FAILED 2-point conversion ends Harding’s season.
NW MISSOURI ST. 7, HARDING 6
Harding University had its 10-game winning streak broken Saturday in Northwest Missouri State’s 7-6 victory in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in Maryville, Mo.
Trailing 7-0, Harding (102) scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Tristan Tucker with 1:14 left, but Tucker was stopped on the subsequent two-point conversion attempt. Northwest Missouri State’s LaTroy Harper recovered the ensuing onside kickoff, and the Bearcats (11-1) twice took a knee to secure the victory and move on to the next round, where they will face Lindenwood, a 41-38 winner over Ouachita Baptist University on Saturday.
The Bearcats scored on their opening drive against the Bisons, going 75 yards in nine plays with Braden Wright capping the possession with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Raynug at the 11:57 mark of the opening quarter.
The teams then combined to punt on 11 consecutive possessions. Only a missed 50-yard field goal attempt by Northwest Missouri State’s Parker Simpson ended that streak with 16 seconds left before halftime.
The entire third quarter consisted of the teams trading punts before the Bisons turned the ball over on downs on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Harding then held the Bearcats on downs at the Bisons’ 46 before punting.
After a final Northwest Missouri State punt, the Bisons went 63 yards in 10 plays. Tucker broke up the shutout with his 6-yard touchdown to end a 10-play, 63-yard drive.
The Bearcats had 205 yards of total offense to Harding’s 151, with all of that coming on the ground. The Bisons did not attempt a single pass, though quarterback Robert Wilcke was sacked once. Wilcke was Harding’s leading rusher with 64 yards on 20 carries.
Wright was 16-of-28 passing for 154 yards to lead Northwest Missouri State.
The teams combined to punt 19 times, were flagged for two penalties (both against Harding) and had zero turnovers in a game that lasted 2 hours, 12 minutes.
The loss was Harding’s third in as many games against the Bearcats, all coming in the playoffs. Northwest Missouri State previously had defeated the Bisons in 2012 and 2016, both by 35-0 scores.