Box Score MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas came up just short in falling 44-36 to No. 9 Henderson State in a classic Great American Conference battle Saturday at Wilkins Stadium.
 
The win kept the Reddies (9-0, 7-0 GAC) undefeated on the season and was their sixth straight over the Muleriders (6-2, 4-2 GAC), who suffered only their second loss of the season.  HSU assured itself at least a share of the GAC championship, while SAU falls out of contention.
 
Southern Arkansas gave itself a chance at the end, when trailing 44-33 and under a minute to play, elected to kick a 27-yard field goal on fourth and goal from the Henderson State 10 with 31 seconds remaining instead of going for a touchdown, and then trying an on-side kick.
 
That strategy worked and the Muleriders recovered the kick, but drew a penalty for an illegal formation, with the re-kick covered by the Reddies and allowing them to run out the clock.
 
Quarterbacks Kevin Rodgers and Tyler Sykora (Hot Springs Village) dueled it out from the outset, with Rodgers completing 32 of 46 passes for 518 yards and three touchdowns, while Sykora kept SAU in it with a 33 of 55 performance for 411 yards, third-best in school history, and also three touchdown passes.
 
The two teams combined for 1,073 yards of offense, with HSU posting 562 and Southern Arkansas 511.  Henderson State was held to just 44 yards rushing, while the Muleriders added 100 on the ground.
 
It was a 10-7 game after the first quarter, the Reddies drawing first blood on a 32-yard field goal from Charles Gonsalves at 12:56.
 
SAU then had a golden opportunity on its first series, marching 70 yards on 10 plays, but senior running back Carlos Brown (Pittsburg, Texas) fumbled at the HSU one-yard line on his way into the end zone.
 
Henderson State then put together a 99-yard scoring drive on only four plays in 1:26 and taking a 10-0 lead on a six-yard scoring pass from Rodgers to Robert Jordan at 7:02.  Rodgers hit Jordan for 79 yards on the first play of the drive.
 
Southern Arkansas got on the board at 4:45 on a nine-yard pass from Sykora to senior receiver Rafael Thomas (Lufkin, Texas), with freshman Dillon Fogle (Camden) hitting the PAT.
 
The Muleriders then took their only lead of the game early in the second quarter, with Sykora finding sophomore tight end Paul Walker-Hall (Allen, Texas) from 14 yards out for a 14-10 lead at 14:56, with sophomore Jacob Carpenter (Winona, Miss.) connecting on the conversion.
 
The Reddies roared right back, getting a one-yard touchdown plunge from Kevin Nichols at 12:06, but Gonsalves' kick failed, leaving it 16-14.
 
HSU added to that on SAU's next series, with Vince Thompson picking off a Sykora pass and returning it 44 yards for a 23-14 advantage at 10:17.
 
Darius Davis later hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers at 3:57, giving Henderson State a 29-14 lead at the half.
 
Southern Arkansas put itself back in contention early in the third quarter, with Sykora connecting with freshman receiver Chris Terry (Lindale, Texas) on a 10-yard touchdown, but Carpenter's kick wide left it 29-20 at 11:21.
 
Gonsalves' 25-yard field goal extended it to a 32-20 game at 9:04
 
The Muleriders responded with an eight-play, 84-yard drive, getting a one-yard touchdown plunge from Brown, but Fogle's kick was blocked and returned the length of the field by Ricardo Mendez for two points, making it 34-26 at 5:31.
 
The Reddies then stretched it to a 41-26 game at 2:50 on an 18-yard scoring pass from Rodgers to Dustin Holland that stood as the score after three quarters.
 
SAU's defense got in on the scoring to start the final quarter with sophomore defensive back DeMario Thomas (Shreveport, La.) scooping up a Jarvis Smith fumble and rumbling 67 yards to pay-dirt, and tying the school record for longest fumble recovery return in the process, for a 41-33 score at 13:34.
 
Gonsalves added his third field goal of the game, this one a 38-yarder, at 2:14 for the 44-33 lead, before Carpenter's 27-yarder cut it to the final of 44-36 with 31 ticks left.
 
Sykora's three touchdown passes give him 22 on the season, breaking his own school record of 19 from a year ago, and his 411 yards passing is the third best in school history.  He now own three of the top four pass yardage games all-time, including the school-record 520 yards he threw last year at Ouachita Baptist.
 
Thomas caught 11 of Sykora's tosses for 101 yards.
 
Rodgers' 518 yards were a career-high, with Jordan catching seven for 173 yards.
 
Southern Arkansas was without the services of lead running back Mark Johnson (Longview, Texas), who was out with an injury, but Brown led all rushers with 94 yards on 20 carries.  Johnson's injury during the week wasn't indicated to be serious and is expected back for the rest of the season.
 
HSU was led on the ground by Smith, with only 20 yards on seven totes.
 
Senior cornerback Don Unamba (Hurst, Texas) led the Mulerider defense with nine tackles, eight solo, and broke up a pass, while junior free safety Bobby Williams (Bossier City, La.) and junior linebacker Tate Mustin (Fayetteville, Tenn.) had eight tackles apiece.
 
Jeremy Williams led Henderson State with a game-high 12 tackles, and forcing and recovering a fumble.
 
The Reddies' only turnover was the one fumble, while SAU lost one and suffered the interception.
 
The teams combined for 24 penalties for 242 yards, with Southern Arkansas being flagged 15 times for 137 yards.
 
The Muleriders travel next Saturday to Arkadelphia for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Ouachita Baptist.