It is the battle of the unbeatens as Henderson State travels to Durant, Okla., to face Southeastern Oklahoma State today at Paul Laird Field.
The No. 13 Reddies (4-0), who are ranked in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25, are coming off the greatest comeback victory in Great American Conference history after trailing 28-0 at the end of the first quarter before coming back to defeat Southern Arkansas 55-38. The Savage Storm took a 31-10 over Southern Nazarene despite its lowest offensive output of the season with just 257 total yards of offense.
The winner of this game will sit atop the GAC standings for the first time in three seasons after Ouachita Baptist picked up its first loss against a conference foe after a 30-game win streak.
The Reddies lead NCAA Division II in scoring with 50 points per game and is second in total offense with 528.2 yards. They also lead the GAC in turnover margin (+1.25), turnovers gained (12), are second in the GAC and Division II in first downs (118) and are No. 1 in the GAC and No. 2 in Division II in Red Zone scoring.
Reddies kicker Temo Martinez was the league's special teams player of the week with 8 of 8 PATs and a pooch kickoff that the team recovered in a 35-point second quarter. Quarterback Adam Morse is 83-for-126 passing for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns against six interceptions this season while L'liott Curry has caught 32 of those for 513 yards and six scores.
Quarterback Daulton Hatley leads SEOSU with 77 of 122 for 984 yards passing, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. Braxton Kincade has 17 receptions for 211 yards and four scores, and C.J. Shavers has 44 rushes for 283 yards and a touchdown.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
NWOSU VISITS NO. 17/19 OBU
The Tigers (3-1) return home to face Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-4), which has yet to find its first win.
OBU, ranked No. 19 in the AFCA poll and No. 17 in the D2football.com poll, had its 30-game conference win streak snapped against Harding, a 38-21 loss for a team that had not lost a GAC game since falling to the Bisons on Oct. 7, 2017. The Rangers fell 20-17 to East Central last week in overtime, its closest contest of the season.
Tigers quarterback Grant Allen is 28-for-47 passing for 366 yards and two touchdowns this season despite being held to 10 of 14 for 88 yards and a score last week. T.J. Cole, who threw a 35-yard halfback pass to Hayden Waller for a touchdown last week, has 81 carries for 498 yards and three touchdowns this season while Connor Flannigan has nine catches for 11 yards and one score. Kendel Givens leads the Tigers with 10 of the team's 14 touchdowns on 52 carries for 300 yards.
Rangers quarterback Tanner Clarkson is 92-for-149 passing for 1,134 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions. Gavin Garner leads the team's receivers corps with 22 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns while Torrence Stevens had 25 catches for 305 and two TDs. Calion Baker leads the team's ground game with 204 yards and two scores on 43 carries.
Kickoff at Cliff Harris Stadium is set for noon.
ATU, SNU LOOK FOR 1ST WIN
The outcome of this game is as certain as the HSU-SEOSU contest in that one of these two teams will earn its first win.
Arkansas Tech (0-4) comes into today's game off a 27-20 loss to Arkansas-Monticello last week while Southern Nazarene (0-4) fell to SEOSU 31-10.
Wonder Boys QB Jack Lindsey is coming off his best game statistically, having put up 247 yards of total offense. Lindsey is 57-for-109 passing for 507 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions on the season, for a completion percentage of just 52.3%.
Joyrion Chase has reeled in 14 of those passes for 147 yards and a touchdown while Caleb Batie leads the team on the ground with 62 carries for 189 yards and two scores. Arkansas Tech averages 18.5 points offensively while allowing 29 points per game.
The Crimson Storm outgained SEOSU 393-257 last week and are in the league's basement in total offense with 259.8 yards per game and scoring (12.2 ppg).
Jarvis Davis is 31-for-73 passing for 422 yards on the season with three interceptions and just two touchdowns with Reid Roelofs leading the receivers corps with 14 catches for 163 yards. Davis also leads the team's ground game with 41 scrambles for 159 yards and a touchdown while Christian Shlemire, the team's next-highest rusher, has 16 carries for just 79 yards.
Kickoff at SNU Football Stadium in Bethany, Okla., is at 1 p.m.
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST HOSTS HARDING
It is the Bisons visiting the Bison today at Crain Family Stadium in Shawnee, Okla., as Harding (3-1) travels to Oklahoma Baptist (3-1) in a game that features contrasting styles of offense.
The Bisons are coming off a 38-21 win over OBU that snapped a 30-game conference win streak while the Bison eked past SWOSU 31-27. Harding leads all of Division II in rushing with an average of 387.2 yards per game while Oklahoma Baptist is second in the GAC and No. 18 in Division II in passing with 303.2 yards per game.
Oklahoma Baptist quarterback Preston Haire has completed 67.9% of his passes with 114 of 168 for 1,200 yards with three inteceptions. Keilahn Harris has seven touchdowns on 41 catches for 470 yards while Josh Cornell has 26 catches for 208 yards and three scores. Tyler Stuever lead the Bison on the ground with 529 yards on 90 carries with three scores.
Cole Chancey leads Harding with 406 yards on 87 carries and seven touchdowns with Omar Sinclair adding four scores on 40 carries for 399 yards. Quarterback Preston Paden is just 5-for-13 passing for 103 yards and a touchdown with Kage Citty snagging two for 38 and the score.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
SAU AIMS FOR TURNAROUND
After picking up two straight losses, Southern Arkansas (2-2) is looking to right the ship against East Central (3-1) today at Koi Ishto Stadium in Ada, Okla.
The Muleriders gained 577 yards and picked off four HSU passes in a 56-49 loss to the Reddies last week after committing four turnovers, in addition to losing possession of a pooch kick that led to a 35-point second quarter for HSU. The Tigers are 11th of 12 in the league in scoring with 18.2 ppg, last in time of possession (26:03) but is season in scoring defense (17 ppg) and total defense (310.0 ypg).
SAU QB Hayden Mallory is 90-for-140 passing for 1,084 yards and 12 touchdowns with Micah Small leading the receivers with 25 catches for 389 yards and six scores. Jariq Scales has 88 carries for 544 yards and four TDs.
Kenny Hrncir runs the Tigers' offense, completing 47 of 95 for 724 yards and six scores. Chris Shaw leads the team with eight catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns, while Ontario Douglas leads the ground game with 73 carries for 391 yards and two TDs.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
WEEVILS HOST BULLDOGS
Coming off a 27-20 win over Arkansas Tech, Arkansas-Monticello (2-2) are looking to start a streak as they face winless Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-4) today at Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
Gregg Hooks, an Osceola grad, picked off an Arkansas Tech pass with 3:28 left in the game last week for a 77-yard touchdown to secure the team's win over the Wonder Boys, despite 16 penalties for 152 yards. The Bulldogs fell 31-27 to Oklahoma Baptist, its closest to a win this season.
Weevils QB Demilon Brown is passing at a 63.1% clip (77-122-3) for 943 yards and six touchdowns this season with C.J. Parham leading the way with 26 catches for 352 yards and three scores. Brown leads the team on the ground with 50 carries for 254 yards and five scores while Devontae Dean has 68 touches for 239 yards and a TD.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.