ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State returns to its home field for the second time in as many weeks when it hosts Harding for 2025 Homecoming. The Homecoming royalty ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENES
Henderson State comes into Saturday's game on the heels of just its second loss of the season, a 35-10 defeat at the hands of #2 Harding. The Reddies trailed by just four points at halftime, but could not overcome the Bisons' rushing attack in the second half.
Arkansas Tech is 4-3 in its first season under head coach Roy Thompson. It has been an up-and-down season for the Wonder Boys, with a win at Ouachita Baptist highlighting the schedule, but road losses to East Central and Southern Arkansas creating a two-game losing skid. ATU has fallen short to the Reddies in each of the last nine contests in Russellville, but they have lost the last two games by a combined six points, including an overtime loss in 2021.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
The Reddie offense managed just 300 yards in Saturday's loss to Harding. Turnovers were the name of the game: HSU lost four fumbles and threw one interception in addition to turning the ball over on downs one time after a failed fourth-down conversion. Reddie receivers also struggled, dropping multiple passes that would have extended drives.
One bright spot in Henderson's offense was tight end
Cayden Davis, who caught just his second touchdown pass of the season, a 46-yard strike early in Saturday's fourth quarter. Davis is second on the team and fifth in the GAC in receiving yards with 371 yards on 30 receptions.
Quarterback
Andrew Edwards still leads the Great American Conference in nearly all statistical passing categories; the senior leads the conference in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. He also leads the Reddies rushing attack with 318 yards on 73 carries, which is good enough to rank 12th in the conference.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
The Reddie secondary has excelled in creating turnovers and wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. HSU is tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions and is averaging nearly 19 yards per interception return.Â
Linebacker
Gerard Culotta continues to shine in what has been a breakout campaign. The redshirt freshman leads the team with 54 tackles, 23 more than the next closest Reddie. Culotta's 15 tackles in Saturday's loss were the most by any Reddie this season and the most since 2019, when Jake Chatman made 15 tackles in a win over Arkansas-Monticello.
For the first time this season, the average yardage given up by the Henderson defense has crept over 300 yards. However, the Reddies still rank third in the conference and 32nd nationally in total defense with just 306 yards per game surrendered.
The Reddies seem to neither bend nor break on third downs this season. HSU is allowing a third-down conversion rate of just 31.3 percent, second best in the conference and 23rd in the country.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
Reddie punter
Axel Robertson currently ranks second in the GAC in average punting distance. The senior averages 43.9 yards per punt, and has five punts this year that have traveled over 50 yards, including a season long 59-yard boot in Saturday's homecoming game.
Kicker
Ryan McDonnell nailed his only field goal attempt on Saturday, a 36-yarder to open up the scoring, just before the game's first weather delay. McDonnell's six made field goals this year are tied for fifth-most in the Great American Conference.
THE OPPONENT: ARKANSAS TECH
Arkansas Tech comes into Saturday's matchup with a 4-3 record; the Wonder Boys have lost two consecutive games: road matchups at East Central and the Murphy USA Classic against Southern Arkansas.
ATU currently has a multiple quarterback system; leading passer Jack Dawson is currently listed as the backup to redshirt sophomore Carter Hensley. Hensley started last week's game against Southern Arkansas and threw for 215 yards after Dawson's 113-yard, three touchdown effort against East Central.
The Wonder Boys average 24.3 points per game, good for sixth in the GAC. However, their offense ranks 10th in the league in total offense, amassing just 327 yards per game.
The advantage Tech has this week is that the game is being played in Russellville, which has been a tough place for the Reddies the last several trips. The 2021 game was almost a shocking upset, as it took a walk-off touchdown reception by L'liott Curry to defeat ATU in overtime, despite a 634-yard outburst by the Reddie offense. 2023 was equally challenging, as the Henderson defense came up with a huge stop on fourth-and-one on its own 20-yard line to secure the 27-24 win.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Henderson State head coachÂ
Greg Holsworth enters his second season as head football coach, and looks to improve upon last season's 8-3 campaign. The eight wins were the most by a first year head coach in program history, and also provided the best winning percentage by a first year coach in school history.
Roy Thompson was named the 18th head coach in Arkansas Tech football history in December 2024. The former Ouachita Baptist defensive coordinator coached three different OBU teams that ranked in the top ten nationally in points allowed per game.
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
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hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and video coverage.
