ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State is back on the road this week, leaving Arkadelphia for the final time in 2025 for Durant, Oklahoma. Kickoff against Southeastern Oklahoma State is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENES
Henderson State enters Saturday's game having lost two consecutive regular-season games for the first time since 2018, when they lost the final three games of the season. Saturday's contest is also the last time the Reddies will leave Arkadelphia in the 2025 campaign; the lone remaining road game this season is at cross-street rival Ouachita Baptist.
Southeastern Oklahoma State, conversely, comes into Saturday's game winners of its last two games, defeating Northwestern Oklahoma and Oklahoma Baptist after a 35-7 loss to Harding. The Savage Storm's point of most pride is their defense, which is second in the league, allowing just under 285 yards per game.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
As goes the HSU offense, so go the Reddies results: in five wins this season, the Reddie offense is averaging 517 yards and 43 points per game. However, in losses, the offense manages just 304 yards and just over 12 points.Â
Last Saturday's loss to Arkansas Tech was marred by rainy conditions that limited what the passing game could do. The Reddies still ran for 195 yards, fourth-best this season, but were constrained to just 110 yards through the air.
The Reddie air attack suffered a significant drop in Division 2 standings: the team, who previously led the GAC and was seventh nationally in total offense, now sits second in the league and 20th in the nation.
Henderson State continues its success with a running back committee. The Reddies average over 183 yards per game on the ground while continuing to spread the wealth: six different ball carriers average more than 20 yards per game, while
Andrew Edwards,
Jeremiah Davis, and
Fredrick O'Donald each average over 30 yards per contest.
What was once an oft-penalized unit has shown much more discipline over the last few weeks. HSU still averages just under seven flags per game against them, but has cut that number in half over the past two contests with four penalties against Arkansas Tech and just three against Harding.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
The Reddie defense continues to impress, even in the last two contests; Henderson State is one of just three GAC teams to surrender less than 300 yards per game. Of those three schools, Henderson has faced at least 25 more scrimmage plays than either of the other institutions.Â
The HSU secondary ranks third nationally in passing yards allowed; they have surrendered just eight passing touchdowns and 91 total completions through eight games in 2025.
Redshirt freshman
Gerard Culotta continues an impressive first full season; the linebacker is fifth in the GAC and 65th in the nation in total tackles, averaging 7.9 stops per game. However, that number has increased significantly over the last month: Culotta averaged over nine tackles per contest in the month of October.
One thing the Reddies look to improve upon defensively is red zone defense. Henderson is allowing opponents to score on 81 percent of trips inside the 20-yard line, including all three trips made by Arkansas Tech last week.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
HSU kicker
Ryan McDonnell ranks third in the GAC in scoring. The junior kicker is averaging 7.1 points per game, and his 57 points scored are third best in the conference and the most scored by any kicker.
Senior punter
Axel Robertson remains second-best in the conference this season in punting average, despite having just 25 attempts. Six of his 25 punts in 2025 have traveled over 50 yards, while six kicks have pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line.
THE OPPONENT: SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
Southeastern Oklahoma State comes into Saturday's game looking to do something they have not done since 2009: defeat Henderson State. The Reddies have won 14 consecutive against the Savage Storm, including all 13 matchups as members of the Great American Conference.
SEOSU is one of the two teams who have surrendered fewer yards per game than the Reddies; Southeastern cedes just under 285 yards per game, good enough for 16th best in Division 2.
The Reddie offense will want to avoid Southeastern defensive back Kamron Fields. The sophomore corner's four interceptions on the year are tied for the most in the GAC with Harding's Zach Valcarcel.
SEOSU quarterback Levay Duncan is much more of a running threat than a passing one; the signal caller has thrown for the second-fewest yards in the conference among qualified quarterbacks, but his 532 rushing yards and 66.5 yards per game rank sixth-best in the league.
Southeastern is top-five in the GAC in both red zone offense and red zone defense. The Savage Storm score on 65.6 percent of trips into the red zone, while their defense yields opponent points just 72 percent of the time.
SEOSU leads the league in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of over 35 minutes per game. By comparison, the Reddies, who are fifth in the league, average just over 30 minutes per game with the football.
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.
Bo Atterbury is in his third year of his second stint with SEOSU. He was previously coach of the Savage Storm from 2014-2018; Atterbury holds a record of 50-44 as head coach at Southeastern after six seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
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hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and video coverage.
