GREAT AMERICAN CONF.

Tigers make lone touchdown stand

Ouachita Baptist defensive lineman Dameyun McDonald (56) tackles Harding quarterback Preston Paden during the Tigers’ 7-3 victory Saturday night in Searcy.
Ouachita Baptist defensive lineman Dameyun McDonald (56) tackles Harding quarterback Preston Paden during the Tigers’ 7-3 victory Saturday night in Searcy.

SEARCY -- The final score -- Ouachita Baptist 7, Harding 3 -- makes it sound like not much happened Saturday night at First Security Stadium.

But what this Great American Conference game lacked in offense, it certainly made up for with fourth-quarter drama.

Ouachita Baptist University (6-0), the sixth-ranked team in Division II, overcame the first-half loss of starting quarterback Brayden Brazeal, drove 85 yards for the game's only touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and then had to stop the Bisons after they drove to the Tigers' 1 in the final seconds.

An illegal-procedure penalty pushed Harding back to the 6, out of running distance, and the Bisons' fourth-down pass attempt by Preston Paden sailed out of the end zone.

"It was a heavyweight bout is what it was," OBU defensive back Hayden Lassiter said. "People should have paid to see it."

A crowd of 3,900 was on hand, and the spectators were on their feet in the closing seconds when Harding responded to OBU's touchdown with a 14-play, 69-yard drive that consumed nine minutes and had the OBU defenders on their heels.

"There's nothing good-feeling about it," Lassiter said of the last-minute, goal-line stand. "We just knew we had to keep playing."

Harding had fourth and goal at the 1, and fullback Cole Chancey (22-92 rushing) crashed into the end zone for what appeared to be the winning touchdown with 28 seconds left, but there was a flag in the backfield.

That moved it back to the 6, and when Paden rolled to his right, he couldn't find a Bisons receiver to throw to.

"It's a super tough loss," Harding Coach Paul Simmons said, "but our guys fought like crazy."

Harding (4-2), which came into the game as the No. 19 team in Division II, dominated the game statistically and for most of three quarters.

The Bisons led 3-0 at halftime, and they held the ball for the first 14 plays and 8:15 of the third quarter.

Then, there was a mishandled snap on first and goal at the OBU 6, and the Tigers' Hunter White recovered to alter OBU's outlook.

"That was definitely a momentum shift," said OBU senior wide receiver Drew Harris, who took the majority of the snaps at quarterback after Brazeal left the game with a hand injury. "And hats off to our defense, a three-point game against a really good Harding team, you can't ask for anything else."

OBU didn't move the ball on its next drive after the fumble recovery, but when the Tigers got the ball back at the outset of the fourth quarter, they drove 85 yards in 12 plays, taking up 5:26.

Shun'cee Thomas ran 19 yards for the game's only touchdown with 9:22 to play.

The drive started with 14:28 to play after Cameron Scott's 52-yard punt pinned OBU at its 15.

But Brockton Brown, playing the Wildcat position, ran 26 yards around the right side for a first down at the OBU 41. Seven consecutive rushing plays -- by Thomas, Brown, Kris Oliver and Harris -- gave OBU a first down at the 38, but the Tigers were forced to pass after a mishandled snap and holding penalty moved them back to the 43.

That's when Harris played the part of quarterback, something he has not done since his high school career at Benton, lofting a back-shoulder sideline pass to 6-6 wide receiver La'Darius McElroy for a 24-yard gain and a first down at the Harding 19.

Thomas scored on the next play, and Ouachita led 7-3 with 9:29 to play after Cole Antley's extra point.

"We knew when Brayden went down, it was going to take a lot of effort from everybody," said Harris, who ended up passing for 60 yards. "To see our guys rally like that and go on a drive to seal the game, it means the world to me."

Harding dominated time of possession (40:21-19:39) and total yards (308-176), but its only score came on Scott's 19-yard field goal with 10:12 to play in the first half, the culmination of a 16-play, 76-yard drive that consumed 9:10.

The Bisons opened the second half with 13 rushes for 59 yards and a first down at the OBU 6, a drive prolonged when Simmons elected to go for it on fourth and 1 at the Harding 44 and Chancey picked up the necessary yardage.

