Davis snags receiving record as Henderson keeps rolling

ARKADELPHIA — Beating Northwestern Oklahoma State was a snap for NCAA Division II powerhouse Henderson State.

Joseph Snapp caught three touchdown passes and Darius Davis became the state’s alltime college receiving leader as Henderson State crushed outmanned Northwestern Oklahoma State 63-14 before an announced crowd of 4,125 on Saturday afternoon at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

The Reddies, ranked No. 7 nationally in the American Football Coaches Association Division II top 25, stretched their regular-season winning streak to 28 and Great American Conference winning streak to 25.

Henderson (5-0, 4-0 GAC) led 43-0 at halftime, outgaining the Rangers (1-4, 1-4) 35223 in total yardage. Northwestern Oklahoma had just one first down.

The Reddies finished with 619 total yards, including 414 passing, on 90 plays.

After consecutive threeand-outs to open the game, Henderson scored on its next six possessions to blow open the game. None of the drives for its quick-strike Spread attack lasted more than 3:20.

“Defensively, we came out and played really well early, which gave us some really good field position,” Reddies Coach Scott Maxfield said. “That kind of kick-started our offense a little bit. I knew it was just going to be a matter of time.”

Senior quarterback Kevin Rodgers threw touchdown passes of 10, 9 and 5 yards to Snapp, a junior wide receiver from Van Buren, in the first half. Rodgers also threw a 53yard touchdown pass to Davis with 6:17 remaining in the first half to give Henderson a 40-0 lead.

Davis, a senior wideout from Frisco, Texas, became the state’s all-time college receiving leader with a 29-yard reception from Rodgers with 12:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Davis finished with 7 receptions for 115 yards and 1 touchdown, pushing his career yardage total to 2,959 yards since 2010. He redshirted as a sophomore in 2011, Maxfield said.

“He’s a special player,” Maxfield said.

Jarius Wright held the previous college state career mark, 2,934 yards, in 20082011 at Arkansas.

Rodgers became the state’s college career passing leader Sept. 18 at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Rodgers completed 25 of 33 passes for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Rangers. He has thrown for 11,629 yards in the past four seasons.

Leading 43-0, Maxfield began clearing his bench early in the third quarter and watched his reserves outscore the Rangers 20-14.

Before taking a seat, Rodgers threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Snapp with 5:15 left in the first quarter and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Snapp with 25 seconds left in the first quarter.

OUACHITA BAPTIST 54, SW OKLAHOMA STATE 24

ARKADELPHIA — Ouachita Baptist (4-0, 4-0 Great American Conference) forced six turnovers and returned three for touchdowns to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-3, 2-3) before an announced crowd of 3,382 at Cliff Harris Stadium.

Defensive end Kyle Lamothe returned two fumbles for scores, and A.J. Burton had a fourth-quarter interception that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown.

Southwestern Oklahoma took a 7-3 lead with 5:04 left in the first quarter on Karl Hodge’s 1-yard touchdown run, but OBU answered with 14 points in a 13-second span late in the quarter.

Kiehl Frazier hit Brandon Marks with a 32-yard touchdown pass with 1:41 left in the first quarter. On Southwestern Oklahoma’s first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff, Klark Ashmore fumbled after being hit by OBU’s Jordan Harold. Lamothe scooped up the ball and ran 20 yards for a touchdown, giving OBU a 17-7 lead with 1:28 left in the quarter.

After Matthew Ehasz’s second field goal pushed the margin to 20-7, Evian Hill caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Frazier. Then, with 18 seconds left in the half, Hodge fumbled after being hit by OBU’s Andrew Gendl and Lamothe returned it 20 yards for another touchdown as OBU took a 33-7 lead into halftime.

Frazier had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Steven Kehner ran 4 yards for a score in the fourth quarter before Burton’s interception return made it 54-7 with 12:17 to play.

Kehner finished with 138 yards on 20 carries. Frazier completed 9 of 15 for 82 yards and 2 scores.

Southwestern Oklahoma had 406 yards of total offense to 267 for OBU, but the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome six turnovers.

NO. 15 HARDING 56, SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 13

Harding (4-0, 4-0 GAC) rushed for 500 of its 593 total yards as it pounded Southern Arkansas (2-3, 2-3) at First Security Stadium in Searcy.

The Bisons, ranked 15th in the AFCA Division II coaches poll, opened a 35-13 lead going into halftime and never looked back. It was Harding’s eighth consecutive victory, tying the school record from 1972-1973.

Harding came into the game second in Division II with an average of 365.7 rushing yards per game. Romo Westbrook led the Bisons’ rushing attack Saturday with 134 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 carries. The Marion senior led six Bisons with 45 or more yards rushing.

Redshirt freshman Zach Shelley had 77 yards on two carries, including a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter that gave the Bisons a 35-13 lead. Senior Alapeti Magalei had two rushing touchdowns to go with his 59 yards rushing for Harding.

SAU senior quarterback Si Blackhsire threw two touchdown passes to senior Aaron Johnson in the first half.

Despite intercepting two passes, the Muleriders lost two fumbles and Blackshire threw an interception while completing 22 of 32 passes for 259 yards.

ARKANSAS TECH 18, ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 13

The Wonder Boys (3-2, 3-1 GAC) held the Boll Weevils (1-4, 1-4) to 27 yards rushing and 169 total yards and got two short touchdown runs by junior Kelton Smith in a victory at Thone Stadium in Russellville.

Smith scored from the 1 with 4:49 left in the second quarter, but sophomore Randy Velazquez missed the extra point. The touchdown was set up by freshman Michael Perry’s 52-yard punt return to the UAM 3.

Senior Rod Smith’s 3-yard touchdown run with 2:49 left in the quarter gave the Boll Weevils a 7-6 halftime lead, but the Wonder Boys reeled off 13 consecutive points in the third quarter to take a 18-7 lead. Velazquez’s 31-yard field field goal and Kelton Smith’s 2-yard run were sandwiched between a safety.

Junior quarterback Hunter Leppert found freshman Jalen Tolliver on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter as the Boll Weevils cut the deficit to 18-13.

Sophomore Jamie McGee missed a 29-yard field goal, and the Boll Weevils turned over the ball on downs on their final two possessions.

Arkansas Tech had 274 yards of total offense but was flagged 14 times for 146 yards.

SOUTHERN ATHLETIC

ASSOCIATION

HENDRIX 35, MILLSAPS 30

Hendrix sophomore Jake Steward returned an onside kick 46 yards for a touchdown with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter to secure the Warriors’ victory at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium in Conway.

After Millsaps (1-3, 0-1 SAC) scored on a 24-yard pass with 1:11 left to cut Hendrix’s lead to 28-23, Steward took the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to keep the Warriors (4-0, 2-0) perfect.

Millsaps went 62 yards in 5 plays, getting a 30-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds remaining to get with five points, but a last-ditch onside kick went out of bounds to secure the victory.

Sophomore Dayton Winn led Hendrix with 108 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries. Redshirt freshmen Ben Luedtke and Nate Hodapp and sophomore Seth Peters also scored touchdowns.