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Game Notes: Henderson State vs. Oklahoma Baptist

(RV) Henderson State (1-0) vs. Oklahoma Baptist (1-0) 
GeoSurfaces Field at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 6:00 p.m. 
Live Video | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Henderson State will take to GeoSurfaces Field at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium Saturday night for the 2026 home opener against the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. 

REDDIES REPORT: OFFENSE 
The new-look Reddie offense established itself early in last week's road win: HSU ran for over eight yards per carry and ran for 241 yards as a team, its highest rushing output since October 4, 2025, where the Reddies ran for 299 yards against Southwestern Oklahoma.

Quarterback Austin Ledbetter looked quite comfortable in his first start in a Henderson uniform. The Bryant product went 17-of-25 passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Sophomore signal-caller Jordan Walker also got in on the action, throwing a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Yancy.

The Reddie rushing attack was balanced in its effectiveness on Thursday. Eight different HSU players had at least one rush attempt in the win; Chris Gannaway (79) had the most yards on the ground, while Bo Simpson (8) had the most carries of any player.

Similarly, the wide receiver room had plenty of passes to go around; eight different receivers caught a pass for Henderson in the road victory. Jerrale Powers was the big play beneficiary, pulling in five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Maddox Davis brought in six catches for 84 yards, while Taylin Paskel, Mike Jones, and Jesse McElroy IV all had two catches.

HSU's offensive line was impressive in its season debut as well. The unit did not allow a quarterback sack, and it only surrendered one tackle for loss in the entire game.

REDDIES REPORT: DEFENSE 
The Reddie defense was resilient in last week's win, holding the Crimson Storm scoreless on its first six drives of the game. Turnovers were created in multiple ways, as HSU forced four punts, recovered two SNU fumbles, and got a stop on fourth down early in the game.

Reuben Ingram lit up the defensive stat sheet for Henderson. The sophomore recorded nine total tackles, including two tackles for loss. Corone Williams and Jeremiah Tubbs each picked up a tackle for loss, with another shared by Bryant Hammond II and Dereon Burns.

Henderson will look to clean its game up this week in terms of penalties, as the Reddies were flagged eight times for 82 yards. Four of those penalties resulted in Southern Nazarene first downs and served as drive extenders.

REDDIES REPORT: SPECIAL TEAMS 
Special teams was an up-and-down part of Thursday's game. While the Reddies were a perfect six-of-six on extra point attempts, two snaps were mishandled and resulted in missed two-point conversions. HSU was also one-of-two on field goal attempts.

While the kicking game had plenty of action in the win against the Storm, Henderson was not forced to punt the ball once. The Reddies only faced two fourth downs, and both of those were in plus territory, resulting in field goal attempts.

THE OPPONENT: OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
Oklahoma Baptist comes to Arkadelphia after a season-opening upset of Southern Arkansas. The Bison, who were picked 10th in the GAC Preseason Poll, look to be much improved over last year's 3-9 squad.

After Southern Arkansas gained a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter, the Bison defense changed the momentum early in the second when Jeremiah Jennings intercepted a pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown.

Named GAC defensive player of the week, Jennings was everywhere for the Bison defense. The senior recorded seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a blocked punt, and a pass breakup.

The Bison used two different quarterbacks in week one, with Brady Bricker taking the most snaps. Bricker was 18-of-26 passing for 193 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He was also a threat with his legs, rushing the ball 10 times for 33 yards. Jason Ceniti was five-of-six passing for 68 yards and a touchdown and ran three times for 45 yards.

Nick Harris continues to shine at receiver for the Bison. Last year's First Team All-GAC selection picked up where he left off in 2025. The fifth-year wideout caught seven balls for 127 yards and a touchdown, the 14th receiving score of his career.

Oklahoma Baptist's offense was well-balanced in the win over the Muleriders: the Bison threw for 261 yards as a team and ran for 180. Last year, OKBU was the league leader in average passing yards, throwing for 249.1 yards per game, less than a yard per game more than the Reddies.
 
THE COACHING MATCHUP 
Henderson State head coach Greg Holsworth enters his third season as head football coach. With last week's win, Holsworth moves into a tie for 10th place all-time in wins for the Reddies with 17, tying Ken Turner. In just two seasons. Holsworth has surpassed seven previous HSU coaches in total wins. His 16 wins is the most by any coach in his first two seasons at the university, and his .747 winning percentage is the best by any coach in his first two campaigns.

Chris Jensen enters his 13th season as the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist. He previously served as head coach at Southmoore High School in Oklahoma. Jensen ranks second in school history with 49 wins and fifth all-time with a .368 winning percentage.
 
LIVE STATS AND ADDITIONAL LIVE COVERAGE 
Visit hsusports.com/coverage to view live stats and video coverage. Live, free video coverage will be provided on the Henderson State Sports Network, presented by Oaklawn. 
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Players Mentioned

Dereon Burns

#23 Dereon Burns

DB
6' 0"
Junior
Maddox Davis

#2 Maddox Davis

WR
5' 9"
Sophomore
Chris Gannaway

#6 Chris Gannaway

RB
5' 9"
Senior
Bryant Hammond II

#9 Bryant Hammond II

DB
6' 1"
Senior
Austin Ledbetter

#18 Austin Ledbetter

QB
6' 1"
Fifth Year
Jesse McElroy IV

#88 Jesse McElroy IV

TE
6' 3"
Junior
Taylin Paskel

#1 Taylin Paskel

WR
5' 11"
Junior
Bo Simpson

#21 Bo Simpson

RB
5' 8"
Junior
Jeremiah Tubbs

#90 Jeremiah Tubbs

DL
6' 3"
Junior
Jordan Walker

#13 Jordan Walker

QB
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Dereon Burns

#23 Dereon Burns

6' 0"
Junior
DB
Maddox Davis

#2 Maddox Davis

5' 9"
Sophomore
WR
Chris Gannaway

#6 Chris Gannaway

5' 9"
Senior
RB
Bryant Hammond II

#9 Bryant Hammond II

6' 1"
Senior
DB
Austin Ledbetter

#18 Austin Ledbetter

6' 1"
Fifth Year
QB
Jesse McElroy IV

#88 Jesse McElroy IV

6' 3"
Junior
TE
Taylin Paskel

#1 Taylin Paskel

5' 11"
Junior
WR
Bo Simpson

#21 Bo Simpson

5' 8"
Junior
RB
Jeremiah Tubbs

#90 Jeremiah Tubbs

6' 3"
Junior
DL
Jordan Walker

#13 Jordan Walker

6' 0"
Sophomore
QB