By Kohl Jackson
The OBU football team fell short on Saturday after losing their second game of the season.
Following a Week One loss to Southern Arkansas University (49-14), the Bison returned to Shawnee for their first home game on schedule resulting in a 28-14 loss to Henderson State.
Defeating Henderson State would be a daunting task fresh off a blowout win in Arkadelphia. However, the home team had plenty of support found on the west side of the stadium with an abundance of cheers from fans and students. Following the switch from behind the endzone to the grandstands, the student section left little room for late arrivers.
To begin the game, the Bison started with a kickoff return to the OBU 33-yard line. However, the drive was quickly cut short after the Reddies defense forced a punt after just four plays. Unfortunately for the Bison, this drive would be indicative of the offense’s lack of production for the remainder of the game with just 309 yards of total offense in comparison to HSU’s 572.
Despite 17 penalties costing Henderson State 161 yards, the Reddies played a precise game on both sides of the ball.
Keeping with the momentum to start the game, Reddies quarterback Andrew Edwards only needed two passing attempts to connect with a receiver for a touchdown scoring play. Edwards dumped the ball short to Freshman receiver Maddox Davis, creating an explosive 94 yards to the endzone.
After their touchdown, the Reddies would once again get their defense off the field and put another seven points on the board, setting the score to 14-0. Scoring then came to a halt for the remainder of the quarter and neither team put up points until four minutes remained in the first half. The change in quarters brought a switch in Bison quarterbacks from Senior Chad Mascoe to Graduate Transfer TJ McMahon who previously played for both Marshall and Rice.
Henderson State held a three-touchdown lead until a final drive by the OBU before halftime would result in points for the Bison. A drive riddled with penalties ended in a four yard touchdown pass to Sophomore tight end Hadyn Thornton, bringing back life to Crain Family Stadium. Thornton now has two touchdowns on the season after converting from the linebacker position he played prior. Standing at 6’2 and 225 pounds, number 87 will be a player for fans to keep an eye on this season.
To start the second half, Henderson State would once again score following short drives by both teams. The touchdown earning drive then set the scoreboard to 28-7 and was quickly succeeded by the second of four turnovers by the Bison offense.
Nevertheless, OBU would eventually respond with another score of their own. Subsequent to a fumble recovery on the HSU 37-yard line- McMahon with the assistance of Deuce Wise (RB), Garrett Vaughn (WR), and Nick Harris (WR) drove the ball to the endzone in six plays.
With the score cut down to 28-14 in the fourth quarter, students moved toward the front of the stands at the hope of comeback win by the Bison. The cheers grew louder following an interception by Tony Cook at the OBU 15-yard line with nearly ten minutes left in the game.
For the remainder of the game neither team would put points on the board as the OBU offense finished back-to-back drives with turnovers. The Reddies walked out remaining undefeated on the season and the Bison now look on toward their next home game on September 20th to face the winless NWOSU Rangers.
