Henderson State will make the journey across Highway 67 on Saturday for the 91st version of most unique rivalry in college football as the Reddies face off against GAC leader Ouachita Baptist at Cliff Harris Stadium for the Battle of the Ravine.
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This year's game features a Henderson team that has the best record among all college football playing institutions in Arkansas since 2010 at 68-21 (.764) against the only team in the state to record 10 straight winning seasons in Ouachita.
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Henderson used a 14-point fourth-quarter to come-from-behind to beat Arkansas-Monticello last week and improve to 6-4 on the season.
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Ben Johnson's 11-yard touchdown reception from
Evan Lassiter with 5:51 left in the game proved to be the game-winner, as the Reddie defense held UAM to a three-and-out on its next possession.
Lassiter became the fifth Reddie quarterback in school history to throw for more than 3,000 career yards by completing 31-of-46 passes for 205 yards against the Boll Weevils. The senior from Coral Springs, Fla. has totaled 3,156 yards during his career and has completed 63 percent of his passes.
Andrew Black recorded a rushing and a receiving touchdown last week against UAM. The senior from Tyler, Texas leads the Reddies in rushing touchdowns with 10. Black has caught 19 passes for 188 yards. During his career, Black has totaled 3,677 yards of total offense which ranks seventh all-time in HSU history.
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Aside from Black, the Reddies have relied on freshmen to handle the ground game this season with
Blake Faulk leading the way. The rookie from Prairie Groove, Ark. averages 55.4 yards per game having carried the ball 84 times for 499 yards. Faulk carried the ball 18 times for 132 yards last week.    Â
Cecil Langston and
Cobra Jones have also played a key role in the Reddie rushing attack. Langston has totaled 46 carries for 211 yards including a career best 71 yards against Southern Nazarene while Jones has 167 yards on 35 attempts with a season-best 55 yards against Arkansas Tech.
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Ben Johnson leads the Reddie receivers with 450 yards on 36 receptions this season. The junior from Sapulpa, Okla. needs just 85 yards to record 1000 career receiving yards.
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Henderson's defense is allowing 351.6 yards per game which ranks third best in the GAC. Northwestern Oklahoma is the only team this season to gain more than 400 yards of total offense against the Reddie defense having 431 yards.
Sam Johnson has made a huge impact on the front line having 46 tackles including a team-best 13.5 tackles for lost yardage. The senior from Sapulpa, Okla. has 24.0 tackles for lost yardage which ranks seventh in HSU history.
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Cameron Sonnier leads Henderson in total tackles with 51 stops including a season-best 11 against Harding.
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Ouachita Baptist will be looking to claim its third GAC Championship as the Tigers enter the game with an 8-2 record, tied for the top spot in the league with Arkansas Tech.
Offensively, the Tigers are second in the GAC in scoring (38.5 ppg) and total offense (458.6 ypg). Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Austin Warford manages the Tiger offense with the redshirt senior having completed 133-of-203 passes for 1,844 yards and 11 touchdowns.    Â
The Tigers have one of the best ground games in the league averaging 249.6 yards per contest.
Kris Oliver is the primary tailback and leads the team with 739 yards and three touchdowns on 117 attempts. Oliver has rushed for more than 100 yards in last three games including 119 yards last week against.         Â
Warford, who averages 248.0 yards of total offense per game, is second on the team in rushing with 636 yards and six touchdowns on 108 carries.
The Reddies will also have to contend with Shun'cee Thomas and Drew Harris. Thomas has carried the ball 88 times for 444 yards scoring 4 touchdowns, while Harris has 431 yards on 61 attempts including a GAC best 16 touchdowns.          Â
Allie Freeman is one of the most dangerous receivers in the GAC averaging 88.0 yards per game while totaling 9 touchdowns. Drew Harris follows with 35 catches for 570 yards and three scores. Harris has 95 yards rushing last week.
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Defensively, the Tigers are allowing just 24.6 points per game, while surrendering 429.4 yards of total offense per contest with 230.0.
On the year, the Tigers are plus-eight in turnover margin having forced 16 turnovers with 10 being interceptions and six being fumble recoveries.Â
The leading tackler for the Tigers is Elijah Jones with 85 including 7.0 tackles for lost yardage. Luke Holt follows with 57 stops including 4.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, while Keandre Evans has 52 tackles and a team-best 13 passes defended.
