Henderson State used an explosive second half to beat Arkansas-Monticello 41-3, Saturday in Monticello, Ark.

The Reddies, 6-1 on the season, used another balanced offensive attack coupled with a suburb defensive performance as Henderson totaled 420 yards of offensive.

Meanwhile, the defense stone-walled the UAM offense as the Boll Weevils managed just 254 yards on offense.

The Henderson win, coupled with East Central's victory over Arkansas Tech, vaulted the Reddies into sole possession of first-place in the Great American Conference.

Henderson, ranked No. 19 in last week's AFCA top 25, limited the top passing offensive team in the GAC to nearly 200 yards below their average as the Boll Weevils managed just 154 yards passing.

The Reddies got on the board first as Jaquan Cole broke free for an 80-yard run on the first play of Henderson's second offensive possession. The rush was the second run of 80 yards or more for Cole this season.

Henderson increased its lead to 14-0 at the 9:31 mark in the second quarter as Ryan McDonald plunged in from three yards out to cap off an 11-play, 46 yard drive.

UAM's only score of the game came with 1:29 left in the opening half as Jamie McGee hit a 30-yard field goal.

The second-half was dominated by the Reddies as Henderson outscored the Boll Weevils 27-0 including scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Houston Ray connected on field goals of 38 and 44 yards, to start the scoring in the final 30 minutes.

The Reddies then scored three touchdowns in the final 6:52 as Rodney Bryson scored on an eight-yard run following Cole gaining 34 yards on three carries and a 23-yard pass reception by JaVante Mack from Dallas Hardison.

The Henderson defense set up the next score as Cameron Sonnier picked off a Hunter Leppert pass and returned it 39 yards down to the UAM 4. Calen Peters would later score on a 1-yard run to make the score 34-3.

Henderson's final score came with 2:24 remaining as Andrew Black threw his first touchdown pass of the season with Peters on the receiving end of the 25-yard scoring toss.

UAM's last chance of getting into the end zone fell short as Jonathan Edouard picked off Leppert on the final play of the game.

Cole ended the day with 157 yards on 16 carries to lead the Reddie ground game, while Hardison had a solid day passing completing 16-of-25 attempts for 187 yards.

Mack led all Reddie receivers with four catches for 55 yards. Joseph Snapp had one reception for 39 yards, while Mark Czaus had three catches for 34 yards.

The Reddie defense was led by Josh Davis who had 10 tackles including eight solo stops, while Gary Vines had six tackles.

Hunter Leppert, who leads the GAC in passing averaging 320.8 yards per game, totaled just 154 yards.

The Reddies have now won 20 straight road games and are a perfect 21-0 in GAC road contests since the inception of the league in 2011.

Henderson State returns home next Saturday to play host to Southern Arkansas for Homecoming with kickoff set for 2 p.m. The Muleriders sit in second-place behind the Reddies at 5-2 following a 32-28 win over Ouachita Baptist on Saturday.
 
NOTES:

• Scott Maxfield has led the Reddies to six straight winning seasons. Only once before has that been accomplished in HSU history as Sporty Carpenter had six straight winnings from 1973 to 1978.
• JaQuan Cole went over the 150-yard mark rushing for the third time this season finishing with 156 yards.
• Henderson State did not commit a turnover against UAM.
• The Reddie offense totaled 208 rushing yards and 212 yards passing.
• The Henderson State defense limited UAM to its lowest point total of the season.
• The Reddies have won six straight over Arkansas-Monticello with Scott Maxfield having a 9-1 record against the Boll Weevils.
• Henderson State collected three more interceptions against UAM running the season total to an NCAA leading 18 picks.