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ARKADELPHIA -- Harding wasn't able to get much on the perimeter during its showdown at Henderson State, so it did the next best thing to get its offense on track.
The Bisons, the No. 2 team in NCAA Division II, went inside to Andrew Miller, and he delivered with a record-breaking effort as they overcame a rough first half to beat the Reddies 35-10 on a stormy Saturday at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.
The game was delayed twice because of weather, but that didn't stop Miller from pounding away. The junior broke the program's single-game rushing mark with 298 yards on 21 carries and scored 4 touchdowns. He also got a boost from a defense that forced five turnovers as Harding (7-0, 7-0 Great American Conference) looked much different in the second half than it did in the first.
The Bisons generated 312 yards and 28 points after halftime to win at Henderson State (5-2, 5-2) for the sixth straight time.
The first weather stoppage lasted approximately 40 minutes after lightning strikes began flashing in the area during the first quarter. When play was halted, the Reddies led 3-0. Neither team took complete control after things were re-started for the remainder of the half, but Harding was able to go into intermission with a 7-3 lead, which was astonishing considering how Henderson State dominated statistically over the first 30 minutes.
The Bisons, who had a fumble and a missed field goal in the first half, produced more passing yards (27) than they did rushing yards (26), ran just 20 plays compared to 43 by the Reddies and allowed 10 first downs as opposed to their two in the opening half.
To add insult to those numbers, Harding held the ball for 11:27, while Henderson State had it for 18:33. However, the Bisons' defense nullified those totals by coming up with big play after big play.
Three of the Reddies' four first-half turnovers were fumbles, including two by quarterback Andrew Edwards. One of those occurred on the Bisons' 15, and another happened deep in Henderson State territory, leading to one of the few bright moments that Harding enjoyed over the first two quarters.
After Brock Knapton recovered Edwards' fumble at the Reddies' 6 with 3:55 left in the second period, Miller scored on a 3-yard run two plays later to push the Bisons ahead.
Prior to Miller's touchdown, the only score came on the game's first drive. Henderson State moved 56 yards in 15 plays and got a 36-yard field goal from Ryan McDonnell with 7:21 to go in the first quarter before lightning stopped play.
A second weather delay came with a little more than a minute gone in the third quarter, but not before Miller began striking.
On the first play of the second half, he took a handoff from Cole Keylon, burst through the middle and sprinted untouched for a 75-yard touchdown. The Reddies snapped the ball twice before both teams were ushered back to their locker rooms as storms rolled through the area.
The interruption lasted more than two hours as the region was placed under a tornado warning. But when play resumed, Miller continued to gash the middle of the line and got the Bisons off and running.
The Searcy native scored on a 90-yard run with 6:48 left in the third quarter and a 7-yard touchdown with 1:55 remaining in the game. Braden Jay added a 2-yard score between those scores to help salt away the victory and keep Harding unbeaten.
Edwards finished 24 of 34 for 210 yards and threw a late 46-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Davis for the Reddies.