Mikhail Lindsay came up with a huge interception when it was needed as the Ouachita Baptist University football team knocked off Harding, 30-27, Saturday night in a Gulf South Conference game at First Security Stadium.
With Harding driving for a potential game-tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown, Lindsay, who recorded a season-high 11 tackles, picked off Bison quarterback David Knighton at the Ouachita 15 and returned it to the Tigers 36 with 2:18 remaining.
The Tigers gained nine yards in the first three plays and after a timeout, went for it on fourth-and-1 with 1:18 left as Ouachita quarterback Lance Parker kept it on a quarterback sneak to seal the victory, the first at Harding since 1985.
Ouachita (3-3 overall, 2-3 GSC) had a huge night on the ground, finishing with 323 yards. KJ Johnson paced all Tiger rushers with 27 carries for 142 yards. John Johnson added 91 yards on 14 touches.
Parker, who rebounded from a tough game last weekend, regained his form by throwing for 121 yards on 12 of 16 passing.
After both teams couldn’t get much going offensively early, the Tigers went 86 yards in 11 plays as KJ Johnson went 16 yards off left tackle to give Ouachita a 7-0 advantage with 5:20 remaining. On the 11-play drive, the Tigers used a powerful ground game with only two plays coming through the air.
Harding (2-5, 1-4) responded with a drive, but a sack by Jerry McNeil halted forced the Bisons to try a field goal. The 46-yard attempt by Ryan Ferrell was short, keeping the Tigers on top 7-0 with 1:13 left in the opening quarter.
KJ Johnson exploded for 47 yards on the first play of the second quarter to give Ouachita its second scoring opportunity of the night. Terrell Alex went off right tackle on the next play and scored from eight yards out to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 14:38 remaining in the first half.
The Bisons got on the scoreboard, capping a 72-yard, 8-play drive, as Knighton connected with Jordan Watson for a 53-yard touchdown pass to cut the Tigers lead to 14-7 with 11:28 left in the second quarter.
Jeremy Young, who had six catches for 34 yards and two rushes for 60 yards, put the Tigers back on top by 14 as he got the ball on a sweep to the right and went 47 yards down the right sideline to give Ouachita a 21-7 advantage with 10:36 left in the first half.
Harding cut the margin to 21-14 as Knighton connected with Daniel Phipps over the middle for 34 yards to cap a 6-play, 72-yard drive with 6:11 remaining in the second quarter.
The Tigers increased the margin to 24-14 after Zach Wright booted a 19-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the half, capping an 11-play, 78-yard drive, taking 5:32 off the clock.
Harding had time to put a drive together, but Ouachita came away with a huge stop as Ferrell’s 45-yard field goal attempt with four seconds remaining before the half was blocked as the Tigers took a 24-14 lead into the break.
The Bisons took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and went 57 yards in 7 plays, but came away with just three points as Ferrell booted a 37-yard field goal with 12 minutes remaining to cut the Tigers margin 24-17.
Ouachita answered Harding’s opening drive by putting together an 8-play, 52-yard drive with KJ Johnson scoring on a 13-yard run up the middle to increase the advantage to 30-17 as the point after attempt was no good with 8:22 left in the third.
Harding had to settle for three points after Phipps blocked a Mark Cain punt at the Tiger 1. The Ouachita defense stifled the Bisons as Ferrell kicked a 20-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 30-20, with 4:17 remaining in the third.
After a Tiger turnover, Harding drove into Ouachita territory, but again the defense forced Harding to attempt a field goal. Ferrell’s 36-yarder was blocked, keeping the Tigers on top 30-20 with 41 seconds left in the third.
Harding, which had trouble scoring most of the night in the red zone, trimmed the margin to 30-27 by capping a 10-play, 56-yard drive as Knighton connected with Julian Firman for a 9-yard score with 9:35 remaining.
Knighton, who was 37-of-52 for 473 yards, had 14 carries for 53 yards. Jeremy Holt had 27 yards on six carries. Kurt Adams led all Bison receivers with six receptions for 142 yards.
Sevohn Greer paced the Harding defense with 19 tackles, while Tracy Brown added 11.
The Tigers play host 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18 in the homecoming game against Southern Arkansas in a Gulf South Conference contest at A.U. Williams Field. The game can be heard on the Ouachita Football Network through the following stations: Arkadelphia (KYXK-FM 106.9); Hot Springs (KBHS-AM 1420); Magnolia (KVMA-AM 630); El Dorado (KELD-FM 106.5); Nashville (KNAS-FM 105.5); Mena (KQOR-FM 105.3) or on the web at: mms://rain.obu.edu/tigerathletics/
