ARKADELPHIA- After 84 years of the Battle of the Ravine series, the all-time series mark is tied again as Henderson State used a strong passing attack to defeat Ouachita Baptist 35-26 in a Gulf South Conference matchup at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia on Saturday.
Ouachita (5-3, 3-3 GSC) played well in spurts, but ultimately couldn’t stop the passing attack from Henderson State (6-3, 5-2 GSC) in a high scoring matchup.
A crowd of 9,653 were on hand to watch the 84th edition of the Battle of the Ravine series, as the Reddies tied the all-time series mark at 39-39-6. The rivalry began in 1895 and the crowd was the third-largest in the Battle of the Ravine series history. Sophomore running back Daniel McGee led the Tigers running attack with 159 yards on 24 rushes, while Ouachita compiled 265 yards on the ground.
Ouachita Baptist drove 45 yards on the game’s opening possession, ending in a 32-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead with 10:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Henderson State didn’t waste any time in their first possession as well, as Reddies quarterback Nick Hardesty found Chris Evering for a 22-yard connection to take the lead at 7-3 with 8:59 left in the first.
To begin the second quarter, Hardesty to Evering stretched the Henderson lead to 14-3, as 14:24 remained in the first half.
The Tigers went to work on the ground on their possession, as sophomore running back Daniel McGee found the end zone from nine yards out on an off-tackle run to the left side, closing the gap to 14-10 at the 8:57 mark.
With a 15-play, 94-yard drive, Henderson State scored with just 14 seconds remaining in the first half, as Hardesty found receiver Jazz Scott with a 4-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-10 halftime lead.
At halftime, both teams brought a completely different attack offensively, as Ouachita led with 130 yards rushing and 200 yards overall, while the Reddies attacked with 289 yards overall with 278 yards passing. McGee almost eclipsed the 100-yard mark rushing in the first half, leading all runners with 96 yards on 15 rushes.
Ouachita drove 66 yards on 15 plays on their first possession in the third, but an interception in the end zone ended the scoring threat for the Tigers. Henderson State responded with a quick strike to make it 28-10, when Hardesty found Josh Sipho on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 4:34 left in the third.
The Tigers used a 20-yard field goal from Fowler to bring the game closer at 28-13 with 14:53 remaining in the game. Henderson responded with a connection from Hardesty to Darius Davis as the Reddies led 35-13.
In the final four minutes, the Tigers added a pair of touchdown passes, as Cranor found junior tight end Phillip Supernaw for an 11-yard pass at 3:51. With the score at 35-20, Cranor wasted no time after the Tiger defense held, as the senior found sophomore receiver Brett Reece for a 41-yard touchdown strike to close the game at 35-26.
Cranor finished 22-of-35 for 232 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, as Reece led all targets with 71 yards on two catches. Sophomore Jamie Harris added seven catches for 68 yards. Along with McGee’s rushing totals, Cranor added 65 yards on 17 carries. Defensively, sophomore Justin Rogers led Ouachita with a career-high 10 tackles, followed by eight from sophomore Alonzo Newton and seven from junior A.J. Williams.
Hardesty finished with 420 yards and five touchdowns on 37-of-55 passing, as the Reddies totaled 460 yards. Edward Heath and Mike Wightman combined for 33 tackles for Henderson State.
Ouachita Baptist will return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. against Delta State for Senior Day at A.U. Williams Field in Arkadelphia.
