ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State rides its three-game winning streak into the penultimate game of the season where the Reddies will host Oklahoma Baptist on what will be HSU's Senior Day Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff from inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium is set for 2 p.m. with senior recognitions to begin at 1:30 p.m.
 
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
After surviving its first overtime game of the season, Henderson St. plays its second-to-last home contest of 2022 where it will aim to win its sixth consecutive home game dating back to last season. The Reddies have lost just once inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium since the beginning of the 2019 season.
 
Oklahoma Baptist is in the midst of a six-game losing streak and is trying to keep from dropping a seventh consecutive contest, which has not happened in the Bison football program since 2017. At 1-8, OKBU needs to win one of its final two games of the season to keep from suffering its worst season since joining the Great American Conference in 2015 when it went 2-9.
 
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Henderson scored its second most points of the season after putting up 42 against Southern Nazarene in the one-point victory, despite putting up just seven points in the first 30 minutes. 35 points in the second half, including a 21-point third quarter, fueled the comeback. The Reddies finished off the victory with touchdowns in both the fourth quarter and overtime.
 
Korien Burrell ran for 135 yards and set a single-game program record with five rushing touchdowns, four of which came in the second half, passing Keaton Stigger's four scores on the ground back in 2013. Burrell now has 867 rushing yards – 20th in Division II – and 12 touchdowns on the season, which is tied for the second most rushing touchdowns of anyone in the GAC.
 
Xavier Malone found the endzone for the 12th time this season on an 11-yard shovel pass up around the right edge against Southern Nazarene as he is now second in the league in touchdown grabs. The senior wide out has reached pay dirt in every game but one in 2022 and has 1055 receiving yards through nine games, which is third in DII, despite being 21st in the nation with 51 receptions.  
 
Henderson's offense is one of only five teams in the conference averaging over 30 points per game and is fourth in the league with 422.6 yards per game. The Reddie offense has hit 420 total yards or more in seven of nine games this season, including over 220 rushing yards in five contests.
 
HSU has had 36 trips into the redzone this season, putting points on the board at an 80.6 percent clip, which is eighth in the GAC. Of those 36 trips, 22 of them have ended in touchdowns, which is the sixth most trips to the endzone from within the 20. When Henderson gets that close to pay dirt, 17 of the 22 touchdowns have come via the ground game.
 
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE – SPECIAL TEAMS
Henderson's defense forced its ninth turnover of the season against Southern Nazarene when Darrick Rose Jr. picked off the Crimson Storm's Gage Porter with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter. Five plays later, HSU punched it in for its first lead of the game with 51 seconds remaining in the penultimate period.
 
The Reddie defense is seventh in the GAC with six interceptions this season, three of which have come from Rose Jr., who is tied for fifth among the league leaders. Henderson is also tied for second in the conference with 20 sacks on opposing quarterbacks, whereas Oklahoma Baptist is 12th in the league with having allowed 31 sacks.
 
Gary Lewis and Shaq'ke Robinson continue to lead the effort in getting to the quarterback as both pass rushers lead the team and are tied for third in the GAC with four sacks. Lewis also has seven quarterback hurries on the season. Despite not getting any sacks on the run-heavy Crimson Storm, the Reddies were able to record five tackles for loss.
 
Henderson's redzone defense continues to be top-half in the conference and Top-50 in the country. Of its opponents' 30 trips inside of HSU's 20 yard line this year, points are allowed 73.3 percent of the time. Touchdowns are coming at just a 56.7 percent clip. Where the Reddies have allowed 17 touchdowns inside the redzone, Oklahoma Baptist has scored 17 touchdowns out of its 28 trips when inside its opponent's 20, which is the third fewest in the GAC.
 
Kicker Tristan Heaton connected on all six of his extra points Saturday while Southern Nazarene had one of its point-after tries blocked by HSU's Denzel Walter to reflect the one-point difference in the ballgame. Walter has now blocked two kicks on the year while the aforementioned Robinson and Dylan Ndambuki each have one rejection.
 
