Harding's offense rushed for 502 yards and five touchdowns, the defense sacked 2022 Harlon Hill Award winner John Matocha six times, and the Bisons won the first NCAA national championship in program history with a 38-7 victory over Colorado School of Mines on Saturday at McKinney ISD Stadium.

There were more than 6,000 members of the brotherhood there to witness, with Harding's side of the stadium completely filled, the student section in full voice and black-and-gold pom poms waving for as far as the eye could see.

Harding scored on each of its first six possessions, five touchdowns and a field goal. Mines scored on its first possession and never again.

Junior fullback Blake Delacruz rushed 27 times for a NCAA Division II championship record 212 yards. Sophomore Braden Jay carried 11 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Jhalen Spicer and Cole Keylon added rushing touchdowns, and Keylon completed both of his passing attempts to Roland Wallace for 46 yards.

Harding's defense had 10 tackles for loss, two off the championship record. Senior Nathaniel Wallace had two sacks, sophomore linebacker Clark Griffin led Harding with six tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, and junior Darion Dunlap-Johnson had four tackles and an interception.

Harding scored on all three of its first half possessions, driving 75 yards on nine plays, 74 yards on 17-play and 90 yards on six plays. Spicer scored the first TD on a 10-yard pitch around the right side with 3:49 left in the first quarter. Jay dove inside the left pilon on a pitch around the left side to score from 10 yards out with 4:30 left in the half.

Harding's defense stopped Mines on 4th-and-1 at the 10-yard line, one of three times the Bisons stopped the Orediggers on fourth down, and Jay completed the 90-yard drive by carrying two Mines defenders into the end zone on a 9-yard run to the left. Harding led 21-7 with 33 seconds left in the half.

Mines drove down the field but missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the first half.

Blake Delacruz rushed for 105 yards on 14 carries in the first half, and Jay had 80 yards on seven carries and two TD.

HU opened the second half with a 73-yard TD run from Jay on a pitch to the left side. Grant Ennis kicked a 32-yard field goal with 4:11 left in the third quarter, and Keylon capped the scoring with a 1-yard run early in the fourth.

All five of Harding's touchdown drives covered 74 yards or more and the Bisons had more than 36 minutes of possession.

Harding's last national championship of any kind came in 1975, when the Bisons won their fourth NAIA bowling title. The BROTHERHOOD's long wait is over.

TODAY'S GAME NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Blake Delacruz rushed for 212 yards, tied for the eighth-most ever by a Harding player and the most since Cole Chancey rushed for 231 yards at Henderson State in 2021 … it was the 16th time a Harding player rushed for 200 yards or more in a game
• Braden Jay rushed for 161 yards, his second career game with more than 150 rushing yards (also 202 at Southern Arkansas, 2023) … Jay's 14.6 yards per rush ranked fourth in a Harding single game and was the highest average since Zach Shelley averaged 15.7 yards per rush at Southeastern Oklahoma in 2015 … it was Jay's first career 3-TD game … his 73-yard TD run was the longest of his career

• Harding's 502 rushing yards ranked 13th in a single game in team history … it was the third time this season Harding went over 500 yards and the 15th time in program history … HU averaged 8.7 yards per rush, 11th in a Harding single game
• With its rushing total, Harding became the first team in the history of college football to rush for more than 6,000 yards in a season.
• Harding's 548 total yards ranked 25th in a single game in team history … HU averaged 9.1 yards per play, 12th in program history and the fourth time this season Harding average 9.0 or more yards per play

• Harding's 72-point margin of victory in the semifinals and finals was the third-largest margin of victory in Division II playoff history.
• Harding became only the third NCAA Division II team to defeat the last two Harlon Hill Award winners in the same season.
• Harding was the first team to win the title in its first opportunity since Texas A&M-Commerce in 2017.
• Harding and Mines was the first matchup of undefeated teams since Ferris St. (15-0) and Valdosta St. (13-0) in 2018.