Tech’s turnovers help Harding win

RUSSELLVILLE — Harding may not have started the season the way it wanted, but the Bison sure are making up for it.

Running back Cole Chancey ran 23 times for 97 yards, and the Bison’s defense forced four Arkansas Tech turnovers to pull out a 24-17 victory in the regular-season finale in front of an overflow crowd at Thone Stadium.

Quarterback Terrance Dingle added 74 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Harding (8-3, 8-3 GAC), which continued its stunning turnaround after a dismal start to the year. The Bison began the season 0-3 but have won their past eight games, with none bigger than Saturday’s conquest over their long-time rival.

The loss not only denied Arkansas Tech a chance to

grab a share of the Great American Conference title, but it also put Harding in prime position to gain an NCAA Division II playoff berth. The top seven teams from each of the four super regions advance to the postseason.

Ouachita Baptist, which entered Saturday ranked No. 5 in region three, won the GAC title by beating cross-street nemesis Henderson State 49-42 and all but locked up a playoff berth. Harding was ranked No. 8 and Arkansas Tech was No. 7. The Bison won’t know for sure if they’ll be included in the 28-team field until the pairings are announced at 4 p.m. today, but that’s the least of Coach Paul Simmons’ worries. He’s just happy his team has persevered after their terrible start to 2017.

“I tell you what, it would be impossible to describe the way I feel right now,” Simmons said. “Being 0-3, we were down, we were struggling, we were hurting. It was tough, but these men have held together,

loved one another and refused to give up.

“That is what the Bison brotherhood has always been about, and I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life.”

Harding racked up 309 yards of offense, all on the ground, and held Arkansas Tech to just 248. Quarterback Ty Reasnor was 14 of 21 for 157 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception for the Wonder Boys (8-3, 8-3), who came in with the league’s highest-scoring offense with 43 points per game. But the four turnovers were too much for Arkansas Tech to overcome. While Harding didn’t capitalize off all of the Wonder Boys’ miscues, the Bison were able to chew up the clock with its Triple-Option offense and shorten the game.

“They were plus-16 in the conference in turnover margin, and being able to get some of those turnovers gave us a chance,” Simmons said. “It was definitely not a clean game on either side of the football. We turned it over three times, but it was just that we fought a little bit longer and hung in there.”

Harding trailed 14-10 at the

half but blew two chances to put more points on the board following Arkansas Tech turnovers on consecutive snaps in the second quarter. After kicker Tristian Parsley nailed a 27-yard field goal to cut the Bison’s deficit to four with 2:24 left in the half, Arkansas Tech running back Bryan Allen had the ball knocked away by Harding linebacker Sam Blankenship on the first play of the Wonder Boys’ following drive. Defensive back Jacory Nichols recovered it at Arkansas Tech’s 31, but Parsley missed a 41-yard field goal.

Harding got it back one play later after Blankenship ripped the ball from Arkansas Tech running back Braden Stringer. Defensive back Frank Herbert fell on the ball, but the Bison turned it over shortly thereafter when running back Zach Shelley fumbled.

The Bison were able to regroup after halftime and took their first lead of the game when Dingle finished off a 13-play, 66-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 7:37 left in the third quarter.

Arkansas Tech answered with a 35-yard field goal from kicker Eric Perez to tie the

game at 17-17 with 1:38 to go in the quarter and got a key stop defensively after Dingle was picked off by defensive back Cua’ Rose inside the Wonder Boys’ 30. Perez, though, had his 46-yard field-goal attempt sail wide right on Arkansas Tech’s next series, and Harding took advantage to put together what turned out to be the game-winning march.

The Bison drove 71 yards in 7 plays, with Dingle scoring on a 30-yard run with 7:23 remaining in the game. Reasnor’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete on the Wonder Boys’ ensuing drive, and he had a pass intercepted by Harding defensive back Dre Smith with 1:23 showing to essentially seal the Bison’s victory.

Both teams moved the ball with relative ease at the start. The Wonder Boys needed just four plays to cover 84 yards on the game’s first possession and punctuated the trip with Reasnor’s 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver J.V. Davis to take a 7-0 lead.

Harding responding by going 56 yards in 13 plays, but came up empty when Parsley’s 31-yard field-goal attempt hit

the left cross bar. The Bison did get a reprieve after Arkansas Tech was stopped short of a first down on a fake-punt attempt. Harding avoided disaster itself and tied the game at 7-7 when offensive lineman Gave De Los Santos pounced on a loose ball in the end zone after Chancey was stripped at the 1-yard line.

Arkansas Tech regained the lead two series later after Dingle was intercepted by defensive back Jordan Hill at the Bison’s 33. Reasnor scored on a 5-yard run with 8:22 left to put the Wonder Boys ahead 147. But Arkansas Tech couldn’t hold its advantage and missed out on a shot to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Instead, Harding might be the ones to receive that honor.

“To play one more week, that was really the whole motivation,” Simmons said. “It wasn’t beating Tech, it was not a conference title. Let’s just play together one more week, whatever that means. Let’s just get on the bus and be together one more week because these guys love each other.”