Bisons, Bears go on road for next playoff games

Harding, 13-0 for the first time in school history, takes on a team Saturday with an even longer winning streak.

The Bisons go to Maryville, Mo, for a NCAA Division II playoff game against top-ranked Northwest Missouri State, coming off its 27th consecutive victory in a 44-13 thumping of Emporia State, Kan., on Thanksgiving weekend. Kickoff at Bearcat Stadium is 1 p.m.

Kyle Zimmerman ran for a touchdown and passed for another in a 17-point first quarter against Emporia State, which won its first-round game by 33 points. Zimmerman scored a second touchdown as Northwest made it 31-6 before Emporia State scored on the last play of the first half.

Simon Mathieson kicked two field goals and Jarrod Bishop returned an interception 65 yards for Northwest (12-0), which launched the season Sept. 1 with a 41-14 road victory over Emporia State.

"It was huge," Zimmerman, a senior quarterback, said of jumping ahead quickly. "We talked about it all week about trying to come out strong. When we play with a lot of energy on offense, we have a lot success. We came out really energized. We executed really well in the first quarter."

Zimmerman passed for 186 yards, and Randy Schmidt's only completion went for 52 yards and a Northwest touchdown.

Blanking Emporia in the second half, Northwest held the Kansas team to minus-30 yards rushing, prompting Bearcat quarterback Braxton Marstall to say, "Their front four is the best in the country. They are good."

Harding comes after Northwest with a powerful rushing attack led by senior quarterback Park Parish, the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Year rushing for two touchdowns and passing for another Saturday against Sioux Falls, S.D.

Tristan Parsley's 47-yard field goal tied the game with six seconds left in regulation and his 35-yard boot in overtime, for a 27-24 victory, sent the Bisons to the national quarterfinals. Harding was ranked No. 4 and Sioux Falls No. 5 in NCAA Division II, both playing in the second round of the playoffs for the first time and with Sioux Falls finishing 12-1.

Harding senior linebacker Benjamin Shields' interception ended Sioux Falls' first drive in overtime, setting up the kick by Parsley that brought the Bisons back from a 24-14 deficit with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter. Harding drove 75 yards in 13 plays, taking almost six minutes, for a sneak by Parish with 4:17 left, then moved 57 yards in eight plays for Parsley's tying field goal.

Harding, Division II's top rushing offense, gained 332 yards on the ground and pulled within 40 yards of 5,000 for teh season. Parish led the Bisons with 121 yards on 25 carries and completed four of nine passes for 49 yards.

Harding held Sioux Falls to 306 yards, 222 below its average, with the Cougars limited to 132 on the ground.

UCA travels northwest

Extending its season at home against Illinois State, Central Arkansas goes to the Pacific Northwest this week for an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision game against Eastern Washington.

Kickoff is 3:05 p.m. CDT in Cheney, Wash., with the Big Sky champions 10-1 and coming off a bye week. The Eagles have won nine in a row since a 50-44 road loss to North Dakota State in week 2, that following a 45-42 upset of Pac-12 neighbor Washington State.

Central Arkansas scored 24 fourth-quarter points and beat Illinois State 31-24 Saturday at Estes Stadium in Conway. The Bears received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs after finishing runner-up to Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference.

Antwon Wells caught a 39-yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand and ran the last four yards after UCA took over with 2:11 left and the score 24-all. Christian Gibbs' interception sealed the victory, making the Bears 10-2.

George Odum's blocked punt and Jakari Dillard's four-yard return pulled UCA within 17-14 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Taking over from the UCA 17 with 12:42 left, Hildebrand completed five straight passes on an 83-yard drive with Desmond Smith's two-yard reception putting the Bears ahead 21-17.

Matt Cummins' 28-yard field goal made it 24-17 but Illinois State tied it on Jake Kolbe's 55-yard pass to Anthony Warrum with 6:22 left.

Sports on 11/28/2016

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