Henderson State University Athletics

MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Gabe Lopez intercepted Southern Arkansas at the Henderson State 11-yard line with 4:01 remaining, ending the Muleriders' final threat and sealing a 20-7 Great American Conference victory for the Reddies on Saturday at Wilkins Stadium at Rip Powell Field.

Henderson State (4-0, 4-0 GAC) controlled the ball for 41:27 and outgained Southern Arkansas 459-271. The Reddies held the ball for more than twice as long as the Muleriders, who finished with 18:33 of possession. HSU ran 72 plays to SAU's 52 and held a 25-10 advantage in first downs.

Southern Arkansas (1-3, 1-3 GAC) threatened late, scoring its lone touchdown of the day on Adam Parker's 26-yard touchdown run with 9:30 left. After forcing a Henderson punt, the Muleriders drove 76 yards from their own 13 to the HSU 11. Lopez stopped the comeback bid with his interception; the Reddies took possession with 4:01 left and never gave the ball back, moving 72 yards before the clock expired.

The Reddies' primary yardage advantage came on the ground. Henderson rushed for 260 yards on 47 attempts while holding Southern Arkansas to 72 yards on 14 carries. Both teams threw for 199 yards.

Myron Thrash led Henderson's rushing attack with 92 yards on 15 carries. Trent Haygood added 48 yards, while Jackson Byerley broke a 38-yard run. Jordan Walker rushed six times for 27 yards and scored Henderson's first touchdown. Austin Ledbetter completed 16 of 25 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Maddox Davis caught six passes for 93 yards.

After a scoreless first quarter, Henderson put together consecutive touchdown drives to take control. Walker finished a seven-play, 75-yard possession with a 10-yard touchdown run at the 11:37 mark of the second quarter. The Reddies followed with a 13-play, 82-yard drive that consumed 7:46, capped by Ledbetter's 14-yard touchdown pass to Jerrale Powers with 1:54 before halftime. HSU took a 14-0 lead into the break.

Henderson continued to drain the clock after halftime. Its first possession of the third quarter covered 54 yards in 14 plays and took 9:01 before Ryan McDonnell made a 32-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead. The Reddies' next possession crossed quarters and lasted another 4:39, ending with McDonnell's 45-yard field goal to push the margin to 20-0 with 12:06 remaining.

Those two possessions reflected Henderson's control of the game. HSU possessed the ball for at least 9:14 in each quarter and held it for 20:57 in the first half and 20:30 in the second. Southern Arkansas never possessed the ball for more than 5:46 in a quarter.

The Muleriders broke through on Parker's touchdown run before mounting one final drive. Lopez ended it with Henderson's lone takeaway of the night. The Reddies then ran seven plays on their final possession, with the offense taking the remaining 4:01 off the clock to close out the 13-point win.

Lopez's interception highlighted a Henderson defense that kept Southern Arkansas off the scoreboard through the first three quarters. Lanard Harris and Brenton Brasfield shared the team lead with five tackles, while Leo Morris, Dereon Burns, and Ryan Vollmer had four apiece. Morris also broke up two passes.

The Reddies return home next Saturday for Hall of Honor weekend; Henderson will host Southwestern Oklahoma State, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.