ARKADELPHIA, Ark. Â - Â The No. 25 Henderson State Reddies prepare to face the No. 24 Southern Arkansas in a Murphy USA Classic matchup with both conference and national implications. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado, Arkansas.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
Henderson State enters Saturday's contest on the heels of back-to-back victories in the last two weeks. The Reddies aim to win the Murphy USA Classic in El Dorado for the first time since 2014, when they defeated SAU 55-41.
Southern Arkansas enters El Dorado looking for its third straight triumph over the Reddies. A win on Saturday would secure the Muleriders' first back-to-back winning seasons since 2018-19.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Andrew Edwards has recorded more than 240 passing yards and at least five total touchdowns in both of his last two games. The Bentonville, Arkansas, native has the highest pass efficiency of any GAC quarterback to appear in all six games this season. He also leads the conference in passing yards (1,349) and passing touchdowns (15).
Robbie Williams III provided a breakout performance against Southern Nazarene by catching a team-best seven passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite a relatively quiet game last week,
Timieone Jackson remains the Great American Conference's receptions leader with 31 on the year. His 253 receiving yards are ranked seventh in the league.
Tight end Cayden hauled in a season-high three receptions in Bethany for a total of 33 yards. He is tenth in the league with 222 receiving yards in 2024.
Jeremiah Davis is second in the league in rushing yards (446) after a 94-yard output in HSU's last game versus SNU. The former Palestine Wildcat is also tied for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in the GAC with six.
Henderson State is currently one of 29 teams in NCAA Division II to allow six or fewer sacks through six games.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
Cameron Thomas recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season last week, giving him the second-most picks of any player in the league. HSU is ranked fourth in the GAC with eight interceptions.
Catrell Wallace returned a fumble 20 yards for a touchdown at Southern Nazarene. Henderson is one of 28 NCAA Division II teams to record multiple defensive touchdowns in 2024.
Gary Lewis recorded another tackle for loss against the Crimson Storm to bring his season total to 10.5. He is third in the league in that category.
The Reddies boast the nation's fifth-best pass defense with 132 yards allowed per game this season.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Axel Robertson kicked PATs for the first time this season against SNU. He went a perfect five-for-five.
Robertson is tied for the third-best punt average in the league at 42.2 yards per attempt. Three of his five punts last week landed inside the Crimson Storm's 20-yard line.
THE OPPONENT: SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Southern Arkansas boasts the Great American Conference's top air attack with 1,413 passing yards as a team this season.
The Muleriders tallied 65 points in last week's road win against Oklahoma Baptist - their most in a game since a 66-42 Battle of the Timberlands victory over Arkansas-Monticello in 2014. SAU has scored 60 or more points in a game three times since the start of the 2023 season.
Quarterback Judd Barton earned GAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after posting 361 total yards and five total touchdowns against the Bison. Barton currently has the conference's best pass completion percentage (64.4) and holds at least a share of second place on the GAC leaderboards for passing yards (1,211) and passing touchdowns (nine).
Wide receiver Jakarion Lockett is one of seven GAC players with at least 250 receiving yards thus far in 2024 (268). His 22.3 yards per catch average is the highest among all players in the league with 10 or more receptions.
SAU is one of only two teams in the conference to feature three players with at least 200 rushing yards through six games. Jariq Scales leads the team with 387 yards, while Kadyn Roach (317 yards) and Judd Barton (238 yards) both find themselves well above the 200-yard threshold. This year, Scales became the first Mulerider to rush for 4,000 yards in a career. He is one of only three players in the history of the conference to achieve that milestone (joining Harding's Cole Chancey and Southern Nazarene's Gage Porter).
Southern Arkansas has the 17th-highest red zone efficiency rating in Division II (.897). Ouachita Baptist (.917) is the only team in the GAC with a better rating in that category.
SAU's defense paces the Great American Conference with 18 turnovers this season, including a league-best eight fumble recoveries. Triddell Talley Jr. has the most with three.
The Muleriders have also recorded 10 interceptions this season - tied for the most of any GAC team. Melvin Smith Jr. and Justin Aaron both hold a share of the team lead with three picks apiece.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Greg Holsworth has posted the best start to a head coaching career in Henderson State history by winning five of his first six games. This is his first neutral site contest at the helm of the program.
The Murphy USA marks Brad Smiley's 30th game as the head coach of Southern Arkansas Football. His .690 win percentage is currently the best amongst coaches that have led the Muleriders for at least three seasons.
THE LAST MEETING
Trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, Southern Arkansas outscored Henderson State 21-13 in the second half to pick up its first win at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium since 2004.
OB Jones led the Mulerider offense with more than 100 yards both through the air and on the ground. He had a hand in three of SAU's five offensive touchdowns, with Jariq Scales recording the other two scores on touchdown runs.
Andrew Edwards threw for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown on a day that saw the Reddies tally 517 total offensive yards. Frederick O'Donald led the ground game with 140 yards and two touchdowns, while
Chris Hatzis had more than 100 receiving yards.
Henderson State's
Gary Lewis and
Jordan Owens both had sacks in the loss.
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
VisitÂ
hsusports.com/coverage to access live stats and additional live coverage of Saturday's game.
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