RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech football team concluded their 2021 season at home on Saturday afternoon against No. 7-ranked Harding. The Wonder Boys were held scoreless for the first time since 2018 in the game as Harding eventually pulled away for a 31-0 victory.
 
Despite what the final score may have indicated, the Wonder Boys (4-7, 4-7 GAC) turned in an overall valiant performance against the Bisons (10-1, 10-1 GAC), especially in the first half.
 
Through the first two quarters of play, the Wonder Boys held the high-powered Bisons offense to just 136 yards of total offense and seven points. Entering the game, the Bisons averaged 435.8 yards of total offense and 45.2 points per game. The total offense was ranked third in the GAC and 26^th in DII prior to kickoff and the points per game was tops in the GAC and third nationally.
 
Uncharacteristic of the Bisons' flexbone offense, nearly half of their total yards in the first half came through the air as they were 2-of-4 for 59 yards in the passing game. On the ground, the Bisons were stymied to just 77 yards on 19 carries. Entering play, the Bisons featured the nation's top rushing attack at an average of 403.0 yards per game.
 
While the defense was playing pretty lights out in the first half, the Wonder Boys found it difficult to generate sustained offense against the Bisons defense. Despite that, the Wonder Boys did end the first half with more total offense yards than Harding as they gained 139 yards on 29 plays. Nearly all of those yards came in the passing game as the Wonder Boys were 13-of-20 for 122 yards.
 
The best scoring opportunity for the Wonder Boys in the game came on their second drive of the game and following Harding's lone score of the first half. On that drive, the Wonder Boys had a 10-play drive that got down to the Harding 21-yardline. Following a breakup on a shot in the endzone, the Wonder Boys tried for a 38-yard field goal, but it was no good.
 
In the second half, the Bisons took control of the game as they started to get their offense on track. The Bisons would score three rushing TDs and kick a field goal to bring their total to 31. The 31 points scored by Harding was their lowest output since October 2 when Oklahoma Baptist held them to 31 points as well.