ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- After two consecutive weeks on the road, Henderson State football returns home for Family Day Saturday. The Reddies face their best opponent so far this season in Southern Arkansas. Kickoff from Carpenter-Haygood Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

STORYLINES: SETTING THE SCENE
The undefeated Henderson State Reddies return home after a two game road trip; the Reddies have won three consecutive games to open the season for the sixth year in a row. HSU is one of only three GAC teams with a 3-0 mark this season.

Southern Arkansas comes into Saturday's contest with a 2-1 record; the Muleriders lost at home to Harding last week after starting with wins over Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene.
 
REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE
The Reddie offense continues to not only dominate the conference, but the nation as well. Henderson is ranked second in Division 2 in total offense, averaging over 521 yards per game. The attack has been mostly balanced, but the air is still HSU's calling card; the nation's ninth best passing attack is averaging 328 yards a contest through the air.

Senior quarterback Andrew Edwards pulled off a rare triple crown in last week's win in Monticello: he threw for, ran for, and received a touchdown. Edwards accounted for 354 all-purpose yards in the win, and he is fifth in the nation in total offense per game while leading the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards. Fifth-year quarterback Austin Ledbetter made his debut in a Henderson State uniform in Saturday's fourth quarter, throwing for 66 yards on 4-of-7 passing.

The story of the HSU running game is the same as years past: depth. Six different Reddies have been credited with a carry this season, three of the six have multiple touchdowns, and three different ballcarriers have at least 100 yards rushing so far. Edwards, Jeremiah Davis, and Chris Gannaway each had rushing touchdowns in Saturday's win in Monticello.

   
REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE – SPECIAL TEAMS
The Reddie defense continues to impress through three contests this season. The team ranks in the top 25 nationally in 3rd down conversion percentage, defensive touchdowns, interceptions, scoring defense, and, most impressively, is second in all of Division 2 in defensive passing efficiency.

Linebacker Gerard Culotta continues to pace the Henderson defense with 15 total tackles. Defensive lineman Yossif Gamel is right behind Culotta after two assisted tackles in Saturday's win.

The Reddie return game has been a pleasant surprise so far in 2025; Henderson ranks first in the GAC and 19th in the country in punt return yards, due in no small part to the efforts of Taylin Paskel, who already has a return for a touchdown this season and ranks 13th in Division 2 in punt return yards.

Kicker Ryan McDonnell is tied for the GAC lead in made field goals per game; the junior has converted on four field goal attempts and is a perfect 16-for-16 on extra point attempts. Senior punter Axel Robertson converted his longest punt on Saturday, a 54-yard effort that pinned UAM on their own 1-yard line

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. 

Brad Smiley is in his fifth season as the head football coach at Southern Arkansas. His 26 wins rank eighth all time in school history. Under Smiley's leadership, SAU finished as high as 23rd in the national rankings and, in 2023, won 10 games for the first time since 1952.
 
THE LAST MEETING
No. 25 Henderson fell to No. 24 Southern Arkansas by a score of 42-19 at the 2024 Murphy USA Classic in El Dorado, Arkansas.

After Kolby King made a 46-yard field goal on the Reddies' opening drive, the Muleriders responded with rushing touchdowns from Jariq Scales and Judd Barton. Jeremiah Davis found pay dirt on a three-yard score with just under seven minutes to go in the second quarter. Over the remainder of the second and third quarters, the SAU tallied 28 unanswered points.

Andrew Edwards completed 26 of his 38 passes for a total of 275 yards. GAC reception leader Timieone Jackson paced the team with six catches for 67 yards. Robbie Williams III posted his second game in a row with 60 or more receiving yards.

Jaylen Powell totaled a team-best 10 tackles on the game. Jakobe Shell collected two tackles for loss, including a five-yard sack. Jordan Owens and Kolbi Crawford also made solo stops behind the line of scrimmage. In the fourth, Catrell Wallace recorded a blocked punt that resulted in a safety.

LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to access live stats and video of Saturday's game.