MARYVILLE, Mo. — Ronnie Huckeba’s final game as Harding’s head coach came on the same field where the Bisons played their first Division II playoff game in 2012.
The final result was the same this time around, too, as Northwest Missouri State rolled to a 35-0 victory in front of 5,743 fans on a cool Saturday afternoon at Bearcat Stadium. The defending national champion Bearcats won this quarterfinal by the same score as the 2012 first-round playoff game.
“I mean, it is still pretty surreal to be honest with you,” Huckeba said of coaching his final game after spending 31 years on the Harding staff, the past 10 as head coach. “I’m sure the gravity of the entire year and career and all that stuff will be later on.”
Huckeba, who finished 69-40 as head coach, guided Harding to postseason berths in 2013, 2014 and this season, which included the school’s first NCAA Division II playoff victories and its first Great American Conference championship.
Harding (13-1) entered with Division II’s best rushing attack with 381.5 yards per game behind a successful triple-option offense but ran into the nation’s top-ranked rush defense allowing 63.9 yards per game.
Northwest Missouri(13-0) limited the Bisons to a season-low 119 rushing yards. Harding had rushed for no less than 214 yards in any game this season but couldn’t get much going against the Bearcats’ front line that features Division I transfers Collin Bevins (Iowa State) and Harold Brantley (Missouri). Harding had only one first down in the first half, that coming on a 15-yard run by Zach Shelley in the first quarter.
Harding trailed 22-0 at halftime, rushing for 48 yards on 29 carries.
“I thought they did some great things on offense, but on defense, they tackled us on every turn,” Huckeba said. “It was an extremely impressive performance.”
Northwest Missouri needed six plays to score the game’s first touchdown when Kyle Zimmerman hit tight end Jordan Grove for a 58-yard score. Grove added another touchdown in the second quarter with a 2-yard run on fourth down.
“I felt at the time, if we didn’t get a touchdown, we would lose some momentum,” Northwest Missouri Coach Adam Dorrel said. “I was very confident in our defense. The worst we would have is them backed up at the 1 or the ½-inch line. I felt it was a good call and we trust Jordan to get in there.”
The Bearcats boosted the lead to 19-0, following a blocked punt which gave them the ball at the Harding 6.
Harding had only two real scoring chances against a Northwest defense that entered allowing 13.1 points per game, the lowest in the nation.
Late in the first half, the Bisons got the ball near midfield when defensive back Christian Witt blitzed and hammered Kyle Zimmerman, jarring the ball loose. Defensive end De’Onte Garrett recovered at the Harding 43-yard line, but a quick three-and-out led to Harding’s fifth punt of the first half.
The Bisons’ longest play from scrimmage came on the third play of the second half when Corey Bassett gained 36 yards on a reverse. It was the 52nd rushing play of the year for the Bisons that gain 20 or more yards.
The drive stalled out at the Northwest Missouri 16 and kicker Tristan Parsley’s 33-yard field attempt was blocked by Bevins. Simon Mathiesen kicked a 39-yard field goal following the block, giving the Bearcats a 25-0 advantage.
Bassett’s one carry gave him a team-high 36 yards rushing. Quarterback Park Parish managed only 8 yards on 10 carries, while running backs Shelley
(28) and Michael Latu (9) also were contained, although Harding became the second team this year to rush for more than 100 yards on Northwest Missouri.
“We couldn’t take it all the way this year, but that last game was a lot of fun,” said Harding linebacker Daylan Skidmore, who had a teamhigh 14 tackles along with Daylon Markham. “We left it all out there and did what we could so we could walk off with our heads held high. Like Coach Huck said, that is a great football team.
“We may have lost the game, but it is a great season. We made history.”
In other Division II playoff games, Ferris State (12-2) piled up 465 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers to upset Grand Valley State (12-1) 47-32 in Allendale, Mich. Trevor Bermingham had 15 carries for 51 yards and scored 4 touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who lost to the Lakers 35-23 earlier this season. Bermingham also added 163 yards passing. Jahaan Brown led Ferris State with 86 yards on 17 carries. Bart Williams went 23 of 40 for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns for Grand Valley State. … North Alabama (10-1) built a 24-0 first-half lead and held North Greenville (9-5) to just 181 yards to roll into the semifinals with a 38-0 victory in Florence, Ala. Jacob Tucker threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 70 yards and one score for the Lions, who’d beaten North Greenville 52-21 on Oct. 22. North Alabama forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. … Shepherd (13-0) erased a 17-point, first quarter deficit behind the running of Brandon Hlavach to stun top-seeded California (Pa.) (11-1) 41-30 in California, Pa. Hlavach carried 24 times for 170 yards and 1 touchdown for the Rams, who trailed 24-21 at halftime and 30-27 early in the fourth quarter before scoring the game’s final two touchdowns, including a C.J. Davis’ 5-yard scoring catch with 11:06 left to give Shepherd the lead for good. Michael Keir had 269 yards passing and 2 touchdowns for the Vulcans. Garry Brown had 10 catches for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Sports on 12/04/2016