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Henderson State University Athletics

Events and Results

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Reddies Game 1 Win
13
Southern Nazarene SNU 0-1 , 0-1
48
Winner Henderson St. HSU 1-0 , 1-0
Southern Nazarene SNU
0-1 , 0-1
13
Final
48
Henderson St. HSU
1-0 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SNU Southern Nazarene 0 3 10 0 13
HSU Henderson St. 3 10 7 28 48

Game Recap: Football |

Reddies Use Turnovers, Late Offensive Surge to Defeat Southern Nazarene in Season Opener

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State overcame a sluggish start with solid defense and special teams, and scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to cruise to a 48-13 victory Thursday night in the 2025 season opener against Southern Nazarene.

The Reddie offense got off to a slow start in the first quarter, punting on each of their first two drives. The defense, however, started the year on a hot note, holding the Crimson Storm to just 25 yards of offense in the opening quarter. Ryan Hampton was a force for the Reddie pass rush, sacking Southern Nazarene quarterback Bryson Evans twice in the first two quarters alone.

While the defense got off to a fast start, it took the offense a few drives to get their legs underneath them. The first score of the season was one for the record books, as Ryan McDonnell's first ever kick in a Henderson State uniform was a successful 51 yard field goal, the longest made field goal in the history of the program. The County Mayo, Ireland native was 2-3 on field goals and 6-6 on extra points in his first game as a Reddie.

It took the Henderson offense until their final possession of the first half before scoring their first touchdown of the year, as Andrew Edwards connected with Micah Greene for an 18 yard score with just 38 seconds remaining in the half, giving the Reddies a 13-3 advantage going into the intermission.

The Crimson Storm offense started to get things going throughout the third quarter, with their first drive taking just 3:06 to take the ball 75 yards for a touchdown. The Reddies' first possession of the third quarter was marked by big plays, with a 28 yard rush by Trent Haygood, a 25 yard reception by Cayden Davis, and a 24 yard touchdown pass from Edwards to Aundreus Griffin leading to the Reddies' second touchdown in as many possessions. Davis picked up right where he left off, as last season's All-American was a frequent target in the Reddie pass game; the senior caught five passes for 77 yards on the day. The teams alternated scores throughout the third quarter, as SNU's Kameron van Prooyen hit a 44 yard field goal to cut the Storm's deficit to 20-13 after 45 minutes of play.

After forcing a SNU punt to start the fourth quarter, Henderson's Taylin Paskel started a fast and furious offensive run, taking the ensuing punt 80 yards for a touchdown; Paskel's score was HSU's first punt return for a touchdown since October 19, 2019, when Braden Boykin took a Southwestern Oklahoma punt back 78 yards for a score.

On the very next possession, the Reddies forced SNU's first turnover of the year, as Kolbi Crawford intercepted an Evans tipped pass for his first interception of the season. The Reddies could not capitalize on the turnover, however, as McDonnell missed a 31 yard field goal try, his lone miss of the evening.

The next drive provided the points that were missed by the offense, as the Reddie defense made their presence felt with another forced turnover; sophomore defensive back Leo Morris recovered a fumble and returned it 22 yards for the defensive touchdown. The next possession found the Reddies intercepting an Evans pass for the second time in three possessions. The HSU offense wouldn't fail to take advantage of this penalty, as it took just three plays for Chris Gannaway to score his first touchdown as a Reddie with an 18 yard rushing score.

The Reddies would tack on one final score in their last possession, as Edwards connected with Jacaylon Zachery for a 7 yard touchdown, capping a methodical drive that took over five minutes, covering 78 yards in ten plays.

Edwards finished 19-37 passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He completed passes to nine different receivers, with Greene, Griffin, and Zachery all catching touchdown passes. Trent Haygood was the leading rusher for the Reddies, carrying the ball four times for 49 yards. Jeremiah Davis gained 47 yards on nine carries. Cayden Davis's five receptions for 77 yards was the team high, while Greene was targeted nine times, the most of any Reddie receiver.

Lanard Harris was the leading tackler for the HSU defense, with six of his seven tackles credited as solo stops; Morris added in six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Ryan Hampton led the team with 2.5 tackles for loss and added in 1.5 sacks. Yossif Gamel and Ryan Vollmer served as leaders on the Reddie defensive line, with each man getting half of a sack in addition to seven combined tackles.

Henderson State will take to the road the next two weeks, starting with a trip to Shawnee, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday, September 13.
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