SHAWNEE -- Harding triumphed over Oklahoma Baptist in a 59-7 victory at Crain Family Stadium on Saturday night. Harding set the tone early, with Blake Delacruz scoring on a 1-yard run at 9:52 of the first quarter. Stone Sheffield followed with a 34-yard touchdown reception from Cole Keylon to put Harding up 14-0 by the end of the quarter.
Harding continued to impose their will in the second stanza, with Delacruz adding another short touchdown run, making it 21-0. Oklahoma Baptist showed some life when
Haven Lysell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from
Kenny Rosenthal, cutting the deficit to 21-7.
However, Harding responded quickly with a rushing touchdown from Braden Jay and a field goal from Magnus Lepak to take a commanding 31-7 lead at halftime.
The second half was more of the same, with Harding's offense and defense overwhelming Oklahoma Baptist. Andrew Miller, Malik Young, and Josh Strickland each added rushing touchdowns, extending Harding's lead to 52-7. The Harding defense capped the scoring when G'Kyson Wright intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth, sealing the 59-7 victory.
Harding's rushing attack was potent again, racking up 427 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Through two games, HU has rushed for 981 yards. Plus, the visitors controlled the clock, holding possession for over 42 minutes.
For the Bison,
Scooter Baker led with 15 tackles while
Jylun Spence (13) and
Brayden Johnson (12) each reached double-digit totals. Offensively,
Michael Marshall led the Bison with four catches for 33 yards.
This victory moved Harding to a 2-0 record, while Oklahoma Baptist fell to 0-2. Next Saturday, OBU will visit Southeastern Oklahoma State (0-2) for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
Â
