ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- The 19th-ranked Henderson State Reddies will be home on Saturday, as they honor the five newest inductees into the Henderson State Hall of Honor. Kickoff against Southwestern Oklahoma State is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE 
The Reddie offense dropped to second in Division II in total offense this week, averaging 550 yards per game. Midwestern State took over first place with its 576.3
yards per game average.

Henderson gave up its first sack of the season in Saturday's road win. The team fell from first to second nationally after the sack, trailing Ferris State, who has yet to allow a sack in four games this season.

Despite the comparatively low yardage output, the Reddies dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball for over 41 of the game's 60 minutes. HSU now ranks 11th in the nation and first in the GAC for time of possession, averaging 33:41 a game with the football.

A big part of controlling the time of possession has been both effectively running the football and converting crucial third downs. The team ranks fifth in the nation, converting 58.1 percent of third-down attempts and extending drives; they also boast the sixth-highest rushing offense in the country, averaging 272 yards per game.

The offense picks and chooses its spots for throwing the ball well, ranking third in the nation and second in the conference in passing efficiency. The Reddies find themselves third-best in Division II in the category, which measures a team's throwing performance using the metrics of completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions.

REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE 
The Reddie defense surrendered its fewest points of the season in Saturday's win. The unit allowed just 38 Mulerider yards in the first half and did not surrender a single first down until the opening drive of the third quarter.

Southern Arkansas was driving deep in Henderson territory with less than six minutes to play, looking to cut the deficit to one score after holding the Reddies to two second-half field goals. Gabe Lopez intercepted a pass at the five-yard line. HSU was then able to take the remaining 5:36 off the clock to ice the game. Lopez's pick was the team's GAC-leading sixth of the season: Minnesota State leads the country with 11 interceptions.

Henderson still enjoys its +8 turnover margin, the best in Division II. Minnesota State is also +8 in turnovers this season, but the Mavericks have played one more game than the Reddies, which gives Henderson the advantage in turnovers per game.

REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS 
HSU was the beneficiary of a special teams flag last week; Southern Arkansas managed to take a kickoff all the way to the end zone before a holding call was made, stopping any momentum the Muleriders were trying to salvage. Henderson ranks eighth in the conference in kickoff return defense, allowing over 22 yards per return.

Ryan McDonnell's leg was a game-changer in Saturday's win in Magnolia; the fifth-year kicker was perfect on field goals and extra point attempts, and was responsible for all six HSU points after Saturday's intermission.

THE OPPONENT: SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
Southwestern Oklahoma State's 1-3 record is arguably the most deceiving record in the Great American Conference this season; the Bulldogs gave up a touchdown to Arkansas Tech with less than two minutes to play, trailed Harding by just two points near the end of the third quarter, and allowed Southeastern to score a game-winning touchdown with just nine seconds remaining.

SWOSU's 37-14 loss to Harding was a much closer game than the score indicated. The Bulldogs allowed just one Harding touchdown in the first half before ceding three scores after intermission.

The Southwestern defense is one of the best units in the league, particularly among the defensive front. The Bulldogs allow opposing teams to convert on just 30.5 percent of their third-down attempts and have surrendered just 64 first downs through four games, third-best in the league. Their four interceptions rank second in the GAC, two behind the league-leading Reddies. The unit ranks 13th in Division II in total defense, allowing 262 yards per game.

SWOSU's offense is one of the lower-producing units in the conference, averaging 332 yards and 20.8 points per game, ranking 10th in the GAC in both categories. The offense is a balanced one though, accumulating 179.5 yards per game through the air and 152.5 on the ground. SWOSU has played three quarterbacks this season, with all three seeing at least three of the team's four games.

Southwestern is one of the least penalized teams in the country, committing just 23 penalties this season. However, the penalties they incur are punitive: the team averages 55 penalty yards per game this season and has lost 220 yards to penalties.

THE COACHING MATCHUP 
With last week's win, coach Greg Holsworth moved into eighth place all-time in career wins at Henderson State with 20. Holsworth is the second-fastest coach in HSU history to 20 wins, trailing only Bo Sherman (1931-34). Sixth on the all-time list is not out of the question this season, as a 10-win campaign would tie Holsworth with Clyde Berry with 26 wins as head coach.

Andrew Rice is in his third season as SWOSU head football coach after being hired in December 2023. Last season, Rice led the Bulldogs to their first winning season since 2015 with a 6-5 finish. The Owasso, Oklahoma native was previously the offensive coordinator at Southern Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, and as an assistant coach at Central Oklahoma.

LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE 
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and video coverage. Streaming of this game will be free on the Henderson State Sports Network, presented by Oaklawn.