COMMERCE, Texas -- The longest postseason run for the Harding University football program ended Saturday night in a 31-17 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce in the NCAA Division II semifinals at Memorial Stadium.
Texas A&M-Commerce (13-1) will play West Florida for the national championship Saturday.
Harding (11-4) began the season 0-3 but won 11 consecutive games to become the first member of the Great American Conference to reach the semifinals.
Harding redshirt freshman quarterback Preston Paden started in place of junior Terrence Dingle (734 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns), who was ruled ineligible Wednesday by the NCAA for the rest of the playoffs. First-year Harding Coach Paul Simmons said Dingle "violated an NCAA rule."
"I'm certainly not going to sit here and blame the loss on that," said Simmons, who said Dingle's return was "going to be a story of redemption."
"[I had] big shoes to fill," said Paden, who rushed for 21 yards on 18 carries. "I just tried to do my best out there."
Dingle's absence did not deter the Bisons' opening drive, which totaled 75 yards in three plays and ended with a 51-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Grant Kimberlin. Freshman fullback Cole Chancey rushed for 20 yards on the first play, Paden rushed for 4 more on the second, and Paden's pitch to Kimberlin on the third was wide enough to force Kimberlin to reach out with one hand to catch the football. He then took one cut to the inside and ran untouched for the touchdown to put Harding ahead 7-0.
Kimberlin finished with a game-high 107 yards on nine carries.
Texas A&M-Commerce also had a nearly flawless first drive when senior quarterback Luis Perez was 6-of-6 passing for 42 yards and rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
Outside of Harding's first drive, Texas A&M-Commerce kept Harding's Triple Option offense in check during the first half. Harding was held to 18 yards on 30 carries (1.67 yards per carry) on its next three drives.
The Bisons entered halftime 1 of 9 on third downs.
"That is probably what hurts the most today," Simmons said. "We just had chances. Man, we had chances to beat a really good football team, and we just couldn't convert and get it done."
The 15 mph north wind dictated field position for both teams throughout the game.
Harding started its first two drives on its 25 after touchbacks by Texas A&M-Commerce, which was kicking with the wind, and the Bisons began their third drive on their 7 after junior cornerback Frank Hebert called a fair catch on a punt that carried with the wind.
Harding also was bailed out by the gusts when senior punter Tristan Parsley's punt from the Harding 12 carried, bounced near the Texas A&M-Commerce 30 and rolled to the 5. The total distance was 83 yards, which broke the school record of 82 yards set by Andrew Patton on Nov. 13, 1999.
Parsley's punt on Harding's next possession was downed at the Texas A&M-Commerce 1.
Texas A&M-Commerce then converted a fourth and 1 at its own 10 when Lions freshman punter Tristan Perry completed a fake punt pass to redshirt freshman tight end Corey Smallwood for a first down at their 17.
The fake propelled the Lions to a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 3-yard pass from Perez to junior tight end Vincent Hobbs for a 14-7 lead with 5:27 left in the first half.
"We didn't have momentum, and we were trying to get it back," Texas A&M-Commerce Coach Colby Carthel said. "Sometimes you have to roll the dice and call a play."
The Lions opened the second half with a 32-yard field goal to take a 17-7 lead.
A Harding fumble halted a promising drive in the third quarter, when the Bisons drove to the Texas A&M-Commerce 29. Paden lost yardage on a fumbled snap, and the Bisons missed a 47-yard field goal.
Harding got back in the game junior defensive lineman T.J. Winslow stripped the ball from Texas A&M-Commerce freshman running back E.J. Thompson, and redshirt freshman linebacker Shedrick Robinson recovered it at the Bisons 49.
Harding capitalized with a nine-play, 51-yard drive that ended on a 1-yard touchdown run by freshman fullback Cole Chancey to pull the Bisons within 17-14 with 14:38 left in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Perez completed a sideline pass to Hobbs while facing a third and 5 at their own 17, and Hobbs turned up field to gain 19 yards. Nine plays later, Texas A&M-Commerce redshirt freshman running back Carandal Hale rushed for an 11-yard touchdown that widened the Lions' lead to 24-14 with 8:53 left in the game.
Harding's Parsley kicked a 30-yard field goal on the next drive, but Perez threw a 90-yard touchdown to senior receiver D'Arthur Cowan on the very next offensive play to set the final score.
The loss ends the first Harding season under Simmons, who was promoted after 11 seasons as a defensive assistant.
"I think there's a lot of parents that will look and say, 'Coach, you guys were 0-3, what changed?' " Simmons said. "And when that happens, I have an opportunity to tell the story of the season."
Sports on 12/10/2017