ADA, Okla. – The (RV) East Central University football team battled No. 2 Harding University in a Great American Conference showdown of undefeated teams Saturday afternoon at Koi Ishto Stadium, but the Bisons used a strong second half to pull away for a 42-21 victory.
The loss moves ECU to 4-1 overall and 4-1 in GAC play, marking the Tigers' first loss of the season after opening the year with four consecutive wins.
The Tigers kept the game within reach throughout the opening half, as ECU's defense consistently created opportunities against the No. 2 team in the country. Harding took a 14-0 lead into halftime, but the Tigers forced three first-half fumbles and recovered two, giving the offense additional chances to answer.
Following Harding's opening touchdown, ECU's defense continued to make plays to prevent the Bisons from building an early advantage. A Harding fumble late in the first quarter went out of bounds before
Caden Pickens recovered another fumble at the ECU 35-yard line, giving the Tigers possession.
Early in the second quarter,
Elijah Simons forced another Harding fumble at the ECU 44-yard line and recovered it himself, giving East Central another opportunity to cut into the deficit. The Tigers were unable to turn either takeaway into points, but the defensive effort kept ECU within two scores heading into halftime.
Harding added its second touchdown with 38 seconds remaining in the first half after recovering a
Quincy Thompson fumble at the Harding 49-yard line. The Bisons capitalized on the short field, extending their lead to 14-0 at the break.
ECU came out of halftime with renewed energy, putting together a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Thompson scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 14-7.
Harding answered quickly with a 54-yard touchdown run just over a minute later, then added another rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to take a 28-7 advantage into the final period.
The Tigers continued to battle in the fourth quarter, with
Sergio Kennedy connecting with
Rodney Searles II for a 2-yard touchdown early in the period to bring ECU within 28-14.
After Harding answered with another touchdown, East Central put together another strong scoring drive late in the game. The Tigers marched 87 yards on 13 plays, with Kennedy finding
Conner Combs for a 7-yard touchdown with 1:57 remaining to cut the deficit to 35-21.
Harding responded with one final touchdown in the closing seconds to secure the 42-21 victory.
Harding edged East Central in total offense, 399-313, with the Bisons holding the advantage on the ground, while the Tigers found more success through the air. Harding converted 9-of-13 third-down opportunities and went a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone, while ECU's defense forced three fumbles and recovered two.
Offensively, the Tigers totaled 313 yards, including 191 through the air and 122 on the ground. Kennedy completed 17-of-30 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns while adding 44 rushing yards on nine carries.
Donovan Shannon led ECU on the ground with 51 yards on 11 carries, while Thompson added 28 yards and a rushing touchdown on nine attempts.
Through the air,
Jonathan Brown led the Tigers with five receptions for a season-high 121 yards, including a long of 43 yards. Combs added three catches for 15 yards and a touchdown, while
Xavier Gordon recorded two receptions for 26 yards. Searles II also added a touchdown on his lone two-yard reception.
Defensively,
Tyler Masters led the Tigers with a career-high 13 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, while
Nathaniel Rainey added a career-high 12 tackles. Simons finished with nine tackles and accounted for a forced fumble and fumble recovery, while Pickens added six tackles and recovered another fumble.
Justin McCray finished with seven tackles.
ECU will return to the road next Saturday when the Tigers travel to Arkansas Tech for the first of two consecutive road games.
