ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - Henderson State makes its final (and longest) road trip of the 2024 season this week to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, at Ranger Field in Alva, Oklahoma.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
With its fifth winning season in a row already secured, Henderson State travels to Alva, Oklahoma, looking for its seventh win of the season. The Reddies have won their last four meetings with the Rangers.
Following last week's win against Oklahoma Baptist, Northwestern Oklahoma State has posted its first season with multiple wins since 2021. A victory over the Reddies would give the Rangers their first season with three or more wins since 2019.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Andrew Edwards has now recorded over 200 passing yards and zero interceptions in each of his last four games. His latest effort, which saw him tally 311 total yards of offense and four touchdowns against UAM, earned him his third GAC Offensive Player of the Week Award this season. The redshirt junior from Bentonville, Arkansas, recorded the longest individual run of his career with a 54-yard rush in the third quarter against the Boll Weevils. Edwards currently leads the league in pass completions (154), completion percentage (66.7), passing yards (1,856), and passing touchdowns (19). He also possesses the highest quarterback efficiency rating of players who have appeared in seven or more games this season.
With a 111-yard performance versus Arkansas-Monticello, running back Jeremiah Davis paces the Great American Conference with 600 rushing yards on the year. Last week's contest marked the second time this season that the junior from Montalba, Texas, finished a game with triple-digit yardage on the ground.
Timieone Jackson continues to occupy the top spot on the GAC reception leaderboard with 42 catches in 2024.
Robbie Williams III led the Reddies receiving corps on Homecoming with seven catches that went for 77 yards and a score.
Tight end Cayden Davis remains a top 10 receiving option in the league after eight weeks (295 yards). His 19.7 yards per catch average is the second highest among players in the conference with at least 15 receptions.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
With two sacks against Arkansas-Monticello, Jakobe Shell became the first Reddie to post two or more sacks in a game this season. The redshirt sophomore from Forrest City, Arkansas, is one of only four players in the GAC with at least five sacks this season.
Bryant Hammond II and Jaylen Powell both recorded interceptions in last week's victory. Hammond II joined Cameron Thomas as the only two Henderson players with multiple picks thus far in 2024.
After making three stops behind the line of scrimmage against the Boll Weevils, Gary Lewis is now second in the conference with 13.5 tackles for loss. He leads the team in total tackles with 49.
HSU boasts one of Division II's top five pass defenses (132.1 yards allowed per game).
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Jody Easter became the first player in the GAC to post multiple kickoff return touchdowns this season when he took a UAM kick 92 yards to the house last week.
Axel Robertson averaged 45.5 per punt and had a long of 53 yards versus the Boll Weevils. He is one of 27 Division II punters to average at least 42 yards per punt this year.
THE OPPONENT: NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
Northwestern Oklahoma State's rush defense is in the top half of the league at 1,358 yards allowed through eight weeks. On the flip side, the Rangers' pass defense is 11th in the conference with 1,520 yards allowed.
The Rangers boast the conference's top tackler in the form of Colby Tillman. The graduate student from Bixby, Oklahoma, currently has 80 tackles on the season, including 42 solo stops (which is also the most in the league). He is third in the GAC with 13 tackles for loss (trailing only Henderson State's Lewis and Arkansas Tech's Jyrin Steward).
NWOSU is tied for second in the conference with 10 interceptions. Bashu Delco leads the team with three picks.
Saturday's hosts are currently ranked ninth in the Great American Conference in passing offense (1,173 yards). Quarterbacker Brodey Jones accounts 949 of those yards and eight touchdowns: numbers he has earned by completing 91 of his 163 passing attempts in 2024. He has thrown only four interceptions, which is tied for the second-fewest among GAC passers with at least 150 attempts.
Jahmiq Johnson leads all Ranger receivers with 260 yards on 15 catches. Travis Romar follows close behind with 22 receptions that have gone for 240 yards and a team-best four touchdowns. Royal Kyle has three has tallied three touchdown catches of his own.
Darien Gill and Jashaun Foster provide NWOSU's one-two punch at the running back position. Both men have at least 60 touches on the season. Gill paces the duo with 235 rushing yards and a touchdown. Giorgio Spiropoulos has the most rushing scores on the team with two.
Matthew Sebade has punted the ball 53 times this season: eight times more than any other player in the GAC. His punt average of 39 yards per attempt is ranked tenth in the league. He has posted four punts of 50 yards or more, including a season long of 56 yards versus East Central on October 19.
Kale Purvis took over the teams field goal and PAT duties earlier this month. Through three games, he has made three of his four field goal attempts (all four attempts occurring in the game against Oklahoma Baptist) and converted all 10 of his PAT chances.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Thus far, Greg Wolsworth has a flawless 4-0 record against Oklahoma opponents, with two of those wins having occurred on the road. During Holsworth's time as the Reddies' defensive coordinator, the team held Northwestern to seven or less points three times.
NWOSU head coach Ronnie Jones prepares for his second meeting with Henderson, with Saturday's game being the first time that he has faced the Reddies at home.
THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards posted a season-high 331 yards passing yards and five touchdowns in a 51-0 shutout victory on Senior Day. He added 28 yards on the ground while averaging nearly six yards per carry.
Three different HSU receivers finished the game with over 60 yards apiece: Chris Hatzis (six receptions, 91 yards, touchdown), Jody Easter (73-yard touchdown reception), and Cayden Davis (three receptions, 66 yards). Marcus Manuel Jr., Micah Greene, and Sekou Konate each contributed a receiving score.
The Reddie defense tallied seven tackles for loss en route to limiting the Rangers to 85 yards of total offense and zero points.
Henderson forced three turnovers: two fumbles and a pick from Darrick Rose Jr.
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to access live stats and additional live coverage of Saturday's game.
