SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (1-8, 1-8 GAC) will make its third and final trip to the Natural State this season for a Saturday afternoon faceoff with Henderson State (7-2, 7-2 GAC). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. inside Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at GeoSurfaces Field.
The Reddies bring an all-time 6-0 record against the Bison, with Saturday's contest marking the third meeting in Arkadelphia.
Live video of the contest will be available on
HSUSports.com and fans can listen to the broadcast on the
Bison Radio Network with the duo of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish
.
Game Notes
OPENING KICKOFF
- The Bison fell 52-20 to the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas last week. Despite chalking up 322 yards of offense, including 198 through the air, SAU controlled all phases of the game to prevent OBU from developing any rhythm.
LAST TIME VERSUS HENDERSON STATE
- Oklahoma Baptist and Henderson State met with NCAA playoff implications a season ago. A field goal as time expired lifted the Reddies to a 36-34 victory in one of the most anticipated contests of the year. The clubs combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense, led by HSU's 580 total yards. Even with the Reddies controlling possession for almost 10 more minutes, the Bison led with a little over two minutes left in the contest. As mentioned, Henderson took advantage of the time allotted.
- After the Bison built a 14-9 lead going into halftime, the two combined for 47 points in the second half. A 41-yard Preston Haire scamper gave OBU a 34-33 lead with 3:37 remaining. On the ensuing HSU drive, Josh Arnold picked the Reddies off to give Oklahoma Baptist the ball on the opponent's 17-yard line. The action was to no avail as Henderson held the Bison offense at bay to allow a game-winning drive.
- Preston Haire threw for 173 yards and three touchdowns, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. Three completions went to Josh Cornell, which gave him the all-time Bison record for career receptions. He'd add a score while Keilahn Harris reeled in a team-best five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. The rushing attack consisted of Tyler Stuever and Preston Haire, as the duo recorded 103 and 86 yards, respectively. Each added a score. Defensively, Nick Boone finished with 10 tackles, while Josh Arnold made nine stops and caught an interception. Robert Lolofie totaled 2.5 sacks to go along with six total tackles.
KICKING INTO HISTORY
- Sophomore kicker Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez has been one of the bright spots of OBU's season. He has made seven of eight field goal attempts, including a career-high of two last week against SAU. His only miss came on a 50-yard attempt against Southeastern in week eight. The Dickinson, Texas, native needs two more makes to tie the Bison single-season record (9) set by Austin Manger in 2013.
- In his career, Garcia Rodriguez's leg has split the goalposts 12 times, one off Luke Wendl's program record (13). It took Wendl 30 games to set the mark. Garcia Rodriguez has seen action in 21 games while on Bison Hill. In week five against Harding, he passed Manger (9) on the OBU career makes list. He is tied for fourth in the GAC for field goals this season.
GOING FOR IT ALL
- Keilahn Harris became the all-time leader for career receptions and yards in Oklahoma Baptist history versus Southern Arkansas. Harris caught 10 passes for 76 yards to eclipse the program marks held by Josh Cornell. He has the opportunity to break the career receiving touchdowns record, also owned by Cornell, with four more touchdown receptions. Furthermore, the Richardson, Texas, native can become the second Bison wideout to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Cornell did it in 2019-2021.
- Harris leads the GAC and ranks No. 6 in the country for all-purpose yards (1,481), averaging 164.6 yards per contest. His 513 kickoff return yards are a conference-best, while his 22.3 yards per return average ranks fourth.
- The junior totals 3,810 career all-purpose yards, which is 14th on the Division II active career leader charts. He is one of two GAC athletes in the top-15 of the list, joining Ouachita's TJ Cole (4,015), who is 10th. Harris reached the figure in 32 career games, while the players above him have competed in 38 or more contests.
AN OPPORTUNITY
- Saturday presents a grand opportunity for the Oklahoma Baptist offense. Henderson State enters the weekend with the worst passing defense in the conference. The Reddies are giving up 259.3 yards through the air per game and have allowed 18 touchdown catches. Of 163 DII schools that are ranked, HSU is 154th.
- Despite injuries at the quarterback position, OBU has the fourth-best passing attack in the league. The Bison have compiled 2,112 yards through the air, averaging 234.7 yards per contest. A trio of signal callers, Dayton Wolfe, Aidan Thompson, and Seth Streeter, are this season's total contributors. Wolfe leads the group with 1,419 yards, while the others have 353 and 321 yards, respectively.
DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
- Elijah Tomlin and Kaleb Peters lead the Bison defensive charge with matching tackle totals of 72. The figure is 8th in the GAC. Peters adds a team-high in forced fumbles (2) and ranks second on the squad in interceptions (2). Linebacker Nick Boone follows the duo with 58 tackles, a team-leading 5.0 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. Trailing Boone is sophomore defensive back KJ Price Jr. He has 53 stops, 3.0 sacks, and is tied for the team lead in pass break-ups (4).
- On the perimeter, the work of freshman Chase Whitebear has made a lot of noise. Whitebear's three interceptions are tied for third in the GAC, ranking as one of two freshman with that many. He adds four pass break-ups, a forced fumble, 48 tackles, and ranks second on the team in TFLs (4.5).
- Peter Popoola, Brett Karhu, and Xavier Lott command the defensive line. Popoola and Karhu have matching totals in TFLs (3.5) and sacks (1.0).
SCOUTING THE REDDIES
- Henderson State enters week 10 on a three-game winning streak and an overall record to 7-2. With triumphs over nationally ranked Harding (15-14), Arkansas Tech (35-19), and Southern Nazarene (42-41 OT), the Reddies are tied for second place in the Great American Conference standings.
- The Reddies have been a disciplined squad thus far, ranking as the second-least penalized team in the GAC with 48 penalties. The figure directly correlates to its overall ranking as the conference lead in the category, Harding, is locked at No. 2 with the HSU in the league standings. Additionally, Henderson has blocked five kicks, which is tied for second in the GAC and is 15th in Division II.
- HSU has the fourth-best offense in the league, averaging 422.6 yards per game, while its passing attack ranks second. Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Edwards, the Reddies have thrown for 2,084 yards (231.6/gm) and 19 touchdowns. Edwards has 1,637 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. Additionally, he has the highest passing efficiency (167.8) among all GAC quarterbacks with 1,500 yards or more.
- Harris' favorite target, Xavier Malone, ranks third in the country in receiving yards (1,055), while his 12 touchdown grabs are second in the conference. Malone's 51 receptions are second in the GAC and rank 21st in the DII. Running back Korien Burrell has the third-most yards in the league (867), to go along with 12 scores.
- On defense, the Reddies have the second-best rushing defense, conceding 139.4 yards per game, and have tallied the second-most TFLs (60.0) and sacks (20.0) in the conference. Jakob Neel heads the force with 50 tackles, while Andrew trails with 48. Defensive lineman leads the GAC in TFLs (9.0) and has forced a team-best in fumbles (2). The redshirt freshman adds 4.0 sacks, which is tied for a team lead with Shaq'ke Robinson. Defensive back Darrick Rose Jr. steers the secondary with three interceptions and a conference-best seven pass break-ups.
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