ARKADELPHIA, ARK.  -  No. 17 Henderson State hosts Arkansas Tech on Family Day at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
No. 17 Henderson State looks to successfully defend its home turf for a second consecutive week after defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State 34-17. The Reddies have won 10 of their 11 GAC meetings with the Wonder Boys, including the last five straight.
Arkansas Tech looks to stay undefeated after recording its first 2-0 start since 2017. That season, the Wonder Boys recorded their first and, thus far, only GAC win over HSU in a 26-3 victory at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Quarterback Andrew Edwards threw for over 400 yards for the first time in his career last week against Southeastern. He completed 34 of his 43 pass attempts for 443 yards and three touchdowns.
Timieone Jackson posted the Reddies' first 100-yard receiving game by hauling in 10 catches for 112 yards. He leads the team in both receptions (16) and receiving yards (163) after two weeks. The Pflugerville, Texas, native is also first in the conference in receptions and third in receiving yards.
Jody Easter and Jalen Abraham both hauled in touchdown receptions of 50 or more yards in week two.
Jeremiah Davis stepped into a larger role against the Savage Storm after Frederick O'Donald made an early exit. Davis led the team with 75 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the home opener.
Though two games, Henderson State's offensive line has allowed a single sack. The unit successfully prevented Edwards from suffering a single sack in last week's game. HSU's front line continues to pave the way for an offense ranked No. 5 in the nation in total yards.
Bryson Corbin recorded his first touchdown as Reddie on a 13-yard score against Southeastern.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
HSU forced Southeastern to punt a combined nine times last week.
Henderson's defensive unit has yet to allow 150 passing yards in a game after holding Southeastern to 145 in week two. The Reddies are ranked fourth in the GAC in passing yards allowed.
Gary Lewis and
Kolbi Crawford are currently tied for the team lead with 11 total tackles. Lewis leads the Reddies in tackles for loss with 4.5 - the third-highest total of any player in the GAC. The former Fordyce Redbug had HSU's only sack against the Savage Storm.
Tim Jennings,
Jakobe Shell, and
Cliff Mosley all contributed to assisted tackles for loss in the Reddies' home opener.
Henderson State is third in the GAC with 17 points allowed per game.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Halid Djibril recorded a tackle and recovered a muffed kickoff in the win against Southeastern.
Devon Adams returned two punts for a total of 27 yards last week. His longest return was 15 yards.
THE OPPONENT: ARKANSAS TECH
Wonder Boy linebacker Jyrin Steward travels to Arkadelphia after a performance that earned him GAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The junior had nine total tackles and five tackles for loss against Southern Nazarene. Steward has two forced fumbles in two games this season.
With just 154 yards allowed on the ground this year, Arkansas Tech has the No. 2 rush defense in the Great American Conference. ATU is also top five in the league in total yards allowed per game (258.0).
Saturday night's visitors are also tied for first in the conference in team interceptions (three). All three picks belong to CJ Palmer - the only player with a hat trick at this point in the campaign.
Through two games, the Wonder Boys have three receivers who have already accumulated 100 receiving yards for the season. Caleb Tanis leads the way with 10 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 22.4 yards per catch - the second highest average among league players with at least five receptions this season. Topping that list is Team Jared Long who, with five receptions for 113 yards and score, is averaging a conference-best 22.6 yards per catch. Joyrion Chase rounds out the 100-yard club with a team-leading 12 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Ethan Everson holds at least a share of second place on the conference leaderboards for pass completion percentage (61 percent), quarterback efficiency raiting (173.9), and passing touchdowns (three).
Arkansas Tech's offensive line is currently tied with Henderson State for the third-fewest sacks allowed by a team in the GAC this season (one).
ATU boasts one top 15 rusher in the league in the form of Deuce Wise. The Fort Smith native currently has 121 yards rushing on 36 attempts. Fellow running back Luke Gall is averaging six yards per carry this season and has two touchdowns, both of which were score in the season opener against Oklahoma Baptist.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Greg Holsworth is now 2-0 as a head coach with a 1-0 record at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium. In front of a Family Day crowd, he will look to lead Henderson to a sixth straight win over the Wonder Boys.
Kyle Shipp is in his fifth season as Arkansas Tech's head coach. After back-to-back 5-6 campaigns, Shipp looks to lead the Wonder Boys to their first winning season since 2018. His ATU squads are 0-4 against the Reddies.
THE LAST MEETING
Andrew Edwards (256 passing yards, touchdown) narrowly outdueled Taye Gatewood (248 passing yards, three touchdowns) in a 27-24 thriller. Edwards' attacks on the ground, which resulted in 89 yards and a rushing score, proved to be a difference maker.
Cayden Davis led the Reddies with 97 receiving yards on just three catches.
Timieone Jackson had 10 receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Tanis paced the Wonder Boys' receiving corps with four catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Jakob Neel and
AJ Zarate shared the Reddie lead for tackles with six. Henderson sacked Taye Gatewood five times, with
Tyler Strain and
Dylan Ndambuki finishing the night tied for the team lead in sacks (1.5).
Josh Brown intercepted the ball twice.
ATU's Vershaud Richardson had nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble and recovery.
FAMILY DAY
Saturday is Family Day at Henderson State: an event featuring activities for Reddie fans of all ages outside of the Duke Wells Center. HSU students get free admission with a valid student ID, along with two guests. Additional guests may purchase tickets for $10 at the gate. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. Please see
the attached flyer for more information as well as a full itinerary and list of attractions.
TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday's game are now available at
hsusports.com/tickets. Henderson State students, faculty, and staff receive admission with a Reddie Total Ticket.
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
VisitÂ
hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and the game's video live stream, which can also be accessed through theÂ
Reddie Athletics YouTube channel.
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