SEARCY — Fireworks were provided before and after Harding’s season-opener against Southern Nazarene on Thursday night.
The Bisons were the ones furnishing the in-game explosives.
The defending NCAA Division II national champions used a blistering first half to stampede their way to a 59-0 victory over the Crimson Storm at First Security Stadium.
Top-ranked Harding (1-0) scored touchdowns on six of its nine possessions over the first two quarters to put the Crimson Storm in a hole that the Bisons’ defense wouldn’t allow them to escape.
“Before the game, I challenged the guys,” said Harding Coach Paul Simmons, whose team built a 42-0 halftime lead and never turned back in winning their 20th straight game dating back to the 2022 season. “I told them that everybody’s got a level of physicality, a level of aggression, but at a certain point, everybody’s got to tap out.
“We’ve all got that level. I’ve got that level, our players have got that level. I wanted them to see how high (Southern Nazarene) was, but I think ours was pretty high in this one.”
The Bisons pushed around their Great American Conference counterparts the entire night, but they offered up a game’s worth of excitement over the first 30 minutes of play.
Cole Keylon accounted for three touchdowns and Blake Delacruz carried 11 times for 95 yards and 2 scores for Harding, which had 425 of its 607 yards of offense in the first half.
Simmons’ team was just as crushing defensively, limiting Southern the first to one first down and 3 total yards in that half.
About the only thing Harding didn’t do right at times was hold on to the football. The Bisons had three fumbles, which didn’t exactly sit well with Simmons.
“I was certainly pleased with our level of physicalness,” he said. “I was happy with the way we started, too, but I was disappointed big time in giving the ball away like we did. But in fall camp, there’s such a fine line in taking care of your guys and keeping them healthy that sometimes you don’t get enough hits
“Those are some of the things you worry about in the first game, but I’m glad we were able to overcome them.”
Southern Nazarene didn’t do itself any favors either.
The Crimson Storm, who were held to 49 yards for the game, used up just 52 seconds on their first drive and went three and out before punter Adam Atwell fumbled the ensuing snap on fourth down. He was subsequently tackled at Southern Nazarene’s 5-yard line.
Harding needed only one play to score when Delacruz busted through a gaping hole on the right side for a touchdown with 13:57 to go in the quarter.
Things went even smoother for Harding on its next try. Following another short-lived possession by Southern Nazarene, the Bisons moved 73 yards in eight plays, with Keylon sprinting inside for a 9-yard touchdown.
That perfect beginning quickly came to a halt on back-to-back series.
Delacruz and Stone Sheffield had fumbles deep inside Crimson Storm territory. Had either not coughed the ball up, they both may have scored untouched. The Bisons also had a fumble at the Crimson Storm’s 31 with 40 second left before halftime.
Those hiccups only temporarily slowed Harding’s onslaught. Keylon pushed the Bisons’ lead to 21-0 with a 1-yard score at the 13:44 mark of the second quarter, and Delacruz added a 15-yard touchdown run a little more than five minutes later.
Harding even had a passing score in the half when Keylon connected with Braden Jay in the back of the end zone on a 21-yarder. That touchdown came two plays after linebacker Kekoa Carroll recovered a fumble at Southern Nazarene’s 23.
Andrew Miller, who finished with 129 yards rushing on six carries, got in on the act with an 88-yard touchdown run that helped Harding build its 42-point lead at halftime.
The Bisons tacked on a quick score in the third quarter as Josh Evan-Pickens dashed in for a 21-yard touchdown with 11:35 remaining. Magnus Lepak tacked on a 33-yard field goal later in the quarter, and Malik Young plowed his way to a 21-yard score with 12:18 left in the game.
“I think we played well offensively, and our defense played lights out,” Simmons said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but this was a pretty good way to start things off.”
Evan Rader had 37 rushing yards for Southern Nazarene, which lost to Harding for the sixth straight time.