Henderson State (0-0) vs. Southern Nazarene (0-0)
Carpenter Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 6 p.m. CT
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Game Notes
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Henderson State football team returns to the gridiron for the kickoff of the 2025 season when the Southern Nazarene square off with the Reddies under the lights at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. Henderson has won seven consecutive season openers and are 12-1 all time against SNU.
STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
The 2025 season kicks off with all 12 Great American Conference teams in action. The conference tradition of opening the season with games on Thursday continues, with all six league games having an evening kickoff.
The Reddies and Crimson Storm are set to battle for the 13th time ever, with Henderson State holding a 12-1 advantage. The only Southern Nazarene win in the series came at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in 2017. The teams meet in the season opener for the first time since 2014, a 72-7 Reddie victory in the home opener.
HSU is 9-4 all time in home openers in GAC play, including winning each of the past five games. The last time the Reddies fell in a home GAC opener was against Harding in 2018.
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
Henderson State returns a solid group of lettermen on offense. Redshirt senior quarterback
Andrew Edwards returns for his fourth season as a starter. The Bentonville, Arkansas product threw for 2,539 yards and 27 touchdowns last season and ranks second in school history in both passing yards and total offense. He holds two of the top ten individual passing seasons in program history.
The running back room for the Reddies returns nearly all of its production from 2024.
Fredrick O'Donald,
Jeremiah Davis, and
Dylan Jones all return after seeing significant action last season for a team that ranked fifth in the league in total rushing. Davis led the team with 706 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
A mixed group of returners and newcomers fill the wide receiver room. The Reddies lose leading receivers Timeone Jackson and
Jalen Abraham, but return contributors
Micah Greene and
Jody Easter. The pair combined for 29 catches, 444 yards, and six touchdowns and will look to mentor the next crop of Reddie pass catchers. Newcomers
Aundreus Griffin and
Maddox Davis have impressed in camp.
All-American tight end
Cayden Davis returns for his senior campaign. The Caddo Mills, Texas senior hauled in 22 catches for 430 yards and six touchdowns, which tied for the most by any receiver in the GAC. Davis has also been named to the preseason Elite 100 watch list by D2 Football.
The Henderson State offensive line will see the most change of any unit of the offense. Junior center
Gabe Hernandez is the lone returning starter, and the openings at guard and tackle have required competition throughout fall camp.
Marcus Lee,
Richard Killian, and
Devin Walter saw action on the line in rotation and due to injury last season, with a strong group of newcomers looking to see action as well.
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE – SPECIAL TEAMS
The Reddie defensive line sees wholesale changes entering 2025. After losing multiple players,
Catrell Wallace stands as the lone returning rotation player up front. As is the case with their offensive counterparts, the line will look to newcomers and transfers to shore up what was the fifth best rush defense in the league.
2024 leading tackler
Jordan Owens returns to the HSU linebacker corps. Owens's 90 tackles was seventh best in the GAC last season and was good enough to merit All-GAC third team honors.
Ryan Hampton also returns to the starting lineup after a 19 tackle season which included 1.5 tackles for loss.
One of the best secondaries in recent Reddie memory looks to improve upon a squad that was third best in the GAC last year in defending the pass.
Kolbi Crawford,
Jordan Batts, and Bryant Hammond return after seeing significant playing time in 2024. The trio each sat in the top seven tacklers for the team last season. A lot of depth returns in the secondary as well, as
Paul Manning and
Leo Morris each look to earn starting roles after strong rotation play last season.
All-GAC punter
Axel Robertson returns after a strong 2024 campaign. The Navarro College transfer was 12th in the nation in punting average a season ago, including pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line on over 40 percent of his punts.
Newcomer
Ryan McDonnell will make a big difference this year in the Reddies' kicking game. The Ireland native was seen in camp hitting multiple field goals over 50 yards with ease, and will likely serve as the team's kickoff specialist as well.
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.
Dustin Hada enters his fifth season as the coach at Southern Nazarene. Last season's 3-8 record was marked by an 18-17 win at then No. 3 Ouachita Baptist. Hada is 0-4 lifetime against Henderson State, including a 42-41 overtime loss in Bethany in 2022.
THE LAST MEETING
Henderson State scored the first 34 points of the game and never looked back in a 48-21 win in Bethany, Oklahoma.
The Reddie defense joined in on the scoring as well, as
Catrell Wallace had a 20 yard scoop and score for Henderson's third touchdown of the first quarter.
HSU's defense made a massive impact, compiling eight tackles for loss, forcing two fumbles, and intercepting two Crimson Storm passes.
Jordan Owens led the way with 1.5 TFL and five total tackles.
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to access live stats and live broadcast from the Henderson State Sports Network of Thursday's game.
