SEARCY, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech football team's 2022 season came to a close with a 55-10 loss on the road at nationally-ranked No. 17 Harding on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's regular season finale had a lot on the line for both teams. For the Wonder Boys, they were playing for a winning record season, while the Bisons needed a win to keep their chances alive for a potential NCAA playoff berth.
The Wonder Boys (5-6, 5-6 GAC) got the ball first after Harding won the coin toss and elected to differ to the second half. During that initial drive, it was clear that the Wonder Boys would be aggressive in their approach as they did not hesitate to go for it on 4
th-and-1 from their own 40-yardline.
That initial decision paid off as
Jordan Edington gained two yards on a plunge up the middle. Unfortunately, three plays later, the Wonder Boys were forced into another 4
th down scenario, this time with five yards to gain from their own 47-yardline.
Resolved to be aggressive, the Wonder Boys went for it again, but an incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs.
With a short field to work with on their first drive of the game, the Bisons (9-2, 9-2 GAC) needed just two plays before putting up the game's first points.
The Wonder Boys would continue to find it hard to move the ball consistently against the Bisons defense and were forced to punt on each of their next three first-quarter possessions.
Meanwhile, Harding capitalized on their offensive possessions and turned them into touchdowns as they raced out to a 28-0 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half.
With 5:53 to play in the second quarter, the Wonder Boys would score their first points of the game on a 33-yard field goal by
Jesus Zizumbo. That make ended up being the 14
th make of the season and the 42
nd in his career, which is now the program record.
Harding would score two more touchdowns before the Wonder Boys recorded their lone touchdown of the game with 8:27 left in the third quarter. The score was a one-yard dive by Edington, giving him seven rushing scores this season, which led the team.
The Bisons added two more scores after the Edington TD to bring the score to its eventual final of 55-10.
