Henderson State vs. Arkansas Tech
Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at Ruggles Field | Arkadelphia, Arkansas | 6 p.m.
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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State aims for its first 3-0 start since 2016 on Saturday night when it welcomes Arkansas Tech to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field for both Military Appreciation Day and Family Day. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
SETTING THE SCENE: TOP STORYLINES
- Saturday is the 95th meeting all-time between the two old AIC rivals. The Reddies lead the series 45-44-5 and have had the upper-hand in recent years. Henderson is 8-2 against the Wonder Boys in the past 10 seasons, which included a stretch of six-straight victories from 2010 to 2016. The Reddies have played Tech more than any other team in program history, including rival Ouachita Baptist.
- The matchup in Arkadelphia is a tale of two teams going in different directions. The GAC-leading Reddie offense will look to keep its foot on the gas against Arkansas Tech after a scorching start to the 2019 season. The Wonder Boys will try to prevent their first 0-3 start to a season since 1996, when they opened 0-4 before rebounding to win five games in the Gulf South Conference.
REDDIES REPORT
- Through two weeks, the Henderson passing attack has been dynamic. The Reddies are third in the country in passing offense (388 yards per game) and the combination of Richard Stammetti to L'liott Curry has been one of the deadliest in all of NCAA DII. Curry is the national leader in receiving touchdowns (5) and points scored (30), is second in the country in receptions (20) and third nation-wide in receiving yards (281). Stammetti is No. 3 in all of DII in both passing yards (753) and passing touchdowns (7) and is one of just 10 players in the nation with a completion percentage of over 70% (72.4%).
- In 13 career games as a Reddie, Stammetti has thrown for over 300 yards six times, including in both games this season. He is just the fourth quarterback in school history to have five or more 300-yard games, joining Kevin Rodgers, Nick Hardesty and Roch Charpentier. Stammetti currently leads the GAC in nearly every major passing category.
- Henderson State leads the GAC in both scoring offense (34.5) and total offense (511.5) thus far in 2019. The Reddies are the only team in the league who has put up 500 or more yards of offense in each of the first two weeks, and one of only two schools who have scored 30 or more points in the first two games. HSU is the only team in the conference averaging over 300 yards per game through the air.
- Not to be forgotten, the Reddies' defense has been stout in the first two contests. Henderson is third in the GAC in scoring defense (17 points per game allowed) and fourth in total defense (334.5 yards allowed per game). HSU held SNU to just 260 yards of offense in the win last Saturday.
- The Reddies have earned back-to-back GAC Offensive Player of the Week awards to start the 2019 season with Curry earning the honor in week one and Stammetti picking it up after his performance on Saturday. HSU will be looking for one of its players to make it three-straight Player of the Week nods on Saturday against Arkansas Tech. The feat hasn't been accomplished since Henderson did it to start the 2012 season when Kevin Rodgers won the award three-straight weeks.
- Henderson's offensive line play has been a big positive to start 2019. Protecting for an offense that has thrown the ball the third-most of any team in the GAC, the Reddies have given up just two sacks on 78 drop-back passes so far this season. The offensive front has also been strong in the run game, where HSU is averaging 4.6 yards per rush; the third-most yards per rush of any school in the conference.
- Red-zone scoring has been spectacular for the Reddies through the season's first two contests. Henderson is one of just three teams in the GAC with a perfect scoring percentage inside of the 20-yard line and is the only one of those three who has never settled for a field goal. HSU is a perfect 5-for-5 on red-zone scoring chances thus far with five touchdowns.
- Redshirt freshman Denzel Walter has had a strong start to his career on the defensive front for the Reddies. Walter, a defensive tackle from El Dorado High School, has 3.5 tackles for loss through two games, which is the most of any defensive lineman in the GAC and is tied for second-most of any player in the league.
- Linebacker Colby Turner, who has started the first two games of his career in weeks one and two, is fifth in the GAC in tackles with 19 total. Turner is one of just 10 players conference-wide with double digit solo tackles through two contests (12). He has led the Reddies in stops in both wins this season.
- Braden Boykin continued his strong work in the punt return game against Southern Nazarene and continues to lead the conference in punt return average (12.6 per return). Boykin is 18th nationally in punt return average and is one of just 24 players in the country who averages 10 or more yards per return.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
- The Wonder Boys enter Saturday's contest 0-2 on the year after falling 26-23 to UAM in overtime in week one and 42-13 at home to Ouachita Baptist last weekend. It is their second 0-2 start in as many seasons after not starting 0-2 since 1996 prior to 2018. Tech is led by first-year head coach Kyle Shipp, who served as the team's offensive coordinator in 2018 and as UAM's offensive coordinator the previous season.
- Offensively, the Wonder Boys are led by quarterback Manny Harris, who has thrown for 353 yards and one score, and wide receiver Drew Wade, who has caught 12 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. ATU's offense has been middle of the pack thus far in the GAC. Tech, who relies heavily on the run-pass option (RPO) ranks seventh in the league in total offense (354.5 yards per game) and eighth in scoring offense (18 points per game). ATU is fourth in the conference in rushing offense however, with an average of 157 yards per game on the ground.
