October 9th, 2025 11:00pm
From Harding sports information:
DURANT, Okla. — The No. 2-ranked Harding Bisons maintained their perfect season Thursday night with a dominant 35-7 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma at Paul Laird Field. The win improved Harding to 6-0 overall, marking the third consecutive season and fifth time in program history the Bisons have started 6-0.
The victory kept Harding firmly in first place in the Great American Conference and extended their winning streak against Oklahoma opponents to 26 games. The Savage Storm fell to 2-4 in the conference matchup, the 37th meeting in the series history which Harding leads 28-8.
Harding Sports Network post game interview with Paul Simmons
Harding's signature ground game was on full display, piling up 401 net yards on the ground at an average of 8.5 yards per rush, compared to Southeastern's 3.9. The Bisons finished the game with 444 yards of offense, holding Southeastern to 277 total yards.
Running back Braden Jay led the charge, recording a season-high 180 yards on eight carries and scoring two rushing touchdowns. Jay's explosive night allowed him to surpass the 3,000 career rushing yards mark, making him the fifth player in Harding history to achieve the feat. Christian Franklin also contributed a massive 14.7 yards per carry, finishing with 88 yards on six attempts, highlighted by a 76-yard score.
The Bisons established control early. After forcing a three-and-out, Harding drove 61 yards in five plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from quarterback Cole Keylon. The score marked his 56th career total touchdown, tying Park Parish for third all-time at the university.
Following an early turnover on downs by Southeastern, Harding quickly drove 70 yards. Andrew Miller, who entered the game leading the GAC in yards per rush, punched in a 9-yard score with 1:05 left in the first quarter to push the lead to 14-0.
Southeastern managed to break Harding's NCAA-leading streak of not allowing a first-half point when running back Kameron Lockhart scored on a 23-yard run early in the second quarter. The 8-play, 75-yard drive brought the score to 14-7. However, Harding quickly responded after recovering a failed onside kick. Jay broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run, requiring only two plays and 63 seconds to restore the two-touchdown lead, 21-7.
Harding opened the second half with a statement, as Franklin rushed 76 yards for a score on the opening play of the third quarter, taking just 14 seconds. Following an interception by defensive back Zach Valcarcel deep in Bisons territory, Harding mounted its longest drive of the night, covering 97 yards in nine plays and 5 minutes and 35 seconds. Jay finished the drive with a 22-yard rush that sealed the final score, 35-7.
The game was billed as a defensive battle, matching Harding's No. 2 D2 total defense (195.4 YPG allowed) against Southeastern's 20th-ranked unit (292.4 YPG allowed). The Bisons defense delivered, limiting the Savage Storm to just 5-of-16 passing for 95 yards. Harding's rush defense was efficient, despite Southeastern maintaining possession for 34:21 of the game. The Bisons forced Southeastern into a dismal 1-of-7 on fourth-down conversions and 4-of-12 on third downs. Linebacker Clark Griffin led the unit, setting a new NCAA-era career tackles record for Harding, passing former leader Tim Polk. Griffin recorded a career-high 15 total tackles (5 solo, 10 assisted), including 2.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
The Bisons will look to remain undefeated when they travel to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to face Henderson State on Oct. 18.