Harding Rushes for First National Title

December 18, 2023

Colorado School of Mines scored on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead in the NCAA Division II National Championship game. They would never see the endzone again as Harding (Ark.) scored on their next six straight possessions and sacked Oredigger quarterback John Matocha six times in a dominate 38-7 victory. The Bisons rushing attack racked up 502 yards giving Harding their first national title. Harding ends the 2023 season ranked No. 1 in the final AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll while Colorado School of Mines drops to No. 2.

Two teams that lost to Harding in the playoffs finish the season at three and four. Grand Valley State (Mich.) lost a close game with the Bisons, 7-6, in the quarterfinals, while Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) had a tougher time in the semifinals, losing 55-14. Pittsburg State (Kan.) rounds out the top five after a second-round appearance and finishing with a 11-2 overall record.

Kutztown (Pa.), who wasn’t ranked at all during the regular season, jumps all the way to No. 7 in the final poll thanks to their semifinal run through the playoffs. The Bears fell to Colorado School of Mines, 35-7, but finish with a 12-3 overall mark.

Search:

Rank	School (1st votes)	Rec.	Pts.	Prev.	Postseason	Head Coach
1	Harding (Ark.) (28)	15-0	700	3	D. No. 1 Colorado Mines, 38-7, in national championship	Paul Simmons
2	Colorado School of Mines	14-1	672	1	Lost to No. 3 Harding (Ark.), 38-7, in national championship	Pete Sterbick
3	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	11-2	612	2	Lost to No. 3 Harding (Ark.), 7-6, in quarterfinals	Scott Wooster
4	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	13-2	571	11	Lost to No. 3 Harding (Ark.), 55-14, in semifinals	Mike Jacobs
5	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	11-2	525	7	Lost to No. 2 Grand Valley St. (Mich.), 24-21, in second round	Brian Wright
6	Central Missouri	11-2	523	6	Lost to No. 3 Harding (Ark.), 35-34, in second round	Josh Lamberson
7	Kutztown (Pa.)	12-3	506	NR	Lost to No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, 35-7, in semifinals	Jim Clements
8	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	12-2	464	14	Lost to No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 35-7, in quarterfinals	Tremaine Jackson
9	Ferris St. (Mich.)	8-3	436	5	Lost to No. 2 Grand Valley St. (Mich.), 21-14, in first round	Tony Annese
10	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	12-2	431	15	Lost to Kutztown (Pa.), 28-16, in quarterfinals	Shawn Lutz
11	Delta St. (Miss.)	10-2	407	8	Lost to No. 14 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 38-31, in second round	Todd Cooley
12	Benedict (S.C.)	11-1	404	4	Lost to No. 11 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 35-25, in second round	Chennis Berry
13	Augustana (S.D.)	11-2	307	16	Lost to No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, 56-10, in second round	Jerry Olszewski
14	Tiffin (Ohio)	11-1	302	9	Lost to No. 15 Slippery Rock (Pa.), 45-35, in second round	Cris Reisert
15	Western Colorado	10-2	266	10	Lost to Central Washington, 16-13 OT, in first round	Jas Bains
16	Bemidji St. (Minn.)	9-3	264	21	Lost to Central Washington, 21-17, in second round	Brent Bolte
17	Central Washington	9-4	262	NR	Lost to No. 1 Colorado School of Mines, 38-14, in quarterfinals	Chris Fisk
18	Texas-Permian Basin	10-2	213	12	Lost to No. 21 Bemidji St. (Minn.), 10-3, in first round	Kris McCullough
19	Charleston (W.Va.)	10-2	179	24	Lost to Kutztown (Pa.), 32-31, in second round	Quinn Sanders
20	Virginia Union	10-2	161	13	Lost to Kutztown (Pa.), 38-14, in first round	Alvin Parker
21	Minnesota St.	9-3	147	19	Lost to No. 16 Augustana (S.D.), 51-24, in first round	Todd Hoffner
22	Indianapolis (Ind.)	9-2	141	17t	Lost to No. 7 Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 35-14, in first round	Chris Keevers
23	West Florida	8-4	113	23	Lost to No. 8 Delta St. (Miss.), 49-14, in first round	Kaleb Nobles
24	Henderson St. (Ark.)	9-3	80	25	Lost to No. 6 Central Missouri, 56-14, in first round	Scott Maxfield
25	Minnesota-Duluth	9-2	69	17t	DNQ Playoffs	Curt Wiese

Dropped Out: Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) (20), Davenport (Mich.) (22)

Others Receiving Votes: Davenport (Mich.), 58; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 51; Shepherd (W.Va.), 38; Southern Arkansas, 37; New Haven (Conn.), 25; Emporia St. (Kan.), 23; Limestone (S.C.), 18; Missouri Western St., 16; Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 15; Ashland (Ohio), 14; McKendree (Ill.), 13; Colorado St.-Pueblo, 12; Angelo St. (Tex.), 11; Virginia St., 11; East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 2; Frostburg St. (Md.), 1.

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Harding Rushes for First National Title

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