- On the defensive side of the ball, Tech looks to linebacker Chris Kale, who is the team's leading tackler with 15 tackles, and defensive tackle Brooks George, who has eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss so far this season. The Wonder Boys have struggled defensively so far this season and are last in the GAC in scoring defense, allowing 68 total points and 34 points per game to their first two opponents. ATU has been susceptible to the pass and has given up 514 yards through the air in 2019 — the third-most yards of any team in the league.
- After going 8-4 in 2017 and nearly earning a share of its first GAC title, Arkansas Tech fell on hard times last season as the Wonder Boys struggled to a 3-8 record. ATU is 1-8 in its previous nine games dating back to 2018 and has not won a game against a GAC school from Arkansas since defeating HSU 26-3 back in 2017.
LAST YEAR'S MEETING
- Henderson State came up with a clutch touchdown drive late in regulation, then another on the first possession of overtime, to fight past Arkansas Tech 38-31 for its first win of the year last season in Russellville.
- Trailing 31-24 with 2:44 left in the game, Henderson got the ball back on its own 12-yard line needing a touchdown. Stammetti led the Reddies on a nine-play drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown grab from Chase Lodree, to tie the game at 31-31 with 46 seconds to go. All 88 yards on the drive came through the air.
- In overtime, twice Ben Johnson made drive-saving catches on third down to keep the possession alive, and again it was Stammetti who came through for the Reddies, as he dove into the end zone from 1-yard out to put Henderson in front 38-31. The HSU defense stood tall on the next possession to snuff out the Wonder Boys' final drive and preserve the win.
- Stammetti, who threw for 315 yards and accounted for five scores, earned GAC Player of the Week the following Monday for his efforts. Lodree finished with nine catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY INFORMATION
- Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field. All active and retired military members with valid identification will be admitted free to the game along with their families.
- Special Military Appreciation Day camouflage Reddies hats will be sold at the bookstore and the game day kiosk this week with all proceeds going to benefit the Henderson State ROTC program.
- Fifteen minutes prior to kickoff, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarship presentation will take place on the field and will be given to a member of the Henderson State ROTC.
FAMILY DAY INFORMATION
- Saturday's game is also Family Day on the Henderson State campus, which will feature activities for fans of all ages at the Duke Wells Center. Check-in begins at the front of Wells Gymnasium at 2:30 p.m., as do games and activities in the East Wells parking lot. Among the attractions are a live DJ, face painting, bouncy houses, snow cones, free t-shirts and an obstacle course.
- Beginning at 4 p.m. families can take advantage of tailgate opportunities to purchase food before the game. The tailgate menu features a variety of options, including, but not limited to, smoked sausage, bratwurst, grilled chicken sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, assorted chips, as well as bottled water and soda options. The cost for the tailgate meal is $6.50 plus tax per person and can be purchased between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFORMATION
- Several different parking options are available for game day. CADC SCAT buses will be staged at the corner of 12th and Wilson streets three hours prior to kickoff, allowing fans to use the parking lots around Henderson's main campus. The free shuttles will travel down 12th street and drop fans off in two locations: the front of the Wells Center on M.H. Russell Drive, for those who wish to partake in pregame activities, and at the main gate to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field. The shuttles will also run up to an hour after the game ends, allowing fans to board at the main gate as they exit and ride back to their cars on campus.
- The two other available public parking lots are the Formby Center lot, located directly in front of the Formby Athletic Complex and next to the Reddie Villas, and the South Wells Center lot, located directly in front of the Duke Wells Center.
- For Reddie Club members, Red and Gray reserved lots are located directly behind the main stands and above Clyde Berry Field. These lots require your Reddie Club parking passes. Handicapped parking is also available in the Red and Gray lot directly behind the main stands.
- Ticket windows at the stadium open two hours before game time. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. All students, faculty or staff with a valid Henderson State ID will be admitted for free, as will children five years old and younger.
CHICK-FIL-A COMES TO REDDIE GAMEDAY
- In addition to their normal game day offerings at concessions, Sodexo is adding Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwiches to the slate of food choices for Henderson State football games this season. Sandwiches will be sold for $4 and can be purchased at the concessions stands on the home side of the stadium. CLICK HERE to see the full Sodexo concessions menu.
HOW TO LISTEN
- The game will be broadcast and available by the Henderson State Sports Network on KDEL 100.9 FM and KVRC 1240 AM in Arkadelphia, KWPS 99.7 FM in Hot Springs, KYXK 106.7 in Gurdon, KZYP 104.1 FM/1310 AM in Malvern, KAFN 99.3 FM/690 AM in Benton and KAAY 1090 AM in Little Rock. Coverage begins one hour prior to kickoff. The radio broadcast can also be heard on the web by going to the audio link for the game at hsusports.com.
