HENDERSON STATE 35, HARDING 21
Henderson State used a pair of fumble recovery returns for touchdowns to edge Harding 35-21 on Saturday in Searcy, Ark. After being held without a score in the first quarter, the Reddies tallied 20 points in the second quarter to take a 20-14 lead into the locker room at halftime. HSU’s first score was its first fumble recovery for a score with a 41-yard scamper by Benny Anderson. The Reddies (1-1, 1-0 GAC) added their second score off a fumble with a 16-yardreturn by Keaton Stiger as time expired in the first half. Harding struggled with ball control throughout the contest with a final total of eight fumbles, four of which resulted in points for the Reddies. HSU outscored Harding 15-7 in the second half for the win. The Bisons (1-1, 1-1 GAC) outgained the Reddies by a final count of 357 to 189, including 255 rushing yards on 58 carries.
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS 31, SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 22
Southern Arkansas (1-1, 1-1 GAC) used a strong start and finish to capture its first win of the season with a 31-22 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-1, 0-1 GAC) on Saturday in Weatherford, Okla. The Muleriders scored the game’s first 10 points, before SWOSU rallied for 16 unanswered points to take a six-point lead with 10:43 remaining in the third quarter. SAU’s Mark Johnson took over from there with a pair of rushing touchdowns to put the Muleriders back on top. With the help of a 19-yard touchdown rush by SAU’s Carlos Brown, the Muleriders led 31-16 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs finalized the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown pass from DustinStenta to Eric Charles with seven seconds left in the contest.
OUACHITA BAPTIST 31, EAST CENTRAL 18
Ouachita Baptist (1-0, 1-0 GAC) opened its 2011 season with a 31-18 win over East Central (1-1, 0-1 GAC) on Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark. Both team’s quarterbacks surpassed the 300-yard mark in the contest. OBU’s Casey Cooper was 19-of-35 for 334 yards and two touchdowns, while ECU’s Tyler Vanderzee was 26-of-48 for 348 yards. Trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, OBU recovered two ECU fumbles and scored early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE 30, CENTRAL OKLAHOMA 23
Southeastern Oklahoma State (1-0) opened its 2011 season with a 30-23 win over Central Oklahoma (0-2) on Saturday in Durant, Okla. The Savage Storm balanced its offensive attack with 257 rushing yards and 235 passing yards for a total of 492 yards, more than 150 yards of total offense more than its opponent. SOSU scored what ended up being the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard touchdownpass from Logan Turner to Ryan Shelley with 6:58 remaining in regulation tobreak a 23-all tie. Turner was 23-of-36 through the air with three touchdown tosses to aid his team to a victory. His favorite target was Quentin Morris, who caught nine passes for 103 yards with one touchdown reception. Jamaal Evans led the SOSU rushing attack with 28 carries for 182 yards.
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 41, TEXAS COLLEGE 0
Arkansas-Monticello’s Greg Wilson had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns to help the Boll Weevils (2-0) cruise to a 41-0 victory over Texas College (0-3) on Saturday in Monticello. UAM held Texas College to just 149yards of total offense and 10 first downs in the shutout victory. The Boll Weevils scored 21 points in the first quarter, 13 points in the third quarter and seven points in the fourth quarter for the easy win.
ARKANSAS TECH 31, SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 20
Arkansas Tech (1-1) used 24 first-half points to help capture its first win of the season with a 31-20 victory over Southwest Baptist (1-1) on Saturday inBolivar, Mo. ATU quarterback Preston Conder threw three touchdown passes in the first half and ended the night 16-of-30 through the air for 231 yards with four touchdown tosses. The Wonder Boys were outgained in the contest 424-354 butmade up for it with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. ATU’s Trayshun King netted 69 rushing yards on 19 carries, while AJ Whitmore was the leading receiver with four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Roger Jackson led the team in receiving yards with 90 on three catches. Two of those catches were touchdowns.