Just when you think you may have a pulse on how the season is likely to finish in the GAC, teams go out and surprise you. As it stands now in the GAC, Henderson sits atop the conference alone and controls their own destiny. Win out and the Reddies win the GAC and go to the playoffs. Arkansas Tech, East Central, Harding and Southern Arkansas still have an outside shot at the playoffs with the way things have gone in the wider region. All four definitely have a good chance to land in the Live United Bowl, but to ensure they have any post-season, all four need to win out. The next few weeks will be interesting as every game is huge.


Southwestern Oklahoma (4-3) at Oklahoma Baptist (2-5)---12pm


Arkansas-Monticello (1-6) at Ouachita Baptist (4-3)---1pm


Southeastern Oklahoma (3-4) at Arkansas Tech (5-2)---2pmrd and 3, failed to convert and were forced to kick a 35-yard field goal. Harding on their possession drove the field and on a 4th and goal at the goal line, punched it in for the touchdown. Arkansas Tech dropped a heartbreaker to East Central, losing 20-19. The Wonder Boys drove the field late in the game only to throw an interception deep in the red zone that sealed the win for the Tigers.

Southeastern all year has been a dangerous team. However, they have struggled to finish games usually due to self-inflicted wounds in the execution phase. Arkansas Tech has really made offensive improvements, but they have struggled on the road. Tech still has post-season possibilities and this game is in Russellville where the Wonder Boys have been dominant. I like Arkansas Tech to take this one in a squeaker.



East Central (5-2) at Harding (5-2)---2pmth quarter, but again mistakes helped setup Southeastern who took advantage by tying the game at 35 and sending it into overtime. In overtime Harding drove and scored a TD on their possession, they held Southeastern to a 4th and 28 at the 33-yard line and then Southeastern scored a touchdown on the Hail Mary. After a couple more rounds of tit-for-tat touchdown scoring, the Savage Storm offense was forced to kick a field goal in the fourth overtime. Harding took advantage and punched it into the end zone on 4th


Northwestern Oklahoma (2-5) at Southern Nazarene (0-7)---4pm
Northwestern Oklahoma had Oklahoma Baptist down 24-0 and looked like they were going to put the game away. Then the Bison scored 27 unanswered points before the Rangers retook the lead 31-27 early in the 4th quarter. After that it was all Oklahoma Baptist as they went on to win 41-38. Southern Nazarene had another tough week losing 73-7 on the road. Northwestern is coming off of a heartbreaker, a game they should have won. I expect the Rangers to take out their frustration on the Crimson Storm in a big way.



Game to Watch
Southern Arkansas (5-2) at Henderson State (6-1)---2pm
Southern Arkansas played a nearly flawless game, only one turnover. A last minute drive capped by a touchdown with 37 seconds remaining put the Muleriders up for good against Ouachita. Southern Arkansas once again struggled to stop the run game of Ouachita. In fact the Tigers were forced to throw just 16 passes on the day, six of them came on their final drive.

Henderson won 41-3, but the score is a bit misleading. The Reddies did not pull away from the Boll Weevils until the 4th
Southern Arkansas Offense Henderson State Defenserd Down Conversion Offense: 51.8% 3rd Down Conversion Defense: 40.7%
Sacks Against: 11 Sacks By: 10
Henderson State Offense Southern Arkansas Defenserd Down Conversion Offense: 40.4% 3rd Down Conversion Defense: 38.0%
Sacks Against: 11 Sacks By: 17
Southern Arkansas Turnover Margin Henderson State Turnover Margin
- 8 + 10
Background
Under GAC play, Henderson leads the series 3-0. Only the 2013 game in Arkadelphia was lopsided. Both the 2012 and 2014 editions were high scoring affairs.

Thoughts
Southern Arkansas has once again shown that when it comes to offense it is capable of reloading and maintaining its offensive juggernaut. The Muleriders have only been held below 30 points in two games (Southwestern Oklahoma and Arkansas Tech) and only two games have they had less than 450 yards of total offense (Arkansas Tech and Oklahoma Baptist). The defense has been good at rushing the passer, the secondary has been great at defending the pass and as a whole the defense has been good at stopping opponents on 3rd down. However, teams have been able to run at will on Southern Arkansas. The top two rushing offenses (Harding and Arkansas Tech) combined for an average of 425 yards.

Henderson was fortunate to only have one loss by the time they entered week 5. However, since that time the Reddies have improved defensively. Against the top two rushing offenses (Harding and Arkansas Tech), Henderson has given up a combined average of 204.5 yards. The pass defense struggled early in the season, but lately has gotten on track. The Reddies lead the GAC in interceptions with 18. The offense, however, has been another matter. Henderson no longer has the high-flying offense they had the past five years. Credit the coaching staff, they changed up the offense based on the talent they have. The offense is not flashy nor racks up yards and points like it use to, but it is solid and does not turn the ball over often.

Keys to the Game:



Last week: 3-3
Season: 28-14

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