Reddies, Muleriders to meet in Murphy USA Classic

EL DORADO - Henderson State travels to El Dorado to take part in the eighth annual Murphy USA Classic today against Southern Arkansas with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

The Reddies will be making their third appearance in the event having won the prior two games. Southern Arkansas will be playing for the sixth time, winning for the first time last year with a 32-28 victory over Ouachita Baptist.

The game is also a homecoming for several former Union County standouts.

Henderson State senior linebacker Josh Davis returns to El Dorado where he starred for the Wildcats.

Davis, who had 103 tackles as a junior, has 46 tackles in seven games along with one interception and one sack.

When the Reddies topped the Muleriders 55-41 in the 2014 Murphy USA Classic, Davis had a career-high 14 tackles to lead the Reddies along with a sack and three quarterback hurries.

Another member of the Reddies with local ties is former Smackover standout Ty Davis, who is a redshirt freshman for HSU.

Southern Arkansas also has two players from Union County schools.

Former Smackover standout Keiandre Purifoy is a freshman for the Muleriders who has had a solid debut season.

In seven games, Purifoy has rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries for the Muleriders. He has also caught two passes for six yards.

Kyler Means, a redshirt sophomore kicker/punter for SAU, played at Norphlet before finishing his prep career at Hope.

He is averaging 34.7 yards on three punts.

Last week against Ouachita Baptist, Purifoy had 50 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Henderson (6-1) is ranked No. 15 in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll, but will have to contend with not only one of the top offenses in the Great American Conference, but also a stout Mulerider defense.

Southern Arkansas (5-2) is second in the GAC in total offense averaging 448.6 yards per game, while the defensive ranks second allowing 319.1 yards per contest.

The Muleriders lead the GAC in pass defense, surrendering just 137.7 yards per game, including a league best 11 interceptions.

Barrett Renner is one of the top quarterbacks in the GAC, ranking second averaging 270.7 yards passing per game. The sophomore has completed 161-of-253 passes and has totaled 12 touchdowns. Last year against the Reddies, Renner completed 28-of-42 for 256 yards and two scores.

Michael Nunnery leads the SAU ground game having rushed for 579 yards on 113 attempts. Nunnery carried the ball 16 times for 44 yards a year ago against the Reddies.

SAU collectively has one of the best receiving corps in the GAC. Jonathan Weisheit leads the team with 37 receptions for 406 yards, while Karonce Higgins has 394 yards on 27 catches.

Tanner Hudson is also a threat having 29 catches for 360 yards.

The defense is led by junior rover Elgin Moore, who has 50 tackles including four tackles for lost yardage. Q’Niko Thomas has 39 tackles and a pair of interceptions at his free safety position, while linebacker Corey Jenkins has 38 total stops and ranks second in the GAC in tackles for loss with 8.0.

Last week, the Muleriders fell to Ouachita Baptist 40-37 in four overtimes.

Renner was 34-of-48 for 344 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Nunnery had 121 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Hudson was one of three players with seven catches, finishing with 77 yards in the contest.

Henderson State got back to winning form last week with a 45-17 win over Arkansas-Monticello. The Reddies compiled 513 yards of offense on 55 plays averaging 9.3 yards per play.

Andrew Black completed 6-of-12 passes for 70 yards while rushing for 90 yards on five carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run.

Black has completed 79-of-126 passes for 940 yards and three scores this season. The sophomore is third in rushing for the Reddies having carried the ball 52 times for 316 yards.

Evan Lassiter entered the game in the second half at quarterback for Henderson and completed 5-of-8 passes for 121 yards.

The senior has completed 57-of-86 passes for 691 yards this season and has recorded five touchdown tosses.

The Reddies totaled 295 yards rushing a week ago against UAM with Jeremy Wilson leading the way with 98 yards on 10 carries with a pair of touchdowns, including a season-long of 78 yards. Wilson leads Henderson’s ground game averaging 70.6 yards per game including eight touchdowns.

Jaquan Cole also had a solid game with 76 yards on six carries and two touchdowns. Cole has totaled 346 yards on 62 attempts this season with four touchdowns.

Courtney Whitehead continues to lead the Reddie receivers with 33 catches for 493 yards. Austin Bennett has 18 receptions for 216 yards, while Jacoby Lewis has 23 catches for 174 yards.

Henderson’s defense recorded six tackles for loss and 11 pass breakups against UAM a week ago.

Cameron Sonnier leads the Reddies defensively with 65 tackles, including a league-best 8 1/2 tackles for lost yardage. Sonnier has compiled 27 tackles the past two games. Sheldon Watson leads the league in interceptions with four while having 33 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

Southern Arkansas and Henderson State meet for the 78th time in a series which dates back to 1919.

The Reddies have a 44-33-1 lead in the series, including winning the last nine straight. Henderson State won last year 29-28 in Arkadelphia.

Coach Scott Maxfield is 9-1 all-time against SAU with the lone loss being a 35-23 setback in 2005.

The Reddies recorded a 55-41 win over SAU in the Murphy USA Classic in 2014.