No. 19 Henderson State (1-0) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State (0-1)
Carpenter-Haygood Stadium | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 6:00 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes

ARKADELPHIA, Ark.  -  No. 19 Henderson State returns to the friendly confines of Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for its home opener against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday, September 14, at 6:00 p.m.

STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
No. 19 Henderson State returns to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for tonight's home opener after helping Greg Holsworth earn his first head coaching win in last week's 41-17 victory at East Central. The Reddies are a perfect 12-0 against Southeastern Oklahoma State in the Great American Conference era.

Southeastern Oklahoma looks to bounce back after suffering a heartbreaking 36-31 loss at home versus SAU in the season opener. The Savage Storm is not only on the hunt for their first win of the young season. They are also looking for their first-ever GAC victory over Henderson State.

REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Running back Frederick O'Donald made his presence known in the season opener against ECU. He ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns - both career highs - on just 16 attempts against the Tigers. Jeremiah Davis added 61 yards of his own to complete an effective one-two punch from the Reddies' backfield.

Redshirt junior Andrew Edwards captained the HSU offense to victory to bring his record as a starting quarterback to 17-6. He went 14-of-24 passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Bentonville native rushed for 24 yards as well.

All-Region tight end Cayden Davis led Henderson's receiving efforts with 99 yards last week, including an 84-yard touchdown reception that allowed the Reddies to separate themselves from the Tigers in the second half. 

Timieone Jackson found himself at the top of the team's reception leaderboard with six catches for 51 yards against in the first game of the year.

Though they only had one reception each against East Central, Elijah George and Jalen Abraham made the most of their opportunities. George turned his catch into a 24-yard gain, while Abraham hauled in an eight-yard scoring strike.

Henderson's offensive line showed signs of growth by paving the way for a ground game that finished with 272 yards against East Central - the second most in the GAC's first week of play. The Reddies also posted the second-most total yards in the league with 496.

REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
As a unit, Henderson's defense spoiled the debut of ECU quarterback Sergio Kennedy by limiting the redshirt freshman to eight completions on 24 attempts for just 95 yards. The Reddies also forced three interceptions, with the picks being credited to Bryant Hammond II, Tim Jennings, and Cameron Thomas. Jennings capped off his interception with a 43-yard return. Henderson State leads the GAC in interceptions after one week.

Kolbi Crawford led the HSU defense with seven total tackles in week one.

Reigning All-American Gary Lewis paced the team with three tackles for loss. The former Fordyce Redbug had six total tackles for the game and recovered a fumble in the second quarter.

Jaylen Powell, Jordan Batts, Jakobe Shell, Jakob Neel, Ty Thomas, and Catrell Wallace all had tackles for loss in the Reddie victory. Wallace posted the unit's only sack of the night.

Henderson State finished the week third in the GAC with 230 total yards allowed.

REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Kolby King went a perfect five-for-five on PAT opportunities and also made both of his field goal attempts from 39 and 41 yards, respectively. His 11 points scored were tied for the most by a GAC kicker in week one.

Axel Robertson's lone punting opportunity last week went for 44 yards.

THE OPPONENT: SOUTHEASTERN OKLA. ST.
Southeastern Oklahoma State held a 24-14 lead at halftime against Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders outscored the Savage Storm 22-7 in the final two quarters to hand the home team a loss in the season opener.

Against SAU, starting quarterback Luke Hohenberger completed seven of his 14 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a game-ending injury. His replacement, Cergio Perez, closed out game with a 10-for-19 effort through the air for 100 yards.

Kobe Jennings, Gabe Corona, and Taylor Victor all had at least 65 yards in the week one loss. Jennings and Taylor were responsible for Southeastern's two scores through the air.

Facing a three-headed monster in the form of Jariq Scales, Judd Barton, and Kadyn Roach, the SE defense allowed 252 yards on the ground against SAU last week. Southern Nazarene and East Central were the only GAC teams to allow more rushing yards in week one.

Michael Hoofkin has the only turnover of the young season for the Savage Storm after he intercepted a Judd Barton pass in the first quarter.

Tyveon Williams is the GAC leader for tackles with 13 after one week of competition. Braeden Winters is tied for fifth in the league with two tackles for loss.

Punter Jackson Nailey had an average of 43 yards per punt on seven attempts against the Muleriders. Two of his punts went for 50 or more yards, including a 55-yard touchback in the third quarter.

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Greg Holsworth looks for his first win at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium as a head coach in this week's home opener. In his time as the Reddies' defensive coordinator, HSU went 6-0 against the Savage Storm. Five of the six games were decided by 10 points or less, with three of those games being decided by three points or less.

Bo Atterberry looks to help the Savage Storm break its drought against Henderson State after his team suffered its first double-digit loss to Reddies since 2019 in last year's affair. This is his first trip to Henderson State as a head coach.

THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards accounted for 355 yards of total offense - the second-best mark of his 2023 season - and four touchdowns to lead HSU to a 38-28 win in Durant.

Jalen Abraham tallied a career-best 190 yards on seven catches. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native had two touchdowns on the night, including a 63-yard score in the fourth.

Southeastern wide receiver Kaleb Whitley hauled in four receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Hawthorne narrowly missed out on being the Savage Storm's second 100-yard after finishing the game with six catches for 95 yards and score.

The Reddie defense sacked quarterback Bryson Fields five times, with five players being credited with at least half of a sack. Tyler Strain led the team with eight total tackles, while Trenton Moore had the most tackles for loss with 1.5.

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 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.

For the second year in a row, fans will have access to 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 an hour and a half prior to game time. Tickets can also be purchased digitally at hsusports.com/tickets and scanned from your phone at the stadium entrance. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children and seniors 65 and older. All students, faculty and staff will be admitted for free with their Reddie Total Ticket. Children five years old and younger also receive free admission.

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.