MCKINNEY, Texas — Blake Delacruz rushed for 208 yards, Braden Jay added 161 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and Harding won its first Division II championship, defeating Colorado School of Mines 38-7 on Saturday.
Jay's 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Bisons a 28-7 lead and they added a Grant Ennis field goal and a short scoring run by quarterback Cole Keylon.
The Bisons needed less than what for them would be an average day on the ground (404 yards per game) to become the first team to rush for 6,000 yards in a season at any level of NCAA football. They gained 502 yards to finish with 6,161 yards.
John Matocha completed 24 of 33 passes for 270 yards for the Orediggers. He threw one touchdown pass and was intercepted once. His 2-yard touchdown toss to Noah Roper increased his all-divisions record for most career total touchdowns (191) and Division II record for most career touchdown passes (162).
Harding led 21-7 at halftime after two touchdown runs by Jay and one from Jhalen Spicer. The Bisons' flexbone churned out 228 yards in the half, with Delacruz gaining 101 yards on 13 carries.
Harding (15-0) stopped Colorado School of Mines (14-1) on a fourth-down play at the 10-yard line in the second quarter and the Orediggers reached the Harding 32-yard line before Jacob Click missed a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the half. The Orediggers finished 0-for-3 on fourth down.
Although dominated by third-ranked Harding, the game was a matchup of Harding's No. 2 defense and No. 3 offense in Division II against top-ranked Mines' No. 2 offense and No. 3 defense. The Bisons outgained the Orediggers 548-341.
School of Mines was runner-up to Ferris State in 2022, the year Matocha won the Harlon Hill Trophy. Matocha finished second to Central Missouri quarterback Zach Zebrowski in this year's Harlon Hill vote, which was announced on Friday.
Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas. Colorado School of Mines is in Golden, Colorado.
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