Although going head-to-head with an NFL game and not available in all areas, Henderson State's home football opener tonight has a national audience.
CBS Sports Network, which can be seen in 100 million homes worldwide, will air the Reddies' 7 p.m. Great American Conference game against Southeastern Oklahoma. According to a Henderson State release, CBS Sports Network is avaiable across the country through local cable, video and telecommunication providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. According to the release, the game also can be seen on AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 and on SuddenLink Channel 123 and may be viewed online at www.hsusports.com.
(Radio outlets are ESPN 106.9-FM in Arkadelphia, ESPN 100.7 FM/1310 AM in Hot Springs and Malvern and 920 AM The Sports Animal in Little Rock. Phil Elson is the Reddies' play-by-man, assisted in the booth by RJ Hawk and with sideline reporting by Fountain Lake High graduate Hunter Lively.)
Henderson State enters 2-0 after a conference win at Southern Nazarene and Saturday's 27-10 victory over NCAA Football Championship Subdivision opponent Nicholls State. The Reddies seek their 23rd consecutive Great American Conference win against the 1-1 Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm, wnich defeated Arkansas-Monticello 52-49 last wewek on Jake Walters' 19-yard field goal as time expired.
Southeastern quarterback Ryan Polite completed 22 of 30 passes for 304 yards last week. Devion Wortham has back-to-back games of more than 100 yards rushing, going for 228 yards on 14 carries in a season-opening loss to Southern Arkansas.
Henderson State, ranked No. 7 in the latest American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II Top 25, averages 521 yards and 49.5 points per game.
Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers needs 106 yards to become the all-time leader for career passing yards in Arkansas collegiate football, surpassing the 10,758 yards by Arkansas State's Ryan Aplin from 2009-2012.
Rodgers has completed 70 percent of his passes (50-of-71) for an average of 288.5 yards per game, although 169 yards passing last week represented his lowest total since a 158-yard game against McKendree in November 2011.
Darius Davis, HSU's all-time leading receiver, averages 114 yards per game with five touchdowns. Eleven Reddie receivers have caught passes this season, Joseph Snapp with 10 receptions for 128 yards and Mark Czaus 10 for 96 yards with touchdowns in both games.
Lawson Schultz leads the Reddie defense with 11 tackles, recording seven stops and a fumble recovery last week against Nicholls State. Wesley Brady and Josh Davis follow with nine tackles each.
En route to its second-straight conference title, Henderson State outscored Southeastern Oklahoma 20-0 in the fourth quarter for a 44-35 road victory last year. Rodgers connected with Davis for a 26-yard touchdown pass that put the Reddies up 34-28 with 12:58 to go. Linebacker Keaton Stigger ran for four touchdowns in a goal-line offensive package, going over from two yards out for a 41-28 lead with 10:49 remaining.
The Reddies play next week at East Central (Ada, Okla.) before an Oct. 4 home game (3 p.m.) against Northwestern Oklahoma. HSU's other home games are Oct. 25 vs. Harding (homecoming), Nov. 1 vs. Arkansas-Monticello and Nov. 15 vs. Ouachita Baptist. The Reddies' Nov. 8 game with Southern Arkansas is at Memorial Stadium in El Dorado.
Other games Saturday involving Arkansas GAC schools are UA-Monticello at Northwestern Oklahoma, Southern Arkansas at Southwestern Oklahoma, East Central at Ouachita Baptist and Southern Nazarene at Arkansas Tech.
Sports on 09/18/2014