ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - (RV) Henderson State delivered its first shutout since Sept. 26, 2015 as HSU defeated the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers on Senior Day inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field, 51-0.

The Reddies (7-2) recorded three takeaways in the shutout effort as linebacker Fred Lewis tallied a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, Ryan Hampton recovered a fumble and Darrick Rose Jr. claimed an interception. Henderson's defense held Northwestern Oklahoma State to 85 total yards - the fewest yards allowed by an HSU team in the GAC era - while also recording its first safety since 2017.

Henderson saved its best offensive performance for its final time in front of the home crowd in the 2023 regular season, scoring a season-high 51 points. Quarterback Andrew Edwards delivered his second consecutive performance with a better-than 80 percent completion rate, proving good on 18-of-22 passes (81.8%) for 331 yards and five touchdowns in just two quarters of play plus the first series of the second half.

The redshirt-sophomore's 331-yard, five-touchdown performance now gives him 44 career passing touchdowns, which is second all-time in program history, and 4388 career passing yards - good enough for fifth all-time.

Nine different receivers caught a pass Saturday afternoon, led by Chris Hatzis with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Jody Easter, Marcus Manuel Jr., Micah Greene and Sekou Konate also added touchdown receptions in the offensive onslaught. The sixth score came on the ground from Fredrick O'Donald as he finished with 32 yards on eight carries and the score.

The Reddies scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives while garnering points on the first two drives of the entire contest. After Henderson opened play with a nine-play, 67-yard touchdown drive, a botched snap on a NWOSU punt that rolled out the back of the endzone added two points to the HSU score for the 9-0 advantage.

Immediately following the punt on the ensuing kickoff, Cameron Thomas claimed HSU's first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2015 against this same Northwestern Oklahoma team, taking the kick back 72 yards up the left sideline to quickly extend the lead to 16-0.

A three-and-out on Northwestern's next drive opened the door for HSU's second offensive score of the game as Edwards found Hatzis from 23 yards out to mark the 23-0 first-quarter tally. Early in the second period, after a missed Ranger field-goal, Edwards needed just one play for his second passing touchdown of the contest, finding Easter for a 73-yard house call to bring the score to 30-0.

Henderson saw two more touchdowns in the first half for a whopping 44-0 advantage at the break. With weather moving in, the third and fourth quarters were played with 10 minutes on the clock each as Edwards finished his day after the first offensive series of the second half.

After Northwestern put the ball on the turf four plays into third-quarter action, Hampton's recovered fumble in NWOSU territory led the way for Edwards' curtain-calling fifth touchdown as he found Greene in the back corner of the endzone.

With backup quarterback Jordan Allen and Zach Baker taking reps for the remainder of the game, HSU's defense upheld the 51-point lead the rest of the way. Northwestern did not run a play on HSU's side of the field for the entire second half, with all three turnovers coming in the final 20 minutes of game time.

(RV) Henderson St. will leave the Natural State one final time when it heads to Weatherford, Oklahoma, to take on the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.