SHAWNEE – A 17-point first-half deficit proved too much for Oklahoma Baptist (3-2) as they fell 27-14 against the No. 24 Reddies of Henderson State (4-1) on Saturday inside Crain Family Stadium.
HSU held the Bison to a mere 119 yards of offense in the first half while the opposition racked up 210 yards, including 125 yards on the ground. OBU trimmed the margin for the contest, though, finishing with 260 yards compared to Henderson's 292.
Costly penalties were a thorn in the Bison's side as eight accounted for 67 yards lost, the most all season. Conversely, the Reddies committed four en route to tonight's victory.
Out of the gate, HSU reached paydirt on its opening drive, marching 40 yards in four plays to go up by one score. Oklahoma Baptist answered when the field switched sides, as an Aidan Thompson and Charles Whitebear connection knotted the contest after a successful point-after from Luke Watkins.
On its next possession, the Reddies completed another scoring effort to extend the lead to 14-7 before the end of the opening stanza. Then, in the second quarter, the Bison attack fell silent. They only recorded two first downs and 42 total yards.
Meanwhile, a potent HSU offense tacked on a field goal and another touchdown to put OBU down before the break.
Yards were even tougher to come by in the third quarter, as a total of 18 yards hit the stat sheet for the Bison. The case was the same for Henderson, who saw an OBU defense stiffen to allow no points until late in the closing quarter.
Oklahoma Baptist found success once more with 58 seconds remaining, as Camden McCrary hit Whitebear on a fade route for his second touchdown reception of the game.
Whitebear, a sophomore wideout, finished with two scores, a single-game career-high. Whitebear caught three passes for 32 yards. Michael Marshall reeled in seven receptions for 95 yards, highlighted by a 28-yard scamper.
Thompson threw for 137 yards and a score, while McCrary notched his first career passing touchdown after leading a 12-play, 61-yard drive late in the fourth. He finished with 61 yards and four completions.
Defensively, Scooter Baker turned his second-consecutive double-digit tackle performance, finishing with 11 stops and 0.5 tackles-for-loss. Brayden Johnson followed with eight tackles and 1.5 TFL, while Jake Landers and Brandon Spencer recorded seven and six stops, respectively.
Brett Karhu registered six tackles, including a sack and 2.0 TFL, while Rian Fields had a sack.
Next up, Oklahoma Baptist will travel to Magnolia, Ark. to take on Southern Arkansas (4-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
