Henderson State (8-2) vs. No. 9 Ouachita Baptist (9-1)
Carpenter-Haygood Stadium | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 1:00 p.m.
Live Video | Live Radio Broadcast | Live Stats | Game Notes
 

ARKADELPHIA, Ark.  -  Henderson State prepares to host college football's most intimate rivalry as No. 9 Ouachita Baptist makes the short trip across the street for the 97th Battle of the Ravine. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16.

STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENES
Henderson State looks to secure nine wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Reddies have won six straight games at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, including all five of their home games in 2024.

No. 9 Ouachita Baptist enters Saturday's contest looking to secure bragging rights and at least a share of the GAC title. The Tigers will aim to avoid dropping back-to-back Battle of the Ravine games for the first time 2013-14.

REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Andrew Edwards completed 17 of his 22 pass attempts for 302 yards and four touchdowns last week. It was his second game with 300 or more passing yards this year, and it was also his sixth consecutive game without an interception thrown. Entering Saturday's contest, the Bentonville, Arkansas, native paces the Great American Conference in passing yards (2,280), passing touchdowns (26), completion percentage (66.4), and quarterback efficiency rating.

Timieone Jackson remains atop the GAC leaderboard with 48 receptions - 10 catches more than any other player in the league. The senior from Pflugerville, Texas, has 387 receiving yards and three touchdowns thus far in his final campaign with the Reddies.

Cayden Davis finds himself amongst the conference's top 10 pass catchers after an 84-yard, two-touchdown performance against SWOSU. The redshirt junior's receiving total now sits at 382 yards for the year. Davis is also one of five players tied for the conference lead with five receiving touchdowns (one of the other four being HSU's Micah Greene).

Despite playing in only nine games up to this point in the season, Jeremiah Davis possesses one of the GAC's top five rushing totals (697 yards). He is also second in the league in yards per game (77.4).

Senior Jalen Abraham totaled more than 100 yards of total offense on Senior Day, including 84 yards on the ground. His lone catch of the day resulted in a 31-yard touchdown.

HSU is third in the GAC with 397.4 yards of total offense per game in 2024.

REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
Last Saturday, Jamarion Citizen led the way for the Reddie defense with a career-high nine tackles and a tackle for loss versus SWOSU.

Senior defensive back Cameron Thomas is second in the GAC with five interceptions. He recorded his latest pick during last week's Senior Day game against the Bulldogs.

Gary Lewis currently leads the Great American Conference with 1.69 tackles for loss per game this season. He is also second in the league in total tackles for loss (13.5).

Jakobe Shell's seven sacks are ranked second amongst all GAC players.

Henderson State's defense is ranked eighth in NCAA Division II in both passing yardage allowed (137.5) and opposing third-down conversion rate (.275).

REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Axel Robertson is the Great American Conference's reigning GAC Special Teams Player of the Week. He earned the honor by averaging 43.2 yards per punt and making all five of his PAT opportunities against Southwestern Oklahoma State. His punt average of 43.1 yards is currently ranked 15th in all of Division II.

Jody Easter remains the only GAC player to record multiple kick return touchdowns in 2024. Both of his two special teams scores have occurred at home.

THE OPPONENT: OUACHITA BAPTIST
Ouachita running back Kendel Givens is currently second in the Great American Conference with 749 rushing yards on the year. The reigning All-American also paces the league in rushing touchdowns (13).

Quarterback Eli Livingston has proven to be an essential part of the Tigers' passing and ground attacks. In his first season as a full-time starter, Livingston has thrown for 928 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three picks. His 473 rushing yards are second only to Givens on the team.

Though he has only appeared in nine games this season, Connor Flannigan leads the team with 37 receptions that have gone for 413 yards and two touchdowns.

Carter McElhany holds a share of the GAC's receiving touchdown lead with five scores in 2024. The sophomore is one of four players in the conference with a kick return for a touchdown this season.

OBU boasts one of Division II's top 10 defenses in terms of yardage allowed per game (244.2). The Tigers have also allowed the third-fewest points of any defense in the nation (8.6 points per game).

Jax Miller leads Ouachita and is fourth in the conference with 81 tackles on the year.

Defensive linemen Rovell Carter and Mikey Gonzalez are fifth and seventh in the GAC with 12 and 10.5 tackles for loss, respectively. Gonzalez is also third in the league with six sacks, while Carter follows close behind in fourth with 5.5.

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Greg Holsworth prepares for his first Battle of the Ravine at the helm of Henderson State's football program. He is 5-0 in games played at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium thus far. Holsworth was the team's defensive coordinator for the last six editions of the rivalry, and his schemes proved to be a major factor in HSU's 2023 victory over OBU.

Saturday will mark the 23rd time that Todd Knight has led Ouachita Baptist into Battle of the Ravine. Under Knight, the Tigers have won 14 times in 22 tries. A victory on Saturday would put him in a tie with Buddy Benson for the most wins in school history.

THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards compiled 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-27 win at Ouachita.

Elijah George posted 79 receiving yards - a career best at the time - and a score to help lead the Reddies to victory. Tight end Cayden Davis also found the end zone through the air.

Tiger running back Kendel Givens put together 141 yards of total offense and a touchdown in an OBU loss.

HSU's defense forced two turnovers. The first was a fumble forced by Gary Lewis that was recovered by Jakob Neel. Kirby Owens II also recorded an interception.

Ouachita had three different players with 11 or more tackles.

BATTLE OF THE RAVINE
For ticketing, parking, and tailgating information for Saturday's game, please consult the 97th Battle of the Ravine Information Guide.

LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and the game's video live stream, which can also be accessed through the Reddie Athletics YouTube channel.