Reddies host East Central for homecoming

ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State is looking to keep things going this week as it welcomes East Central to Carpenter-Haygood Stadium for homecoming today at 2 p.m.

The Reddies (5-1) are coming off a

35-7 win over Southwestern Oklahoma last week when Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week nickel back Mercado Anderson had nine tackles, three for loss, two sacks, an interception, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry in Weatherford, Okla. The Tigers (1-5) were dismantled by Ouachita Baptist, 31-3, and freshman quarterback Kenny Hrncir played in just three series and did not return after OBU took a 17-0 lead.

The Reddies lead the series 17-12-1 after last year’s 31-10 win in Ada, Okla., but the Tigers have won the last two meetings played in Arkadelphia — 2416 in 2017 and 35-28 in 2015. HSU are No. 2 in the GAC in scoring (31.8 points per game), total offense (415.5 yards per game) and passing offense (256.3 yards per game).

HSU’s defense is also No. 2 in yards allowed with 288.7 per game and is No.

3 in the league and No. 9 in Division II in fewest points allowed (13.8 points per game). ECU features the league’s top rusher in redshirt sophomore Ontario Douglas who has 791 yards on 133 touches with 11 touchdowns as well as leads the GAC and is No. 12 in DII with

158.3 all-purpose yards per game.

Okla. Baptist at OBU

ARKADELPHIA — No. 5/5 Ouachita Baptist looks to continue its winning ways as the Tigers host the Oklahoma Baptist Bison at 1 p.m. at Cliff Harris Stadium.

The Tigers (6-0) have a 22-game win streak against teams in the GAC dating back to the 2017 season when they went 9-3 (9-2 GAC), and they hold a 6-2-1 lead in the all-time series after last year’s 58-21 rout in Shawnee, Okla. The Bison (3-3) are coming off a 50-33 loss to Harding last week, but OBU head coach Todd Knight notes that the Bison are “about 3 plays from being 5-1,” as they lead the league in scoring with 36.0 ppg and have not scored less than 28 points in a game.

Bison quarterback Preston Haire is 147-for-232 passing for 1,655 yards with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions while running for 427 yards and five more scores. The junior is the team’s primary workhorse with five TDs in last week’s game (three more than Harding allowed in its first five games combined) in an offense that includes receiver Joshua Cornell, who has caught 50 passes for 701 yards and eight TDs.

OBU quarterback Brayden Brazeal leads the country in completion percentage (78.7) with 95 of 122 passing for 1,120 yards and nine scores. The Tigers also sports the national leader in receptions in Allie Freeman (56), goal-line specialist Brockton Brown

(389 yards rushing, 9 TDs) and the defense ranked No. 2 in the GAC and No. 7 in Division II in points allowed

(12.7 ppg).

SEOSU at SAU

MAGNOLIA — Southern Arkansas has truly recovered from its 31-0 loss to Harding in Week 3, and the Muleriders hope to stretch their win streak out to four as Southeastern Oklahoma State visits Wilkins Stadium today at 2:30 p.m.

The Muleriders (5-1) have turned things around after the home shutout, outscoring their opponents 11741 over the last four weeks including last week’s 40-7 rout of Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva. SEOSU (1-5) lost a heartbreaker last week to Arkansas-Monticello after a 10-yard safety with 10 minutes left in the game.

The Savage Storm combined for just 203 yards of offense while allowing

79, led by quarterback Rollin Kinsaul’s

13-for-23 passing for 110 yards and rushing for 20 and running back Rashod Polk’s 17 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Last year, the Savage Storm handed the Muleriders their first loss,

21-0, but SAU leads the series, 22-19-3. SAU has the top red-zone offense in the GAC and No. 3 in Division II as it scores on 95.7% of its possessions inside the opponent’s 20, and it also has the No. 2 rushing attack in the GAC

(236.8 ypg). SEOSU, in its first season under head coach Tyler Fenwick, is third in the league in passing (253.2 ypg), sixth in total offense (378.2 ypg) but 10th in scoring offense (19 ppg).

SWOSU at Harding

SEARCY — No. 21/16 Harding has played like a team with something to prove after its Week 1 loss to OBU, and nothing less is expected as the SWOSU Bulldogs visit First Security Stadium today at 3 p.m.

The Bisons (5-1) dropped from No.

1 to No. 3 in the country in scoring defense (10.6 ppg) and total defense

(223.6 ypg) after allowing 353 yards in a 50-33 win over Oklahoma Baptist last week. The Bulldogs (2-4) are on a four-loss stretch after a 2-0 start to the season.

Leading the series 9-5, the Bisons are led offensively by co-GAC Offensive Player of the Week Cole Chancey

(19-233 rushing, 2 TDs). Harding (335.7 ypg) leads the GAC and is No. 3 in the nation in rushing after putting up 492 yards against Oklahoma Baptist.

The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Tyler Marr (1,276 passing, 11 TDs) and receiver Jared Rayburn (21-409,

5). Marr leads the GAC in yards per completion (14.7) but is 10th with a 47.3 completion percentage.

SNU at UAM

MONTICELLO — Arkansas-Monticello looks to keep dominating Southern Nazarene after last year’s 35-12 win in Bethany, Okla., pushed the series out to 5-1 for the Boll Weevils.

The Weevils (4-2) host the Crimson Storm (2-4) at 3 p.m. at Boll Weevil Stadium after defeating SEOSU for the first time since 2013. True freshman quarterback Demilon Brown (6 of 17 passing, 27 yards) led the Boll Weevils in rushing with 14 carries for 87 yards.

The Crimson Storm enters the contest off a 41-24 rout of Arkansas Tech in Bethany, Okla., and is led by Gage Porter, the co-GAC Offensive Player of the Week. Porter accounted for 380 of the Crimson Storm’s 412 yards against Arkansas Tech, the second-highest total in Division II this season.

NWOSU at Ark. Tech

RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech continues the search for its first win of the season as NWOSU visits Buerkle Field at 2 p.m. today.

The Wonder Boys (0-6) have yet to find the perfect combination to get a mark in the win column and are on an eight-loss streak dating to last season. The Rangers (2-4) are looking to rebounds for back-to-back losses to HSU

(47-7) and SAU (40-7) and after last year’s 21-0 win in Alva, looks to cut Arkansas Tech’s series lead (11-5) to five.

The Wonder Boys turned in their first loss to SNU after outscoring them

267-45 in the six previous meetings, falling behind 28-0 in the first half. Liberty University transfer Mason Cunningham (52-102, 487, 2 TDs, 7 INTs) will start again at quarterback despite throwing four interceptions last week, according to first-year head coach Kyle Shipp.

The Rangers were led by quarterback Trent Easley with 12 of 20 passing for 185 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Jacob Peyton led the team on the ground with eight carries for 43 yards. The Rangers have the No.

6 rushing defense (200.3 ypg) and pass defense (183.8 ypg) in the GAC as they face the GAC’s No. 7 rushing offense

(161.3 ypg) and No. 8 pass offense (170.3 ypg).