Harding was 3 for 3 on fourth-down plays before its failed fourth-down attempt in the end.

"Our motto last night was give more, and they did," OBU Coach Todd Knight said of his Tigers. "We told our guys all week it was going to be an old-school, Ali heavyweight fight, and it was."

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 21,

SOUTHERN NAZARENE 16

Junior defensive back Stacy Lawrence intercepted a pass with 1:00 remaining to help unbeaten Southern Arkansas University escape with a victory over pesky Southern Nazarene at Wilkins Stadium in Magnolia.

Southern Nazarene (1-5) scored with 6:57 remaining when Gage Porter hit Jacoby Hicks for a 27-yard touchdown, but the final two Crimson Storm drives ended with turnovers.

Sophomore linebacker Kobe McDonald recovered a Southern Nazarene fumble with 6:04 left. Southern Nazarene started its final drive on its own 8 with 1:31 remaining and ended two plays later with Lawrence's interception.

Senior quarterback Barrett Renner completed 11 of 18 passes for 215 yards, including a 53-yard scoring pass to senior Kile Pletcher for Southern Arkansas. Sophomore Lorenzo Alexander ran for 81 yards and scored on runs of 4 and 1 yards.

Jaidon Parrish led the Muleriders (6-0) in receiving after catching four passes for 81 yards.

Anthony Washington made two sacks, and DaVondrick Lison was in on eight tackles for the Muleriders.

HENDERSON STATE 56,

OKLAHOMA BAPTIST 21

Junior running backs Querale Hall and Logan Moragne combined to rush for 340 yards, and the Reddies used a 28-point second quarter to crush the Bison at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia.

Hall ran 15 times for 173 yards, scoring on runs of 3 and 63 yards. Moragne rushed 15 times for 167 yards, which included a 53-yard TD run.

Tied at 7-7 after one quarter, the Reddies (3-3) scored three touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second quarter to put the game away. Henderson led 35-7 at the half.

The Reddies outgained the Bison 599-304 in total yards, including a 383-87 advantage on the ground.

Junior Richard Stammetti threw three touchdown passes for the Reddies, completing 17 of 29 passes for 206 yards. Ben Johnson led Henderson's receivers with eight receptions for 71 yards. Stammetti's TD passes went to John Murray for 19 yards, Chase Lodree for 38 yards and Doug Johnson for 6 yards.

Freshman defensive back Shane Sanders gave Henderson a 7-0 lead 40 seconds into the game with a 30-yard interception return.

Oklahoma Baptist (2-4) quarterback Preston Haire completed 16 of 45 passes for 217 yards and 2 TDs, but he was intercepted 3 times.

ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 34,

ARKANSAS TECH 16

Cole Sears passed for a touchdown and ran for another, and freshman cornerback Jimel London intercepted two passes -- one of which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown -- as the Boll Weevils topped the Wonder Boys at Buerkle Field in Russellville.

Leading 3-0, London intercepted Carter Burcham's pass and returned it for the University of Arkansas-Monticello's first touchdown with 14:19 remaining in the first half.

Arkansas Tech (2-4) closed to within 10-7 with 9:57 left before halftime on a 41-yard run by Bryan Allen, but the Boll Weevils (2-4) scored the next 24 points to put the game away.

Sears completed 20 of 33 passes for 220 yards. He tossed a 10-yard TD pass to junior Jeremy Hampton with 5:33 remaining before halftime to give the Boll Weevils a 17-7 lead.

Hampton also scored on a 34-yard run in the third quarter, and Josh Marini connected on field goals of 35 and 34 yards.

Allen ran 22 times for 127 yards. Terrez Hampton caught five passes for 102 yards for Arkansas Tech.

UAM outgained Tech 360-327 and controlled the ball for more than 39 minutes.

Christian Jefferson also had an interception for the Boll Weevils.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Ouachita Baptist running back Shun’cee Thomas (29) looks for running room between Harding defensive back Daylon Markham (1) and defensive lineman T.J. Winslow on Saturday during the second quarter of the Tigers’ 7-3 victory over the Bisons in Searcy.

Sports on 10/07/2018

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