With the HSU offense slow to get started Saturday, the Reddie punt game did its job with Heaton sending away three first-half punts and four total punts for an average of 43.8 yards per boot, including a long of 51 yards. The Reddies are one of four teams in the conference to average 40 or more yards per punt.    
 
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Oklahoma Baptist is currently on a six-game losing streak, with its one win coming on the road at Northwestern Oklahoma State back in September, 31-23. In their last two games, the Bison have given up a total of 114 points and have scored just 34. As an offense, OKBU has scored more than 30 three times this season and has been held to 20 or fewer in five games.
 
Saturday against Southern Arkansas, Oklahoma Baptist started its third quarterback of the season in sophomore Seth Streeter. Streeter went 26-of-49 for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Muleriders. After going up 6-3 in the first quarter, SAU outscored OKBU 49-14 the rest of the way.
 
Oklahoma Baptist does boast one of the best wide receivers in the conference in junior wide out Keilahn Harris. Harris is third in the GAC with 902 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 100.2 yards per game. Last season against the Reddies, Harris led the Bison's receiving corps with five catches for 59 yards and a score.
 
Defensively, junior linebacker Elijah Tomlin leads the unit with 73 total tackles, which is sixth in the conference, while also picking up two fumble recoveries on the year. Fellow linebacker Nick Boone paces the squad with five tackles for loss, followed by freshman Chase Whitebear with four and a half tackles for loss and a team-high three interceptions.
 
In addition to one of the best receivers in the GAC, Oklahoma Baptist also lays hold to one of the best kickers in the conference. Sophomore Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez is a perfect 7-7 on field goals inside 40 yards this season. His only miss this year came on a 50-yard attempt against Southeastern two weeks ago.
 
Overall, Oklahoma Baptist is 11th in the conference in scoring offense (22.3 points per game), scoring defense (40.3 ppg) and total offense (335.1 yards per game). Whereas the Bison are fourth in the league in passing offense (231.6 ypg) and fifth in passing defense (195.7 ypg), they are 12th in rushing offense (100.4 ypg) and 11th in rushing defense (264.8 ypg).     
 
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Henderson head coach Scott Maxfield is 124-61 all-time at HSU and has never lost to Oklahoma Baptist as he is a perfect 6-0 over the Bison. Since the formation of the GAC in 2011, Maxfield is 36-15 against conference opponents inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, including being undefeated at home in 2022.
 
Oklahoma Baptist head coach Chris Jensen is in his ninth season at the helm of the Bison program. Under Jensen, the Bison are coming off their best season in program history after going 8-4 in 2021, highlighted by their first ever NCAA postseason win by defeating Texas-Permian Basin in the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl, 24-21.
 
THE LAST MEETING
Henderson used a last-second, walk-off field goal from Tristan Heaton's brother, David Heaton, in an instant classic from Shawnee, Oklahoma. With the Reddies leading 33-21 with 9:13 remaining in the game, Oklahoma Baptist scored two touchdowns in five minutes and 36 seconds of game time to take a one-point lead, 34-33. A missed two-point try from the Bison opened the door for back-up kicker Heaton to give HSU the 36-34 victory on a 43-yard field goal.
 
In addition to the game winner, Heaton made two other field goals on the afternoon, including a 40-yarder right before halftime to cut the Reddie deficit to five, 14-9. Xavier Malone's 100 receiving yards on nine receptions was second to former-HSU wide receiver L'liott Curry's 155 yards on 10 catches.
 
Cameron Thomas recorded HSU's only takeaway of the game with an interception at the Bison's 13-yard line, which set up quarterback Adam Morse's final touchdown throw to Curry to give Henderson its first lead of the game since the 4:17 mark in the first quarter with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter. Deldric Shields contributed five tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass break-ups.
 
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 two 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 at GeoSurfaces 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 can also be purchased digitally at hsusports.com/tickets. For more information on buying tickets online, CLICK HERE. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Children five years of age or younger are allowed free admission. All students, faculty or staff with a valid Henderson State ID will be admitted for free, as will children five years old and younger.
 
WHERE 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 FM in Gurdon, and KZYP 104.1 FM/1310 AM in Malvern. Coverage begins one hour prior to kickoff.