The East Central University football team will be part of Henderson State's homecoming festivities, as they travel to face the Reddies, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium.

Game Notes I Live Stats I Live Radio I Live Video

The Broadcast: ECU's radio home for Tiger football is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Mike Manos returns to broadcast the games for his 21st consecutive season. Manos has worked 217 Tiger games since taking over the play-by-play duties in 1997.

This year fans in the stadium will have a chance to rent or buy a Smart Bug.  The Smart Bug will let you listen to The X-Factor radio broadcast from the stands, through the post-game show, and for a chance for exclusive content during broadcast breaks.  Cost is $15 to purchase and use for the entire 2017-18 season at football and basketball, or $10 to rent with a $5 return when the unit is checked back in after the game.

The Series: The Tigers and the Reddies have met on 28 previous occasions, with HSU holding a 16-11-1 all-time lead.  The Reddies have also earned a 5-1 advantage when playing as GAC opponents and a 9-2 mark in Arkadelphia.

Last Meeting: In the first home game of the 2016 season, ECU fell to No. 9 Henderson State, 34-7, at Norris Field at Koi Ishto Stadium.

The Tigers ended up with more total offensive yards (334-323) than the Reddies, but struggled with turnovers through the game.  ECU lost four fumbles (recovered one) and was intercepted twice.

Tre'von Jackson led the rushing charge, with 11 attempts (12 yards).

Camnik Campbell and Vernon Johnson led the defensive side of the ball, with over 10 tackles each.  Campbell record 12 (3-9) total tackles and 1.5 TFL, while Johnson added 11 (4-7).

HSU got the scoring started early, scoring 20 points in the first quarter, with three touchdowns and one failed extra-point attempt.

The Reddies pushed the lead to 27-0 with a TD in the second quarter and took the advantage all the way to the fourth quarter before ECU got on the scoreboard.

The Tigers scored their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 27-7 score.  

However, HSU added one more TD in the fourth for the 34-7 final.

Douglas Turns Up the Intensity: Freshman Ontario Douglas had the game of his short career against Southwestern. Douglas finished the game with 280 all-purpose yards, 206 rushing and 74 receiving and all four of ECU's offensive touchdowns.  

Benson Bringing in Passes: Junior Trinity Benson has been a bright spot for the Tigers, despite the losing record.  Benson has recorded 443 receiving yards on 38 passes, with three TDs this season.  His 63.3 reception yards per game average and 5.4 receptions per game rank him in the top-5 in the GAC standings.

Holle Named GAC Offensive Player of the Week:  After his first game of the 2017 ECU football season, junior quarterback Noah Holle was named the Great American Conference Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 4.

Holle, went 20-of-27 in his debut in an orange and black uniform, throwing for 351 yards and five touchdowns.  He used seven different receivers and connected for touchdowns with five of those receivers.

Holle also set up two more touchdowns on the rush, helping the Tigers to 546 total offensive yards, the most since Sept. 19, 2015.

Williams Starts Off Season on High Note: Senior Devyn Williams gave the Tigers a great start to the 2017 season, by returning the opening kickoff of the first game of the season (Sept. 2) 91 yards for a touchdown.  It was the first time since Sept. 14, 2013 that any kickoff during a game had been returned for a TD.  The last time was when LaQuan Harper returned a kickoff, in the middle of the game, 94 yards for TD against Southern Arkansas.

Up Next: The Tigers will return home for the final game of the 2017 season at Koi Ishto Stadium.  ECU will host Arkansas Tech on the annual Homecoming game and Senior Day at 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28.