No. 23 ranked Bisons took down No. 3 ranked Henderson State University 28-24 at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium Saturday Oct. 25 to move up to No. 17 in DII.
Harding scored with 17 seconds left on a reverse to take a 28-24 lead, which ended up being the game-winning touchdown by senior Donatella Luckett. The Bisons rushed the ball nine straight times before Luckett scored on their final drive.
“We called the play during the timeout and I don’t really remember what was said,” Luckett said. “But I had no thoughts, just pure determination to do whatever it took to win the game for my brothers.”
The win over HSU marked the eighth straight road victory for the Bisons, breaking the previous school record held by the 1971-73 teams.
Up until this past Saturday, HSU was undefeated in conference the past two seasons and remained that way until Harding came into Arkadelphia and upset the Reddies on their Homecoming.
“This was a huge game and a great battle for me and my team,” Luckett said. “It was great not only because we beat Henderson, but also because our team wanted it so bad and played lights out for each other.”
Harding’s No.1 scoring offense in the GAC rushed for 333 yards and totaled 379 combined yards on offense. Senior Romo Westbrook lead the way with 23 carries and 93 yards, giving him 790 yards on the season thus far.
The Bisons are in a tight race with HSU and Ouachita Baptist to top the GAC, all separated by a game.
“We continue to play all out because our coaches instill that in us,” Luckett said. “I just trust them and my brothers that we can continue playing our hearts out.”
Harding’s defense held HSU high-powered offense to zero points in the second half of Saturday’s game. It was in the first half that the Bisons gave up a touchdown on the second play of the game, followed by two more touchdowns and a field goal to take a 24-13 lead at halftime.
“I think the key to holding them to zero points in the second half was our halftime adjustments and schemes,” senior defensive back Dennis Buckner said. “We really focused on making sure we put pressure on their quarterback and forced quick decisions.”
Bigger than holding the Reddies to zero points in the second half was Buckner’s forced fumble he caused that lead to Harding’s go-ahead score late in the fourth.
“I had a mindset of leaving it all on the field,” Buckner said. “I wanted to do my best and give the offense one more shot to bring it home for us.”
Buckner and his teammates created turnovers and forced the Reddies into a lot of fourth downs.
“We went out there and played with a passion and urgency,” Buckner said. “We knew we were going to beat Henderson after the way we prepared ourselves all week at practice.”
The Bisons improve to (6-1) in conference and currently in second place in the GAC standings, behind only Ouachita Baptist (7-0).
The next game is at 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 against Southeastern Oklahoma State University for Harding Homecoming.
