Rodgers piles up 468 yards, 6 TDs

HENDERSON STATE 82, SOUTHERN NAZARENE 10

ARKADELPHIA — In one half, Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers turned in a full game’s work, and then some, on a record-setting day for the Reddies.

Rodgers passed for all six of his touchdowns in the first half Saturday as HSU thumped Southern Nazarene 82-10 in the Great American Conference opener at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

“We came out real strong and executed real well,” HSU Coach Scott Maxfield said after winning his 50th game. “That’s what you want in the first game of the year.”

Rodgers, last season’s GAC offensive player of the year, finished 17 of 25 for 468 yards with 1 interception as the defending conference champions dismantled provisional member Southern Nazarene.

Rodgers, a junior from Rockwall, Texas, passed for 444 yards in the first half and hit four different receivers for touchdowns to build a 49-7 lead going into halftime. He finished the game 213 yards short of the NCAA Division II single-game record 681 set by Eastern New Mexico’s J.J. Harp in 2009.

Houston’s David Klingler holds the NCAA record with 716 yards against Arizona State in 1990.

“It think it floats around in everyone’s mind,” Rodgers said of the record-setting possibilities. “But I don’t really focus on that.”

While the individual record eluded Rodgers, who sat out most of the second half, Henderson State finished with a school- and conference-record 855 total yards and scored its most points since amassing 99 against Arkansas College in 1932.

The Reddies scored on 7 of 10 first-half possessions, with one of Rodgers’ few blots an interception he threw on the run that set up Southern Nazarene’s lone first-half score. Otherwise there was little to criticize as Rodgers had touchdown passes of 41, 59, 71, 29, 59 and 6 yards.

“We had some wideopen guys,” Maxfield said. “I thought [Rodgers] came out pretty accurate and made some good decisions with the football.”

Israel Valentine had three touchdown receptions in the half while Robert Jordan, Dustin Holland and Darius Davis had one each, with Davis breaking off the 71-yard score when he broke free on a receiver screen.

Holland led HSU receivers with 124 yards on three receptions. Valentine finished with 118 yards on four receptions, and Jordan had four receptions for 111 yards.

Kevin Nichols provided the rushing touchdown on a 4-yard run set up by Holland’s 55-yard catch and run early in the second quarter.

The Reddies defense held the Crimson Storm to 141 yards in the first half, 38 on the ground, with one fourth-down stop. Tim Llewellyn grabbed a tipped-ball interception for HSU, and the punt team allowed minus-4 yards on the Reddies’ one punt of the half, a 50-yarder by Christian Latoof.

Daniel McCoy added his first career rushing touchdown, covering 45 yards, to cap HSU’s first drive of the second half. Addison Allen kicked a 21-yard field goal that made it 59-7 with 4:45 left in the third quarter, then Rodgers took a seat as redshirt freshman Dallas Hardison replaced him.

“We wanted to give our other kids an opportunity to get in the game,” said Maxfield, who knew some records were at stake. “This game was getting out of hand. There’s no reason to do that to another team.”

On Hardison’s second play he handed to leading rusher Ryan McDonald, who went off tackle 49 yards for another score that made it 66-7 with 3:25 left in the third quarter. McDonald scored on a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter and finished with 139 yards on 16 carries.

Allen added a 23- yard field goal in the second half and Southern Nazarene’s Trey Hills kicked one to cap the Crimson Storm’s scoring.

Glennon Bobo had a sack in the second half for the Reddies and Ricky Cortes had a fumble return for a score.

EAST CENTRAL (OKLA.) 46, ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 22

ADA, Okla. — Arkansas Monticello couldn’t overcome five turnovers and fell to East Central (Okla.) on Saturday night at Norris Field.

The Boll Weevils ( 0- 1, 0- 1 Great American Conference) could not overcome a 19-point second quarter as the Tigers (1-0, 1-0) turned a 14-5 lead after the first quarter into a 33-8 halftime advantage. UAM trailed 7-5 after Alex Black tackled JoJo Snell in the end zone for a safety with 4:10 left in the first quarter.

UAM scored twice in the third quarter on an 8-yard pass from Colton Morrison to Cody Bordelon and a 2-yard run by Rod Smith to make it 40-22 with 1:10 left.