October 17th, 2026 6:00pm
SEARCY — In last year's matchup between the two Great American Conference rivals, Andrew Miller set a Harding single-game program record for rushing yards by a running back with 298 yards.
On Saturday afternoon before 3,300 Family Weekend fans at First Security Stadium, it was senior quarterback Malik Young's turn to make program history.
Young rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, setting the Harding single-game school record for rushing yards by a quarterback and becoming the first signal-caller in school history to surpass the 200-yard mark on the ground as second-ranked Harding dismantled No. 15 Henderson State 46-16 in a top-15 showdown of unbeatens.
Young spearheaded a relentless flexbone rushing attack that piled up 433 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 65 attempts (6.7 yards per carry), ripping off scoring runs of 50 and four yards while breaking away for a 67-yard sprint. He broke his own Harding single-game quarterback rushing record of 162 yards, which he established in the season opener against Northwestern Oklahoma.
With the victory, Harding improved to 7-0 overall and 7-0 in Great American Conference play, remaining one of Division II's 10 remaining undefeated teams while handing the Reddies (6-1, 6-1 GAC) their first defeat of the season.
The triumph pushed Harding's home winning streak at First Security Stadium to 28 consecutive games—the second-longest active streak in Division II—and extended its conference winning streak to 22 games. Harding also earned its sixth consecutive victory against Henderson State when the Reddies have been ranked in the AFCA Top 25 and won its fourth straight in the series overall.
Harding seized control midway through the opening quarter. After Young opened the scoring with an explosive 50-yard touchdown scamper untouched up the middle on the game's opening possession, Henderson State briefly grabbed an 8-7 lead on a 34-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jordan Walker to Chris Gannaway and a successful two-point conversion with 6:49 left in the first quarter.
The lead lasted exactly 49 seconds. On the very next play from scrimmage, Young took an option keeper around the right perimeter and sprinted 67 yards down to the HSU 8-yard line. Miller punched it into the end zone on the next snap for an 8-yard touchdown run, putting the Bisons ahead 13-8 and sparking a run of 32 unanswered points.
Miller's first-quarter touchdown marked the 65th rushing touchdown of his storied career, leaving him just one score shy of tying Cole Chancey's all-time Harding program record of 66. Miller has scored at least one touchdown in nine straight games and 19 of his last 20 games and finished with 84 yards on 18 carries.
Harding dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Reddies 19-0. First-year slotback Jeff Regan capped an 86-yard, 14-play march with a 9-yard touchdown scamper at the 10:21 mark. Fifth-year fullback Josh Strickland, Jr. followed with a 20-yard touchdown burst with 3:46 remaining before halftime to push the lead to 27-8.
Harding's special teams and defense delivered the knockout punches in the closing minutes of the first half. After third-year defensive end Kaleb Walker dropped Walker for a 6-yard sack back to the HSU 8-yard line, third-year defensive back Connor Dean came untouched off the edge on fourth down to block Pierce Rogers' punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 1:54 remaining.
Following the ensuing free kick, Young orchestrated a nine-play, 43-yard drive that set up a 29-yard field goal by Dean Roberts with 11 seconds left in the half, sending Harding into the locker room with a commanding 32-8 cushion.
The Bisons opened the second half by imposing their will at the line of scrimmage, bleeding 7:12 off the clock with a 13-play, 65-yard drive. Strickland capped the marathon possession with a 5-yard touchdown plunge, extending the margin to 39-8. Strickland finished with 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.