ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State returns home for the final time in 2025 and will honor its 20 seniors prior to Saturday's home game against East Central.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENES
Henderson State returns to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for the final time in 2025 and will honor 20 seniors playing their final home games with a recognition prior to Saturday's 1:00 kickoff. Last week, the Reddies staged a fourth-quarter comeback, fighting back from a 20-8 deficit with 14 minutes to play to win at Southeastern Oklahoma.
East Central is in the midst of one of its best seasons in the GAC era. The Tigers have already collected wins over Ouachita Baptist, Arkansas Tech, and Southern Arkansas, but have losses to Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma in what has been an up-and-down campaign.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
The Reddies scored three offensive touchdowns in Saturday's win for the first time since October 11th. HSU had previously been held to one and zero trips to the end zone in their last two games, but still rank third in the GAC with 36 touchdowns scored this season.
Henderson remains the top passing offense in the league despite throwing for fewer than 200 yards in each of its past two games. The Reddies have thrown for 300 or more yards in three games this season, which has already eclipsed last season's two games.
The rushing attack has been efficient for HSU, as the backfield is one of the best in the league at 5.2 yards per carry, despite the fourth-fewest carries in the league. The balanced attack features six different ball carriers who have gained over 150 yards this season, and each of them have scored at least one touchdown.
Tight end
Cayden Davis had just one reception in Saturday's win, but it was the most important of the game: a 55-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winner. Davis has regained his title as leading receiver for HSU after a season-long battle with teammate
Maddox Davis. Both receivers are averaging right at 50 yards receiving per game.
A balanced offense will be key in Saturday's contest; East Central has allowed 17 rushing touchdowns and 13 through the air. That being said, the passing game seems to be where the Reddies wish to strike, as the aforementioned rushing total is slightly skewed due to the eight rushing touchdowns scored by Harding in their 65-0 victory over the Tigers.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE
The Reddie defense scored its first points in three weeks in Saturday's win, as MatthewGainey blocked a Southeastern punt through the back of the endzone for a safety. The defensive score was the first since
Leo Morris returned an interceptions for a touchdown against Northwestern Oklahoma.
Gerard Culotta continued his streak of games with double-digit tackles. The redshirt freshman racked up 12 stops at SEOSU for his third consecutive game with at least 10 tackles, and he now ranks fourth in the GAC in total tackles.
HSU allowed just two touchdowns in the win in Durant last week, as the Savage Storm defense recorded a scoop-and-score. The Reddie defense has allowed just three touchdowns over the past two games and continues to give up just over 19 points per game, good enough for third in the conference.
Henderson's defense continues to impress with its ability to create negative plays. The Reddies are tied for second in the league in sacks and interceptions while being fifth in the conference with seven forced fumbles.
REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS
HSU kicker
Ryan McDonnell missed he first extra point of the season in Saturday's win; the junior is now 34-of-35 on extra point attempts to go along with being eight-of-14 on field goal tries, although he did not attempt any in Saturday's win.
Senior punter
Axel Robertson had his busiest day of the season in Saturday's win. He recorded five times for 229 total yards, including a 62-yard blast in the second quarter that pinned Southeastern at their own two-yard line.
THE OPPONENT: EAST CENTRAL
East Central boasts the second-best passing quarterback in the league in Sergio Kennedy. The sophomore signal-caller trails Henderson's
Andrew Edwards in both passing yards and touchdowns and, like Edwards, boasts one GAC Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
Tiger running back Cade Searcy also has a GAC Player of the Week award to his name this season. ECU's leading rusher ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the opening week win over Ouachita Baptist, considered at the time to be a major upset within the conference. He currently ranks eighth in the league with 60.8 yards rushing per game.
ECU boasts the fourth-best scoring offense in the league with 27.6 points per game, despite ranking seventh in the GAC in yards gained (355.9). The Tiger rushing game ranks ninth in the conference (144.1 ypg), while their passing ranks fifth (211.8 ypg).
Defensively, the Tigers are led by junior linebacker Caden Pickens. Pickens leads the team with 73 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and he has also forced and recovered a fumble this season.
ECU's defense ranks in the middle of the GAC in nearly all statistical categories; their passing defense ranks a touch higher, as the Tigers allow less than 200 yards per game through the air. The rush defense cedes 197.2 yards per game, so the Reddies will look to exploit their ground game.
East Central also has one of the best field goal units in the conference. Tiger kickers are 9-12 this season on field goal attempts, but rank last in kickoffs due to surrendering more return yards than any other team in the league.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
Henderson State head coach
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.
John Litrenta is in his third year as head coach at East Central, including an interim season in 2023. The former Tiger defensive coordinator has been at the school since 2018 and coached previously at South Dakota and the College of DuPage.
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