ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- The 17th-ranked Henderson State Reddies take to the road for the first of two consecutive road contests with a trip to Alva to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State. Kickoff from Ranger Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE 
The Reddie offense continues to march up and down the field and ranks third in Division II in total offense. HSU's 531 yards per game rank second to Midwestern State (583.4 YPG) and Colorado State-Pueblo (552.8 YPG).

Furthermore, the Henderson offense is 10th in the country in scoring offense through five weeks; the Reddies are averaging 43.2 points per game, trailing conference foe Harding by just under four points. Grand Valley State boasts the highest scoring offense in the NCAA, averaging 55.8 points per contest.

The offense is still managing a very balanced output: their 246 rushing yards per game ranks 12th in the nation, and their 285 yards passing per game is 17th-best in the country and best in the Great American Conference.

The key to victory in the last two weeks has been winning the time of possession battles, and HSU has worked themselves into the top 10 in the nation in that category as well. The Reddies average 33:36 minutes per game with the football, just a minute behind nation-leading Pace.

Reddie quarterback Austin Ledbetter ranks in the top-25 in the country in several categories as an individual: yards per pass attempt (3rd, 11.49), total offense (21st, 275.4), passing yards per completion (9th, 16.64), passing yards per game (16th, 259.6), passing yards (23rd, 1298), passing efficiency (4th, 191.2), and completion percentage (11th, 69 percent).

REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE 
Henderson State's 18 points allowed per game is currently ranked 29th in Division II and third in the Great American Conference. Only Southeastern Oklahoma State (13.2 ppg) and Harding (16.6 ppg) allow fewer points than the Reddies.

HSU's conference-leading 12 takeaways is good enough for 14th in the nation and 1st in the GAC. The +1.6 average turnover margin is best in the conference and fourth-best in Division II. The team intercepted a SWOSU pass on Saturday and forced two fumbles, although the Bulldogs recovered both.

Henderson has been much better the last two weeks at forcing opposing offenses off the field; the Reddies are now second-best in the conference in third-down defense percentage, holding opponents to a 33.9 percent success rate on third downs.

REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS 
HSU boasts one of the best punt-return defenses in the country, allowing just 5 total return yards on 2 punts through 5 games; that rate is 14th-best in the country and 4th-best in the GAC, just behind this week's opponent, Northwestern Oklahoma.

The Reddies' Taylin Paskel is the second-best kickoff returner in the league through five games, averaging 31.1 yards per return.

THE OPPONENT: NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
Northwestern Oklahoma State is the only remaining GAC team without a win this season. That record is due in large part to the Rangers' defense, which ranks last in the league, allowing 47.4 points per game.

NWOSU's offense fares slightly better, as they rank eighth in the league in scoring offense, scoring 23.4 points per game. Their offense prefers the pass game, as the team ranks fourth in the league in passing offense; the Rangers throw for 223.8 yards per game.

The Ranger rush game, however, ranks last in the league: NWOSU runs for just 77.6 yards per game. Of those yards, running back Jayce Morgan takes the lion's share, averaging over 45 rushing yards per contest.

In terms of yardage, NWOSU ranks last in the league both offensively and defensively: the Rangers surrender 544.4 yards per game while accumulating just 301.4 yards with the ball. Opposing offenses convert on over 65 percent of first downs and have made 144 first downs against the Northwestern defense.

The Rangers, in spite of their team stats, boast multiple league leaders: quarterback Jacob T. Jones leads the league in completions per game (19.2) and passing touchdowns (10), while linebacker Aiden Lewis leads the GAC in solo tackles per game (5.4).

THE COACHING MATCHUP 
With last week's win, Reddie coach Greg Holsworth continued his climb up the all-time ranks. The third-year coach moved into a tie with Bo Sherman for seventh-most wins all-time at Henderson State with 21. Holsworth currently holds the highest winning percentage by any head coach in school history.

Rangers coach Jerry Partridge holds a wealth of experience across Division II and FCS. He comes to Alva from UT-Martin, where he served as defensive coordinator. He is arguably most known for his time as the head coach at Missouri Western; he led the Griffons from 1997-2016, including a 45-21 win over the Reddies in the 2012 Division II Football Championships, the first playoff game for Henderson State in the NCAA era.

LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE 
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and video coverage. This week's game will stream for free on Northwestern Oklahoma State's Hudl page, linked at the top of the page.