SEARCY -- Harding University's football season came to a familiar and unsatisfying conclusion Saturday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Bisons lost to Northwest Missouri State for the fourth time in four tries since 2012 -- all the losses coming in the playoffs -- in front of an announced crowd of 2,000 at First Security Stadium.
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Neither Harding Coach Paul Simmons nor his Bisons players said they believe the 28-9 final score was indicative of how close they came to turning the corner against the Bearcats, who have been to the playoffs 17 consecutive times and have won six national championships over the past 25 years.
"For 10 weeks in a row, we have played our best game," Simmons said. "We've gotten better. Today we didn't do that.
"You want to go out there and play your best game, and if you're best game is not enough, you can sleep well at night.
"I know I feel the same way all our guys feel, we'd love to do it again right now. It just didn't go our way today. That was a good football team, obviously. Just hate to end without playing your best ball."
Harding stuck to its ball-control style, holding the ball for 37:42 of the game's 60 minutes and running 75 plays to 48 for Northwest Missouri.
The Bisons outrushed the Bearcats 245-24, holding touted tailback Al McKeller to 60 yards on 21 carries, and they sacked quarterback Braden Wright four times, including three times in the first half as they built a 9-7 lead late in the second quarter.
What Harding (11-2) didn't do was take care of the ball -- losing fumbles on the game's first two possessions to set up an early Bearcats touchdown-- and cash in on scoring opportunities in the Northwest Missouri red zone.
"We were in a heck of a football game," Northwest Missouri Coach Rich Wright said.
"The thing we did a good job of today, is when the field started to constrict, we didn't give up points."
Harding was held to a field goal after one long drive in the second quarter, and in the second half was stopped on downs once, and a had a field-goal attempt blocked after holding the ball for nearly 15 minutes on two drives.
But it was the final 2:26 of the first half -- when Northwest Missouri drove 80 yards in 11 plays -- and the first 1:12 of the second half that turned the tide.
"Really felt the momentum got flipped right before halftime," Rich Wright said.
Northwest Missouri gained 80 of its 112 first-half yards on its final drive of the second quarter, which ended with a 13-yard pass from Braden Wright to Kaden Davis in the back of the end zone.
That drive came after the Bears had run 12 plays in their previous three drives, with two drives ending in punts and another with an interception.
"They were disrupting us a lot early on," said Braden Wright, 10 of 16, 231 yards, 3 touchdowns. "They were getting home to me."
Wright said he changed his mind set on that final drive of the half.
"Playing fast, just ripping the ball around," he said. "That's how you force your way into the rhythm."
There were three key completions to Alec Tatum -- for 23 yards on third and 10, 12 yards on second and 17 and 15 yards on third and 5 -- putting the ball at the Harding 13. The Bearcats scored on a pass to Davis (4-82 receiving, 2 TDs) in the back of the end zone to take a 14-9 lead into halftime.
"We were stoning the run in our base defense, so the decision whether to bring pressure and keep doing what you're doing is always a tough one," Simmons said.
Northwest Missouri struck quickly on its first possession of the second half, starting with a 63-yard pass play along the Northwest sideline -- from Wright to Tatum (5-124) -- to move the ball to the Harding 13.
McKeller ran for 12 yards on the second play, and scored on the their play, a 1-yard run with 13:48 to play in the third quarter.
Harding's last big chance to make a game of it came on its ensuing drive, 17 plays and 63 yards, with the Bisons facing fourth and 5 at the Bearcats 11.
Simmons sent Ennis out to attempt a 28-yard field goal, which was blocked, instead of going for a first down and possible touchdown.
"I felt like we needed points right there," he said.
Cole Chancey (29-117 rushing) led the offense as he has so often over the past four seasons.
Chancey, playing his final game, concluded his career as both the school's and the Great American Conference's leading rusher with 5,114 yards and 66 touchdowns.
It was Chancey and 12 other Bisons who began playing for Simmons, who began his tenure as head coach in 2017.
"We were freshmen together," Simmons said. "They had some growing up to do. I really had some growing up to do."
Simmons said that Saturday's loss is just a blip on the radar of the Bisons' program.
"We're just getting going," Simmons said. "I can promise you, Bison football as a program is just getting going. We are just getting started. And we will be back."
Rich Wright said he was glad to get out of town with a victory, which puts the Bearcats in the semifinals against No. 1 seed Ferris State, which defeated Grand Valley State in Michigan.
"I'll put it this way," Rich Wright said. "I was concerned from the moment we found out who we were playing until the time that final gun went off."
Gallery: Northwest Missouri at Harding University
