MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Behind its potent rushing attack which tallied 442 yards on the ground, Harding knocked off Southern Arkansas 37-6 on Saturday evening from inside Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field. Both teams move to 2-1 on the season in Great American Conference play.
The Bisons, which entered as the nation’s second-best rushing team through two weeks, totaled 469 yards of offense which included a 27-yard touchdown pass, the visitor’s lone completion in four attempts, on the first drive of the ballgame. Southern Arkansas was held under 100 yards rushing and managed just 15 first downs, while possessing the football for just over 17 minutes.
Harding scored ten points in each of the first and second quarters, added ten more in the third, while the final touchdown came with just over nine minutes to play in the game. An unsurprising byproduct of their offense, the Bisons held a tenacious grip on the time of possession as they controlled the football for over 42 minutes of play.
The Muleriders’ lone score of the night was a 31-yard strike from senior quarterback Hayden Mallory to redshirt junior Micah Small that capped a nine-play, 97-yard drive that took 3:34 off of the clock. Small hauled in seven passes for 122 yards and the score.
Sophomore Onyei Orupabo led the team with a dozen tackles and junior Brock Floyd followed with 11. SAU forced and recovered a pair of fumbles, but failed to turn either into points.
Southern Arkansas hits the road for the first of two trips to Arkadelphia this season as Henderson State awaits in Week 4 from Carpenter Haygood Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.