HENDERSON STATE AT NICHOLLS STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, La.
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock; KYXK-FM, 106.9, in Arkadelphia; KZYP-FM, 1007.7, and KZYP-AM, 1310, in Malvern.
INTERNET hsusports.com
RECORDS Henderson State 1-0, Nicholls State 0-2
RANKINGS Henderson State is No. 7 AFCA Division II coaches poll. Nicholls State is unranked in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
COACHES Henderson State: Scott Maxfield (61-36 in 10th year at Henderson, 90-47 in 14th season overall); Nicholls State: Charlie Stubbs (10-37 in fifth season at Nicholls and overall).
SERIES First meeting
LAST WEEK Henderson State defeated Southern Nazarene 72-7. Nicholls State lost to Arkansas 73-7
COMMENTS Henderson State and the University of Arkansas have common opponents for the first time since 1941, when both teams played East Central (Okla.). The Razorbacks won 56-0, and the Reddies lost 18-7. … The Reddies are 2-18 against FCS opponents since moving to Division II in 1994. The victories are 34-0 over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2008 and 41-35 against Southeastern Louisiana in 2003. … HSU senior quarterback Kevin Rodgers (10,484) needs 274 yards to become Arkansas’ career college leader in passing yards. With 97 career touchdown passes, he needs four to become the state leader in that category. … Senior wide receiver Darius Davis’ 34 career touchdown catches are two shy of a state college record. His 2,642 career receiving yards rank eighth all-time in the state, but he needs only 292 yards surpass Arkansas’ Jarius Wright (2008-2011) at the top of the list. … Davis was named the Great American Conference co-offensive player of the week after he had 10 catches for 217 yards and a school- and conference-record 5 touchdowns.
QUOTABLE Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield: “We played well for our first game, but there are still several things we need to work on.”
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO AT SE OKLA. STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Laird Field, Durant, Okla.
RADIO KHBM-FM, 93.7, in Monticello
INTERNET uamsports.com
RECORDS UAM 0-1, 0-1 Great American Conference; SE Okla. State 0-1, 0-1
COACHES UAM: Hud Jackson ( 11-23 in fourth season at UAM and overall); SE Okla. State: Bo Atterberry (0-1 in first season at SE Okla. State, 41-29 in seventh season overall).
SERIES UAM leads 3-1.
LAST MEETING UAM won 42-34 last year.
LAST WEEK UAM lost to East Central (Okla.) 38-34. SE Okla. State lost to Southern Arkansas 30-29.
COMMENTS UAM senior Mike Early was named the D2football.com national special teams player of the week after returning three kickoffs for a school- and conference-record 183 yards, including two 89-yard touchdowns, last week against East Central. He also earned the conference’s weekly special teams award. He became the first player in UAM and GAC history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single game. … Both teams led in the fourth quarter of losses last week. SE Oklahoma lost to Southern Arkansas on 24-yard touchdown pass from Si Blackshire to Aaron Johnson as time expired. … Junior offensive lineman D.J. Banyard (shoulder surgery) and tight end Mike Wilkerson are expected to return to UAM’s lineup today. … UAM will make the 320-mile trip to Durant, Okla., for the first time since 1979.
QUOTABLE Arkansas-Monticello Coach Hud Jackson: “I think both teams feel like they let one slip through their fingers last week. Whoever can put that behind them and turn the page will have an advantage [today].”
OUACHITA BAPTIST VS. SOUTHERN NAZARENE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia
RADIO KHTE-FM, 96.5, in Little Rock; KHTO-FM, 96.7, in Hot Springs; KFMD-FM, 105.3, and KFMD-AM, 1340, in Springdale/Rogers; KAMD-FM, 97.1, in Camden; KNAS-FM, 105.5, in Nashville; KQOR-FM, 105.3, in Mena
INTERNET obutigers.com
RECORDS OBU: First game (7-3, 7-3 in Great American Conference in 2013); Southern Nazarene: 0-1, 0-1
COACHES OBU: Todd Knight (96-113-2 in 16 seasons at OBU and overall); Southern Nazarene: Mike Cochran (40-48 in nine seasons at SNU, 86-60 in 14 seasons overall)
SERIES OBU leads 1-0.
LAST MEETING OBU won 49-24 in 2013.
LAST WEEK OBU had an open date. Southern Nazarene lost to Henderson State 72-7.
COMMENTS Ouachita Baptist will open newly renovated Cliff Harris Stadium. The home stands will seat more than 3,000, including more than 500 reserved and premium reserved seats. There is also a new, 3,500-square-foot press box. Harris, an NAIA Hall of Famer who played at OBU in 1966-169 and in 1970-1979 with the Dallas Cowboys, is expected to attend today’s game. … The Tigers return 15 starters and have 20 seniors on their roster. … Expected to start at quarterback for the Tigers is Kiehl Frazier, who spent the past three seasons playing at Auburn. He was a Parade All-American and the USA Today national offensive player of the year as a senior at Shiloh Christian, which he helped lead to three consecutive state championships.
