ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – A showdown of undefeated Top-20 teams takes place in Arkadelphia this Saturday as No. 20 Henderson State hosts No. 10 Harding from Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field. With Family Day festivities preceding the matchup, kickoff between the Reddies and Bisons is set for 6 p.m.
 
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
For the second straight week, Henderson State survived a scare on the road, this time holding off a late comeback attempt from Arkansas Tech for the 27-24 victory. Now back at home, the Reddies will look for their eighth win in their last nine games inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field. Henderson has never beaten Harding in Arkadelphia in the GAC era. Saturday will also be the third time in the conference's history that Henderson and Harding have both met as Top-20 teams in the AFCA. The Bisons won both previous meetings.
 
In its first three games of the 2023 campaign, Harding has yet to win a game by fewer than 33 points as HU opens the season 3-0 for just the second time in the last six seasons. The Bisons have not started 4-0 since 2016. That year, they posted a program-best 13-1 record and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. In what will be the 58th all-time meeting, the Bisons trail in the overall series against Henderson St., 34-22-1.
 
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
For the third consecutive year, Henderson State racked up more than 500 total yards against Arkansas Tech last weekend. With a balanced attack of 248 rushing yards and 256 passing yards, the Reddies used 504 total yards to outlast the Wonder Boys, 27-24, to improve to 3-0. Thanks to its first 500-plus yard outing of the 2023 campaign, Henderson is now third in the GAC and 16th in NCAA Division II with 456.0 yards per game.
 
As he has in each of the previous two games, Andrew Edwards totaled over 300 yards against Tech with 256 of them coming through the air while serving as HSU's leading rusher with 89 yards. Edwards also logged a passing touchdown as well as a rushing touchdown, bringing his yearly numbers to 1007 total yards and 10 touchdowns to date. The redshirt sophomore from Bentonville, Arkansas is the first HSU quarterback to accumulate 1000 or more total yards after just the first three games of a season since Reddie legend Kevin Rodgers in 2013.
 
Stephen F. Austin transfer running back Jaquarion Turner garnered a team-high 17 carries against Arkansas Tech while scoring his first touchdown in an HSU uniform. Edwards was second on the squad with 15 carries while Korien Burrell saw 10 rush attempts. On the season, Burrell is leading the backfield with 184 rushing yards. Edwards (173) and Turner (142) both eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the season this past weekend, helping Henderson as a team average a conference fifth-best 178.0 yards per game on the ground in 2023.
 
The Reddies have had a different receiver lead them in receiving in each of the first three games of a season for the first time since 2018. After Timieone Jackson (7-84) and Jalen Abraham (7-190-2) led HSU in receiving yards the first two games, respectively, tight end Cayden Davis was the latest pass catcher to pace Henderson, seeing three receptions for 97 yards, including a long of 44. Jackson, a junior transfer from Mesa College, was the busiest wide receiver on the night, catching a team-high 10 balls for 66 yards and a touchdown – his first score as a Reddie.  
 
Heading into Saturday, Henderson's offensive line had only allowed four sacks on the year. After the matchup with Tech, that number doubled as HSU has now allowed the fifth most sacks in the GAC with eight. Injuries to the Reddies' front line have not helped as Harding now comes to town, averaging two sacks per game through the first three contests.
 
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE – SPECIAL TEAMS
The Reddie defense came up with several key plays Saturday against the Wonder Boys, helping HSU remain undefeated. With Tech facing a 4th and 1 on HSU's 20-yard line trailing by three late in the fourth quarter, head coach Kyle Shipp elected to go for it as opposed to kicking the game-tying field goal. A slew of Henderson defenders, spearheaded by Jakobe Shell and Zach Dixon, stood up the ATU ball carrier as Tech turned it over on downs.
 
Minutes later, with Arkansas Tech having one final possession with 31 seconds remaining, the score still in favor of the Reddies by three, Tyler Strain and Denzel Walter went back-to-back plays getting quarterback Taye Gatewood to the ground behind the line of scrimmage as the clock ran out on Tech, giving HSU the victory. Henderson leads the league with 14 sacks and is tied for second in all of DII with 4.67 sacks per game. Strain and Walter are one of three Reddies with at least two sacks on the season.
 
Saturday was the second straight game Henderson has tallied at least one interception, with defensive back Josh Brown picking off ATU's Gatewood twice in the three-point victory, becoming the first HSU player to record two interceptions in a single game since his fellow defensive back Cameron Thomas did so in 2021. Brown, a junior transfer from Blinn Community College, claimed his first interception at the 11:51 mark of the second quarter deep in Tech's territory before his second takeaway came with seven seconds remaining in regulation, bringing to naught the Wonder Boys' final desperation heave.
 
Joining Brown with the big defensive day was the aforementioned Strain and Dylan Ndambuki, both of whom recorded one a half sacks. Walter and Shaq'ke Robinson were responsible for the other sacks to make up HSU's team-total five sacks. Linebackers Jakob Neel and AJ Zarate each had a team-high six tackles while defensive backs Thomas and Kolbi Crawford paced the secondary with two pass break-ups a piece.
 
The Reddies boast the third-best scoring defense in the GAC at 21.7 points per game while allowing the third fewest total yards per game at 314.3 yards. After holding the Wonder Boys to a meager 31 rushing yards, HSU is now second in the league with 63.3 yards on the ground allowed per game. In the passing game, Henderson is currently 10th in the conference with 251.0 passing yards allowing per game while being eighth in overall defensive efficiency.
 
For the second time this season, kicker Kolby King connected on two field goals, hitting from 25 and 27 yards. He did, however, miss on a 39 yarder and had a 33-yard attempt blocked right before the half. King remains perfect on extra points, nailing all three of his tries Saturday to improve to 13-of-13 on the year.
 
