HSU hosts Oklahoma Baptist for rescheduled Family Day
ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State will return to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field Saturday looking for its first home victory of the season when the Reddies take on Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m.
Saturday will be Family day on campus with activities scheduled to be held at the Duke Wells Center. Family Day was originally set for Sept. 22 when the Reddies (2-3) fell at home to Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-3).
The 22nd Hall of Honor class will be inducted tonight. Inductees will also be recognized on Saturday on the field at 1:40 p.m. during pregame festivities.
Ticket windows at the stadium
will open at noon. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children. All students, faculty or staff with valid Henderson State identification will be admitted for free, as will children ages 5 and younger.
Henderson has struggled at home recently, going 1-7 in the last seven games at Carpenter-Haygood dating back to 2016. The Reddies defeated Southern Arkansas, 36-30, on Oct. 28, 2017, but their last home win before that was on Oct. 29,
2016, against this weekend’s opponent.
Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between Henderson and Oklahoma Baptist
(2-3). The Reddies are a perfect 3-0 in the series and have
not lost to the Bison since they joined the Great American Conference.
The matchup will feature two of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Junior Richard Stammetti led the GAC in both passing yards with 1,435 and passing yards per game at 287 before the previous weekend. He has thrown for 300 yards in three games this season.
Oklahoma Baptist sophomore quarterback Preston Haire overtook Stammetti in both categories. He has 1,458 passing yards to average 291.6 per game and leads the conference in total offense with 1,558 yards.
Junior running back Querale Hall was the breakout performer
on Saturday in Henderson’s 24-10 victory at Southern Nazarene (1-4). He only had five carries this season going into the game, but he finished the victory with 15 rushes for 85 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
Senior Ben Johnson hit a milestone on Saturday as he finished with 76 receiving yards to move into the top 10 all-time at Henderson. He now has 1,323 career yards and needs 51 more to pass Joseph Snapp for ninth in the record book. He is tied for the league-lead with four receiving touchdowns this season. Johnson and fellow senior receiver John Murray are tied for third in the GAC in receptions with 30 each.
Junior linebacker Kahlil Mitchell continued his strong play against the Crimson Storm. He made six tackles, a tackle for a loss and forced a crucial fumble. He leads the defense with 4.5 tackles for a loss this season.
Senior linebacker Cameron Sonnier leads the team with 45 tackles through the first five games. Senior defensive back Malik Brown is second with 36.
The Reddies’ defense held the Crimson Storm to just 69 total yards of offense in the second half, but Saturday could be a shootout. Henderson forced two turnovers deep in Southern Nazarene territory, which led to the game-winning scores in the final two quarters.
Both Henderson and Oklahoma Baptist have been inconsistent on defense this season. The Reddies rank 11th in the GAC in total defense, allowing 410.4 yards per game. The Bison rank last at 455 yards per game.
Oklahoma Baptist was picked last in the GAC’s preseason coaches poll, but the Bison began the season 2-0 with wins over East Central (2-3) and Southeastern Oklahoma State (3-2). The Bison were outscored, 87-14, in consecutive losses to Arkansas Tech (2-3) and Harding (4-1) before losing a 55-45 shootout on Saturday against Southern Arkansas (5-0).
Haire broke two program records in the loss. He threw for 476 yards and five touchdowns.
It was the first 400-yard passing game in program history.
His favorite weapon is senior receiver Cagney Roberson who leads the conference with 37 receptions and is fifth in receiving yards with 409. The Bison have struggled to run the ball and averaged only 96.4 yards per game on the ground, last in the GAC.
Oklahoma Baptist’s defense is led by defensive back Felipe Alvear with 49 tackles. Defensive lineman Robert Lolofie has a team-high 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks. The Bison are last in run defense, allowing 269.8 rushing yards per game.
Henderson has the fifth-best scoring offense in the league, averaging 26.8 points and 388.2 yards, but the Reddies have leaned on the passing game. Henderson is the second-least penalized team in the
league with 48.6 penalty yards per game.
The Reddies have lost their last two games on Hall of Honor recognition day. They lost last season, 42-28, against Southern Nazarene, while Harding won, 35-3, at Carpenter-Haygood in 2016.
Henderson is undefeated in the series, but Oklahoma Baptist has made the games close. The 2015 GAC champion Reddies escaped Oklahoma Baptist, 22-14, to clinch the conference title. The 2017 team brought home a narrow 14-13 win from Shawnee, Okla.
Check-in for Family Day will begin at
1:30 a.m. in the Duke Wells Center gymnasium. Games and activities will be set up in the east parking lot. A tailgate meal will be
$4 plus tax per person and will be available between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.