The Bisons’ prolific offense, averaging nearly 400 rushing yards per game this season, was shut down by the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) on Saturday, Oct. 31, in a 21-13 loss. The two teams now share identical 6-3 records in the Great American Conference with two games remaining.
After jumping out to an early 10-0 lead, the Bisons appeared to be on pace to repeat the previous week’s 62-point barrage, but defensive adjustments by SWOSU thwarted such plans, as the Bisons were outrushed by an opponent for the first time since 2011.
Head coach Ronnie Huckeba noted the improvement of SWOSU, which has yet to lose at home this season, compared to when the Bisons defeated the Bulldogs 42-6 a year ago.
“They are a totally different team this year and their new quarterback is having a great year,” Huckeba said. “We knew going in that it was going to be a tough game and that they played well at home.”
Despite the loss, Huckeba said there were bright spots in the game, most notably a place in the record books for junior quarterback Park Parish. Parish broke the single season touchdown record in the first quarter when he found the end zone for the 18th time this year.
“The quarterback position in this offense gets a lot of opportunities to score touchdowns and he’s got a nose for the end zone,” Huckeba said. “He’s worked really hard these past few years and he deserves it.”
Huckeba was also impressed with the play of the defense, led by junior linebacker Daylan Skidmore.
“I thought our defense played great and held them to only 21 points,” Huckeba said. “We can’t ask for much more.”
According to Skidmore, who led the team with nine tackles, the defense was prepared to pick up the slack when the offense went cold.
“Defensively we knew that the offense was struggling a little bit, so we knew we needed to step up and try to make some plays,” Skidmore said. “It was a hard fought battle, I just think they came out a little more prepared than previous years and that was the difference.”
The Bisons have now lost three regular season games for the first time in four years, but according to Huckeba, they have good reason to finish the season strong.
“(Our) primary goal was to make the playoffs, which is a long shot now, and (we) are basically out of the conference race,” Huckeba said. “All of those things are pretty devastating. But perspective is a great thing, and the seniors that are on this team are a part of the most successful run in the history of Harding University football, so we still have a whole lot to play for.”
The Bisons will host Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. for Senior Day at First Security Stadium.