Punt returner Devon Adams returned three kicks for 33 yards, including a long of 24 to midfield early in the third quarter to set up a short field for Henderson, opening the door for HSU to score the touchdown that would open up the Reddies' lead to 10. Timieone Jackson, in addition to his busy day as a receiver, also returned two kickoffs for 28 yards while Jalen Abraham fielded the other kickoff for a 31-yard return.  
 
THE OPPONENT: HARDING
For just the second time in the last six seasons, Harding has opened a season 3-0, winning each of its first three games by 33 points or more in 2023. Most recently, Harding downed previously-unbeaten Arkansas-Monticello, 59-19. Harding has not lost since falling to Henderson on its home field last season, winning seven straight by an average of 28.4 points.
 
Against the Weevils, 12 Bisons had at least one carry in the game as HU rushed for 457 yards. Harding is averaging a nation-best 362.7 rushing yards per contest – 71 more yards than second place at 291.3 yards. Harding's rushing onslaught is led by sophomore running back Braden Jay, who has 152 yards on 12 carries. Jay is joined by four other Bisons who have all run for at least 100 yards this season.
 
Running back Blake Delacruz, one of the five 100-plus yard rushers for Harding this season, has served as the primary goal-line back for the black-and-gold, recording a GAC second-best seven rushing touchdowns, including four in the opener against Southern Nazarene and three against UAM this past weekend. Starting quarterback Cole Keylon is second on the team with three rushing scores.
 
Harding's run-first offense has thrown the ball just 12 times this season, completing six of them. Four of those completions, however, have gone for touchdowns as the Bisons are seeing 66 percent of their completed passes go for touchdowns. Keylon is responsible for three of those touchdown throws while redshirt freshman quarterback Malik Young out of Cordova, Tennessee has tallied a touchdown pass on his one attempt this season.
 
Sophomore linebacker Clark Griffin is leading the Bisons defense in tackles, doubling up the second-place tackler with 24 take-downs on the season, including a GAC third-best five tackles for loss. Five other HU players have recorded at least two tackles for loss this season, including defensive lineman Dre Hall, who leads the squad with two sacks. Harding's secondary has also logged a conference-most seven interceptions.
 
As it has been accustomed to the last several years, Harding finds itself again atop the statistical rankings in the league, boasting a conference-best 53.7 points per game, having scored at least 49 points in every game this season, while having the fourth-ranked total offense with 432.7 yards per game. Defensively, Harding is second in both scoring defense (16.3 points) and total defense (259.0 yards).     
 
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Henderson State head coach Scott Maxfield is 10-7 all-time against Harding during his time at HSU. Despite Maxfield holding a 64-28 home record in his 18 seasons in Arkadelphia, Harding is the only conference opponent Maxfield's Reddies have not beaten inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in the GAC era.
 
Harding head coach Paul Simmons, in what is his sixth football season in Searcy, Arkansas, has compiled a record of 53-13, including a GAC record of 49-9, as he will be shooting for his 50th victory in conference play this Saturday. Simmons is 3-2 against the Reddies in his time with the Bisons, with two of those wins coming in Arkadelphia.
 
THE LAST MEETING
Henderson's defense forced four turnovers from then-No. 12 Harding as the Reddies went into Searcy and upset the Bisons, 15-14. The red-and-gray used an interception in the Harding endzone by Darrick Rose Jr., two fumble recoveries from Catrell Wallace and a muffed punt recovered by Jody Easter late in the contest to pull off its first win over HU since 2017.
 
Trailing 14-6 after three quarters, Andrew Edwards found Matt Childers for a 12-yard strike to cut the lead to two after a missed two-point conversion. Another HSU defensive stop allowed kicker Tristan Heaton to kick the eventual 46-yard game-winning field goal with just over six minutes to play. After being responsible for nine of the Reddies' 15 points, Heaton was named the GAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
The Henderson defense was exceptional that October day, allowing Harding to convert on just two of its 10 third-down attempts. In addition to Heaton being named the Special Teams Player of the Week, Wallace was also named Defensive Player of the Week with his forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Defensive lineman Gary Lewis and Peyton Usher-Pearson, who is now a Graduate Assistant Coach on this year's staff, combined for a team-high nine tackles while Usher-Pearson also logged half a sack.
 
FAMILY DAY
Saturday is Family Day at Henderson State, which will feature activities for fans of all ages outside the Duke Wells Center. Admission is free for HSU students with a valid student ID, along with two guests. Check-in begins at the front of Wells Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m. and activities and music start at 2 p.m.

Among the attractions are yard games, including a baggo tournament beginning at 3 p.m., inflatables, a family photo backdrop and an obstacle course. A pep rally will be held at the Wells Center with the Showband of Arkansas at 4:30 p.m. A dinner containing large hot dogs and brats, hamburgers, veggie burgers with toppings and grilled chicken breasts and sides plus drinks will be served outside Wells Gymnasium from 3 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. The price is $10 while students with a meal plan may swipe. For a complete run-down of the day's schedule, please refer to this Henderson Family Day Flier.
 
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 street 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 such as the Reddie Walk taking place on the road between the Field House and the Duke Wells Center at approximately 4:40 p.m., 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.

A new attraction for fans at home football games this fall will be the Anheuser-Busch Touchdown Tent, which will offer spectators 21 years of age and older the opportunity to purchase beer and watch the game from within the confines of the fenced-in beer garden. The Touchdown Tent will be located behind the end zone on the north end of Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in front of the scoreboard.

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. 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.