Reddies risk road streak against 6-0 SE Oklahoma

Henderson State risks its NCAA Division II record of 29 straight road wins Saturday against Great American Conference leader Southeastern Oklahoma.

The Reddies are 3-3 and the host Savage Storm 6-0 going into the 2 p.m. game in Durant, Okla. Ranked No. 19 nationally, Southeastern is off to its best start since since 1988 when the Savage Storm went 9-0 in the regular season as an NAIA member affiliated with the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference.

Southeastern leads by two games over Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas, all 4-2. Henderson and defending champion Harding are among five teams tied at 3-3.

Most of Southeastern’s games have been close, the Savage Storm winning four by seven points or less. Quarterback Austin Skinner passed for a season-best 262 yards last week against Southwestern Oklahoma. Rollin Kinsaul, who did not play last week, has passed for 561 yards including 231 against Ouachita Baptist.

Southeastern leads the league defensively averaging just 20.7 points and ranks third in total defense allowing 353.3 yards per game.

Henderson has won 15 consecutive games in Oklahoma, 14-13 over Oklahoma Baptist last week. Freshman Blake Faulk ran for a career-high 146 yards on 13 carries.

Senior Evan Lassiter has started the last three games at quarterback for the Reddies, completing 60 percent of his passes (90 of

149) for 836 yards and four touchdowns. He passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns against Southeastern last year as the Reddies won 13-11 in Arkadelpha.

Sheldon Watson has a team-best 44 tackles and a GAC-leading four interceptions.

Henderson leads the series 21-6, winning the last seven games and 10 of the last 12.

Southeastern is the only team to beat Henderson in games played in Oklahoma in the last 27 years.

The game airs on Henderson State Sports Network radio affiliates including KWPS

(99.7 FM) in Hot Springs, KDEL (100.9) in Arkadelphia and KZYP (1310 AM and 104.1 FM) in Malvern.

With all games in Oklahoma, Arkansas-Monticello faces Oklahoma Baptist at 1 p.m. in Shawnee while in other 2 p.m. kickoffs it’s Arkansas Tech at Southwestern (Weatherford), Harding at Northwestern (Alva) and Southern Arkansas at East Central (Ada). Ouachita Baptist played at Southern Nazarene (Bethany) on Thursday night.