ADA, Okla. – The East Central University football team jumped out to an early lead against Henderson State on Saturday afternoon but was unable to maintain the advantage, falling 34-27 to the Reddies at Norris Field inside Koi Ishto Stadium.
The Tigers (6-4, 6-4 GAC) opened the contest with an explosive play, as
Sergio Kennedy connected with
Kaden Jones for a 76-yard touchdown just over a minute into the game. Henderson State (8-2, 8-2 GAC) answered with a 42-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 7-7 before taking advantage of an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown to move in front, 14-7.
ECU responded with a 49-yard field goal from
Gabriel Ogura early in the second quarter to pull within four. However, the Reddies added a field goal and a late touchdown before halftime to carry a 24-10 advantage into the break.
The Tigers came out of halftime with renewed energy, putting together a scoring drive on their opening possession of the third quarter. After successfully executing an onside kick,
Quincy Thompson capped the six-play, 50-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run, bringing ECU within a touchdown at 24-17.
Henderson State answered with a touchdown run late in the third quarter after taking advantage of an ECU turnover on downs to extend its lead to 31-17 heading into the final period.
ECU continued to battle in the fourth quarter, with Kennedy finding the end zone on an eight-yard run with three minutes remaining to make it a seven-point game at 31-24. However, the Reddies responded with a 40-yard field goal to push the margin back to 10 with 1:15 left.
The Tigers continued to fight until the final seconds, as Ogura connected on a 41-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining to bring the final margin to 34-27.
Despite the final result, ECU finished with an offensive advantage, totaling 404 yards compared to Henderson State's 310. The Tigers generated 292 passing yards and 112 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 yards per play while matching the Reddies with 19 first downs. Henderson State held the edge on the ground with 138 rushing yards on 42 attempts and controlled possession for 33:08 compared to ECU's 26:52. A key difference came in turnovers, as the Reddies turned an ECU interception into a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Henderson State also converted all three of its red-zone opportunities, while the Tigers scored on two of their three trips inside the 20-yard line.
Kennedy led the ECU offense with 292 passing yards, completing 21 passes while throwing a 76-yard touchdown to
Kaden Jones. Jones finished with 108 receiving yards, while
Conner Combs added four catches for 96 yards, including a long reception of 43 yards. On the ground,
Quincy Thompson contributed 48 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Kennedy added a rushing score of his own.
Defensively,
Caden Pickens led the Tigers with 14 total tackles, including seven solo stops, two tackles for loss and a sack.
Tyler Masters followed with 11 total tackles, while
Elijah Simons recorded six.
Nathaniel Rainey,
Justin McCray and
Logan Taylor each contributed four tackles. The ECU defense also recorded five pass breakups, with Rainey,
Jose Castillo,
Amin White,
Trenton Wheeler and
Tyques Miles each credited with one.
The Tigers will close out Great American Conference play next Saturday, Nov. 14, in the Great American Classic Showdown presented by First United Bank against rival Southeastern Oklahoma State. The rivalry matchup will also mark ECU's final game inside Koi Ishto Stadium this season as the Tigers look to finish their home schedule with one more memorable afternoon in front of Tiger Nation.
