Harding earns fourth straight winning season; Downs OBU
November 10, 2007
By Amanda Pruitt
Harding Sports Information
SEARCY – Harding University junior quarterback David Knighton passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns and both Bison tailbacks broke long touchdown runs as Harding defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 38-36 on Senior Day at First Security Stadium.
Harding (6-4, 5-3 Gulf South) collected its fourth consecutive winning season with the victory and posted its second straight winning season in Gulf South Conference play. The Bisons defeated the Tigers for the 10 th consecutive time in Searcy. Coach Ronnie Huckeba, who took over as head coach on Sept. 11, finished the season 4-3 and won five of his last six games.
Ouachita Baptist (4-5, 2-5) lost its third consecutive game and sixth in its last seven.
Harding took an early lead on its first drive when Knighton completed a 5-yard pass to sophomore Zac Ross. Ouachita Baptist tied the game 7-7 on the following drive with a 12-yard scoring run from Willie Hopson with 8:17 left.
Harding then scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 21-7 first quarter lead. Senior Calvin Roberts broke away for a 56-yard touchdown run, his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, with 7:29 remaining, and sophomore Kurt Adams caught a 35-yard pass from Knighton at the 3:25 mark.
Adams caught his second touchdown pass on a 19-yard strike from Knighton to open the second quarter, but the Tigers scored on a touchdown pass by Lance Parker to narrow the lead to 28-19 at halftime.
After passing for an incompletion on his first pass of the game, Knighton completed 18 consecutive passes, tied for the third-longest streak in GSC history. It was his sixth game this season with three or more touchdown passes and seventh with 300 passing yards or more, finishing with 364 yards.
Parker rushed for a seven-yard touchdown with 4:42 remaining in the game, and the Tigers trailed 31-29. Harding answered three minutes later when junior Alan Webster broke several tackles before scoring on a 32-yard run to give the Bisons a more-comfortable 38-29 lead with 1:55 left.
Ouachita Baptist wasn't finished scoring, however, as Parker passed for his second touchdown of the game, completing a three-yarder to Tony Taylor to trail 38-36 with 18 seconds remaining.
Harding recovered the following onside kick and took a knee to run down the clock and seal the victory.
Ross broke the Harding single-season kickoff return yardage record of Lafe Caton, father of current Bisons Zach and Cade Caton. Ross fielded two kickoffs for 40 yards on Saturday and finished the season with 826 yards.
Hopson rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns, including a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Harding junior Tracy Brown finished with 13 tackles and a forced fumble. Sophomores Jermaine Blanchard and Kyle Young each had 10 tackles.