ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - (RV) Henderson State closes out its home stand for the 2023 regular season Saturday, Oct. 28 against Northwestern Oklahoma State on what will be Senior Day and Military and First Responders Appreciation Day inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. Kickoff between the Reddies and the Rangers is set for 2 p.m.
 
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
(RV) Henderson State secured its 11th winning season since the formation of the GAC in 2011 with its win against Arkansas-Monticello this past Saturday, holding a winning record in all but one season since the league's inception. Henderson now aims for its seventh win of the campaign when it plays inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for the final time of the 2023 regular season. The Reddies have won three straight non-Battle of the Ravine home finales.
 
Northwestern Oklahoma State has suffered 13 consecutive losses dating back to last season heading into Saturday's contest – its longest losing streak in the GAC era. A loss Saturday would just be NWOSU's second 0-9 start since joining the league. Its last 0-9 start was last season when the Rangers finished the 2022 campaign 1-10.   
 
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Henderson State matched its most points of the season this past Saturday, putting up 42 against Arkansas-Monticello behind a season-high 584 total yards. The offense, which served as one of the most balanced units in the country last season, offered an equally balanced attack with 289 rushing yards and 295 passing yards. Korien Burrell posted a season-high 99 rushing yards and a touchdown while Fredrick O'Donald went for 96 yards on the ground while also catching a touchdown.
 
Andrew Edwards was surgical in Monticello that Saturday afternoon, completing 82.1 percent of his passes (23-of-28) – the highest completion percentage on a minimum of 25 pass attempts from an HSU quarterback since Sept. 18, 2021 – while accounting for 329 total yards and five total touchdowns, earning him the GAC Player of the Week for the third time this season. Through eight games, Edwards is responsible for 25 touchdowns – 18 passing and seven rushing – which leads the GAC.
 
Tight end Cayden Davis saw a season-high four receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown, including a long of 74 early in the first quarter. Timieone Jackson served as the busiest pass catcher on the afternoon, corralling nine passes for 71 yards. Saturday was the second time this season Jackson has recorded at least nine receptions in a game as he leads the team with 43 receptions, which is the second most in the conference.
 
Henderson has found its groove in the passing game as it now ranks second with 240.0 yards through the air per game while also being second with 18 passing touchdowns. After posting three straight sub-200 passing yard performances, HSU has thrown for 592 yards and five touchdowns in the last outings. The Reddies have also only thrown two interceptions on the year, which is tied for the fewest in NCAA Division II among teams with at least 200 pass attempts.
 
The red-and-gray own the fifth ranked rushing offense in the league at 197.9 rushing yards per game as HSU is one of just two schools in the GAC to average at least 200 passing yards and 195 rushing yards per game. In total, HSU is fourth in the conference with 437.9 yards per game. The Reddies are just six yards off from averaging the seventh most total yards in program history for a single season while they are on pace for the sixth highest scoring team at 33.4 points per game. On deck is a Northwestern team allowing a league-most 46.8 points and 468.5 yards per game.
 
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE – SPECIAL TEAMS
Henderson State played its best defensive game of the season Saturday, holding UAM's offense to just seven points while recording nine sacks, which served as HSU's GAC record while tying a program record that was set in 2008. The Reddies are third in the DII with four sacks per game as they are now up to 32 on the season, which is three off Henderson's single-season GAC sacks record.
 
Defensive end Gary Lewis had a field day against the Boll Weevils, registering three sacks on the afternoon – the most sacks by an HSU player in a single game since Sam Johnson recorded four against East Central in 2016. Lewis' three-sack performance now has him tied for sixth with five and half sacks. As a unit, the Reddies are the only team in the in the GAC with three players who have at least five sacks: Dylan Ndambuki (6.5), Lewis (5.5) and Trenton Moore (5.0).
 
Henderson's defense is holding opponents to 22.9 points per game, which is third in the GAC and is currently the fifth fewest in the red-and-gray's GAC era. The Reddies' next two opponents are the two lowest scoring teams in the league, with Saturday's adversary, the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers, averaging 11.3 points per game. In its last three wins, HSU has allowed more than 14 points just once.
 
Saturday was HSU's second game this season in which they recorded two interceptions as Randarius Terry and Josh Brown each picked off the UAM quarterback. Brown is now third in the league with three interceptions while Henderson as a team is tied for seventh with six. The matchup against the Boll Weevils was also the fourth time this year the Reddie secondary has recorded at least six pass break-ups.
 
Henderson did not register a punt return against Arkansas-Monticello while HSU only allowed one punt return of 16 yards on its four punts. The Boll Weevils did see five kickoff return opportunities with the longest going 34 yards to start out UAM at their own 43 yard line before the Reddie defense issued a three-and-out.
 
Henderson's four punts went for an average of 26.5 yards per boot while Kolby King's longest punt went for 42 yards. The Reddies are 12th in the league with 34.6 yards per punt while HSU's coverage team on punts has only given up 19 return yards on the season, which is second in the league.  
 