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THE SERIES
The Battle of the Ravine represents the quintessential small college football game and atmosphere. What makes this rivalry so unique and better than the ones mentioned previous is that both teams, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University, literally walk across a street when they play on the "road" against the other. The road trip for both teams is the
SHORTEST in ALL of College Football.
After 90 games played between these two fine institutions, HSU leads the series 43-41-6. The visiting team has won four of the last five meetings.
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The first game played between the two institutions was in 1895 when then Ouachita College beat Arkadelphia Methodist College, 8-0 on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. The second meeting did not occur until 1907 in the first sanctioned game of the series. The Reddies beat the Tigers and went on to claim the Arkansas State Championship.
The game was traditionally played on Thanksgiving. The series discontinued in 1951 after Henderson won 54-0 and the pranks that went along with the series got out of control. The series did not resume until 1963 with the Reddies winning 28-13.
The series continued uninterrupted until 1993 because of HSU's move to the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference. After a three-year hiatus, the series began again in 1996 as OBU moved to the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference.
Ouachita joined the GSC in 2000 and an eight-year GSC schedule had already been put into place. GSC schools did not play everyone in the league due to the number of teams. Henderson and OBU did not play in 2004 or 2005 because the two institutions rotated off each other's schedules.
The two teams became members of the Great American Conference with OBU winning the title in 2011 and 2014, while Henderson was crowned league champion in 2012, 13 and 15.
Of the 90 meetings between the two institutions, the game has been decided by a touchdown or less 41 times, with OBU having the advantage in close games 20-15-6.
The visiting team has won the last four meetings in the series.       Â
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GAME NOTES
LIVE AUDIO
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BATTLE OF THE RAVINE GAME DAY INFORMATION
On Saturday, Henderson State will make the short trek across highway 67/7 to Cliff Harris Stadium to face the Ouachita Baptist Tigers for the 91
st edition of the Battle of the Ravine with kickoff for the shortest road trip in college football set for 1 p.m.
TAILGATING
Tailgating events on the Henderson State campus will begin at 10 a.m. with bouncy houses available for children of all ages to enjoy as well as a concession meal on sale provided by Sodexo. The concession menu includes a chili cheese dog, with chips, brownie and beverage, or a turkey leg with potato salad, brownie and beverage. The cost of each meal is $7. Â Â
SHUTTLE SERVICE
A free shuttle service for Reddie fans will begin running at 11 a.m. and continue until kickoff. The bus will run again following the game for an hour. CADC SCAT busses will pick up fans near the Reddie Club parking lot in front of Carpenter-Haygood Stadium/Ruggles Field, the Formby Center/Wells lot and also at the corner of 12th and Wilson Streets on the main campus, allowing fans to utilize the parking lots near Smith Hall and other lots around main campus.  The busses will be marked with Reddie Game Day Shuttle signage. The shuttle will drop fans off at the corner of MH Russell Drive and Highway 67/7 adjacent to Cliff Harris Stadium.Â
REDDIE CLUB MEMBERS
Prior to the game, members of the Reddie Club at the $500 level and up are invited to the Donor Room located at the Haygood Field House from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
All members will be treated to a meal provided by Riverside Catfish & Catering.
TICKET INFORMATION
A ticket tent will be located just west of the Formby Center beginning at 10:30 a.m. on game day. Tickets are $8 each for all ages. Cash or check only will be accepted. Checks should be made out to Henderson State.Â
Henderson students will be admitted free with a valid ID and may pick up their ticket with their ID at a tent in the southwest corner of Cliff Harris Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. on game day.Â
General admission tickets will also be sold throughout the week in the HSU Athletics Office in the Duke Wells Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Friday. Again, cash or check only will be accepted.
Those wishing to purchase tickets with a credit or debit card, may purchase advance tickets on-line and those tickets will be at will call at Cliff Harris Stadium on the OBU campus on Saturday, November 11.
Click on the following link to purchase advance tickets using a credit card:
https://omega.obu.edu/info/p3/etickets.php?event=00269
In addition, the ticket window at Cliff Harris Stadium will be open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 11 for those who wish to purchase tickets on game day. Customers can pay with cash, credit card or debit card.
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