QUOTABLE Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight: “I’ve been at this too long. I never compare scores. I don’t what their [Southern Nazarene’s] game plan was, who they had hurt or anything. We have to take care of OBU and that’s it.”
HARDING AT NW OKLA. STATE
WHEN 1 p.m.
WHERE Ranger Field, Alva, Okla.
RADIO KVHU-FM, 95.3, in Searcy
INTERNET hardingsports.com
RECORDS Harding 1-0, 1-0 GAC, NW Oklahoma State 0-1, 0-1
COACHES Harding: Ronnie Huckeba (41-33 in eighth season); NW Oklahoma State: Alan Hall (6-17 in third season)
SERIES Harding leads 5-2.
LAST MEETING Harding won 69-0 in 2013.
LAST WEEK Harding defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State 42-6; ; NW Oklahoma State lost 33-14 at Arkansas Tech.
NOTEWORTHY One of Harding’s team buses broke down Friday outside of Sallisaw, Okla., on the way to Alva, which caused an 1 ½ hour delay on the eight-hour trip. … Harding is on a five-game winning streak. … The Bisons broke the .500 mark (298-297-18) for the first time since 1924 with their victory last week against Southwestern Oklahoma State. … Harding kicker John Gay needs six extra points to break the school record of 115 held by Jeremy Thompson. Gay’s 110 extra points are the 10th-most among active NCAA Division II kickers. … Northwestern Coach Alan Hall will not coach in today’s game in order to focus on health-related issues. … Assistant coach Kevin Turco will lead the Rangers. … Northwestern hasn’t beaten an Arkansas opponent since the last week of the 2012-2013 season, when the Rangers beat Arkansas-Monticello 38-35. … Junior quarterback Cody Weinzheimer will make his first start for the Rangers.
QUOTABLE Harding Coach Ronnie Huckeba: “These guys are way improved than they were last year from what we’ve seen on film. We’re hoping to go over there and improve on last week and play a cleaner game than what we did last week.”
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS AT EAST CENTRAL (OKLA.)
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Norris Field, Ada, Okla.
RADIO KVMZ-FM, 99.1, in Magnolia
INTERNET muleriderathletics.com
RECORDS Southern Arkansas 1-0, 1-0 GAC, East Central 1-0, 1-0
COACHES Southern Arkansas: Bill Keopple (22-30 in sixth season); East Central: Tim McCarthy (34-42 in eighth season at East Central, 57-69 in 13th season overall)
SERIES Southern Arkansas leads 9-6.
LAST MEETING Southern Arkansas won 50-16 in 2013.
LAST WEEK Southern Arkansas defeated Southeastern Oklahoma 30-29; East Central defeated Arkansas-Monticello 38-34.
NOTEWORTHY SAU won its season opener on a last-second touchdown pass from Si Blackshire to Aaron Johnson and Dylan Nowak’s extra point. … The Muleriders forced six turnovers and allowed 10 first downs in their victory last year over East Central. … SAU had 357 yards rushing last week against Southeastern Oklahoma, while East Central ran for 212 yards in its victory over UAM. … SAU starting quarterback Si Blackshire had almost 300 yards of total offense against SE Oklahoma (206 passing, 86 rushing) and was named the GAC’s co-offensive player of the week. … SAU is 7-3 in its past 10 road games. … East Central defensive back Qumain Black intercepted UAM’s Colton Morrison in the end zone with less than a minute left in the game to seal last week’s victory over the Boll Weevils.
QUOTABLE Southern Arkansas Coach Bill Keopple: “It’s going to be hard going into Ada against a tough football team. We’re going have to be really focused. They’re a very formidable opponent.”
ARKANSAS TECH AT SW OKLA. STATE
WHEN 6 p.m.
WHERE Fast Lane Field in Weatherford, Okla.
RADIO KWKK-FM, 100.9, in Russellville
INTERNET arkansastechsports.com
RECORDS Arkansas Tech 1-0, 1-0 GAC, SW Oklahoma State 0-1, 0-1
COACHES Arkansas Tech: Raymond Monica (6-6 in second season); SW Oklahoma State: Dan Cocannouer (18-37 in seventh season)
SERIES Tied 5-5
LAST MEETING SW Oklahoma State won 27-17 in 2013.
LAST WEEK Arkansas Tech defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 33-14; SW Oklahoma State lost 42-6 at Harding.
NOTEWORTHY Arkansas Tech took advantage of a 98-yard touchdown pass from Dennis Robertson to Jermaine Merdock and a 100-yard kickoff return by Jabyes Cross in last week’s victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State. … The Bulldogs gave up 486 yards of total offense at Harding. … Then-senior Dustin Stenta threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns last year in the Bulldogs’ victory over the Wonder Boys. His replacement, Ryley Claborn, completed 22 of 41 passes for 190 yards in the 2013 season opener against Harding.
QUOTABLE Arkansas Tech Coach Raymond Monica: “They’re a very similar team to the one we faced last year, but they’re breaking in a new quarterback and living life after Dustin Stenta. It’s difficult replacing a guy who started as many games as he had.”