THE OPPONENT: NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
Northwestern comes into Saturday's contest off a 28-7 loss on the road at Oklahoma Baptist as part of what is now a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season. The Rangers found themselves down 28-0 before scoring on a 77-yard pass midway through the fourth quarter. Likewise, the week prior, NWOSU was down 42-0 to East Central before scoring a touchdown as time expired to salvage the near-shutout.
 
Points have hard to come by as of late for the Rangers out of Alva, Oklahoma. After scoring more than 20 points in two of its first three games, Northwestern has managed just 14 points in its last 12 quarters of football and has averaged 45 yards per quarter during that time. Those numbers have the Rangers ranked 11th in the GAC in scoring offense with 11.3 points per game and in total offense with 243.3 yards per game.
 
Quarterback Caleb Deal, who has appeared in seven games under center for NWOSU, has thrown for 409 yards, two touchdowns and nine interceptions. Most recently against Oklahoma Baptist, Deal went 11-for-26 for 61 yards while also being responsible for punting duties, sending away four punts for an average of 34 yards per boot. Jake Woodring relieved Deal late in the game as he was responsible for NWOSU's lone touchdown of the evening.
 
Northwestern's top offensive weapon is wide receiver Travis Romar, who is leading the team and is 15th in the GAC with 344 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 32 catches. Last year against the Reddies, Romar led the Ranger receiving corps with 110 yards and three touchdowns on just three catches. In 2023, Romar saw his best game against Southern Nazarene, where he caught eight passes for 130 yards and a score.
 
Defensively, Northwestern ranks 12th in every major defensive statistical category. This past Saturday against Oklahoma Baptist, 28 points was the fewest points the Rangers have allowed all season, with every other opponent having scored at least 40 points. The Reddies have not lost when scoring at least 40 points since Nov. 11, 2017, having scored 47 or more on NWOSU in each of the last three meetings.
 
Northwestern's statistical leader on the defensive side of the ball is sophomore linebacker Antoine Martin, who leads the unit with 55 tackles and two sacks and three fumble recoveries while also tallying four tackles-for-loss. Defensive lineman Chima Ozz paces the Rangers with four and a half tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles. In the secondary, senior defensive back Isaiah Kellum has a team-leading five pass break-ups and one interception.
 
On special teams, NWOSU is averaging 35.8 yards per punt while only allowing 3.1 yards per return. Gavin Green has recorded 40 punts on the season for an average of 36.45 yards per kick. Four of his punts have gone for 50-plus yards, including a long of 59. In the return game, the Rangers are fifth in the league with 19.1 yards per kickoff return as freshman defensive back Julian Jackson leads the squad in that department with 21.81 yards per return.         
 
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Last season against Arkansas-Monticello, Henderson St. head coach Scott Maxfield won his program-record 120th victory at HSU. This past Saturday against the same Boll Weevils team, Maxfield reached his 160th all-time victory as a head coach with the Reddies' 42-14 victory while also securing HSU's 14th winning season in his tenure with the red-and-gray. Henderson's head ball coach is 7-2 against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
Ronnie Jones is in his first year as Northwestern's head coach. A former NWOSU player, Jones served as a head coach at NAIA-member institution Ottawa University in 2001 before transitioning to West Texas A&M in the same position from 2002-05. Since 2006, Jones has been in the Texas high school coaching ranks, reaching the Texas State Playoffs 13 times.  
 
THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards made his first career collegiate start in Alva, Oklahoma, against Northwestern Oklahoma State last season, completing 7-of-9 passes for 223 yards – 31.9 yards per completion – and three touchdowns while running for 30 yards and another score. Edwards' brilliant debut helped Henderson State improve to 2-0 with a 51-27 victory.
 
The Reddie offense delivered 450 total yards of offense, with 227 of it coming on the ground as six different players tallied at least three carries. Korien Burrell led the way in the rushing attack, accounting for 100 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Jeremiah Davis backed up Burrell with 40 yards on seven attempts. Xavier Malone paced the pass catchers through the air with 139 yards and a touchdown on just three catches.
 
Henderson's defense was able to sack NWOSU quarterback Tanner Clarkson four times, but Clarkson was able to throw four touchdowns on HSU's secondary, three of which went to current-Ranger receiver Travis Romar. The Reddies did force two turnovers as Deldric Shields claimed an interception while Gary Lewis recorded a fumble recovery on top of his two tackles-for-loss and one sack.
 
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.

MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDERS APPRECIATION DAY
In addition to Senior Day festivities, Saturday's contest will also serve as Henderson State's annual Military and First Responders Appreciation Day. All active and retired military, first responders and their immediate families will receive free admission to the game with presentation of valid identification and will not need to purchase tickets.
 
At 11 a.m. the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarship presentation will take place inside the Garrison Center in room D121A on the first floor and will be awarded to a senior Henderson State ROTC student.

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.