown passes, with Knighton hitting Daniel Phipps and Jordan Watson. Henderson State countered with a 25-yard strike fromCharpentier to Greg Godfrey.
A missed extra point by Harding's Ryan Ferrell gave Henderson State a 14-13 halftime lead, but the Bisons jumped ahead when Knighton found Kurt Adams on an 8-yard pass in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Henderson State took the ball and scored in the final seven seconds of the third quarter when Palmer broke free on a 18-yard touchdown run.
"He's real big for us," Maxfield said. "He's a little running back, but when we run the ball, we win."
Sports, Pages 41 on 10/28/2007