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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (1-6, 1-6 MIAA) are fresh off their first victory as a members of the MIAA, and they will next head on the road to face the Southwest Baptist Bearcats (1-7, 1-7 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT) Oct. 27 at Plaster Stadium (3,000) in Bolivar, Mo.
 
The game can be heard live on KTLQ 1350 AM in Tahlequah with Scott Pettus and Sean Rowley providing commentary. A free audio broadcast can be found at goriverhawksgo.com. The game will also be streamed live on America One (b2tv.com, subscription based).
 
THE MATCHUP  .  .  .  This will be the third meeting between Northeastern and Southwest Baptist . . . NSU took the first matchup in the series, a 45-20 win in Tahlequah Oct. 18, 2008 . . . SBU won the Oct. 17, 2009 game by a 42-34 margin in Bolivar . . . Northeastern State won its first MIAA contest last week after losing its first six games of the 2012 campaign . . . the team has fallen to Pittsburg State (41-20), Missouri Southern State (27-21), Washburn (24-20), Emporia State (30-20), Northwest Missouri State (66-6), and Missouri Western State (45-31) . . . NSU defeated Central Missouri (24-23) . . . the Bearcats are on a four-game losing skid after defeating Missouri Southern State (16-13) . . . SBU has lost to Truman State (24-14), Lindenwood (35-13), Pittsburg State (52-9), Washburn (42-14), Emporia State (19-15), Fort Hays State (37-34) and Nebraska Kearney (34-20) . . . NSU was selected ninth in the preseason MIAA coaches poll, while SBU was picked 13th.
 
THE HEAD COACHES  .  .  .  NSU's KENNY EVANS (Northeastern State, '82) is in his fifth season as the RiverHawks head coach . . . he collected his first career collegiate coaching victory on Oct. 18, 2008, with a 45-20 triumph over Southwest Baptist . . . he recorded a 3-19 record in his first two years at the school, but he has begun to turn around the program with a combined 14-16 mark over the last two+ years . . . he led NSU to a 6-5 mark in 2010 and a 7-5 record last season, giving the RiverHawks their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1998-00 . . . Evans currently owns a career 17-35 record at NSU, his first stop as a head coach.
            He has coached or recruited nine All-Americans, 11 conference players of the year, more than a dozen players who have made it into the National Football League, as well as numerous all-conference selections at seven different colleges . . . before taking the job at NSU, Evans coached linebackers at Louisiana Tech for Derek Dooley in 2008 . . . he was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2005 by the Football Foundation while coaching at the University of North Texas on the staff of Darrell Dickey.
            The Warner, Okla., native and Northeastern State graduate began his coaching career at Miami (Okla.) High School in 1981 before joining the college ranks as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma for Barry Switzer and the Sooners . . . afterwards, he followed long-time Sooner offensive coordinator Galen Hall to the University of Florida where he coached wide receivers for the Gators for one year . . . he has also made stops at Southeastern Oklahoma and Missouri Southern as coordinators.
 
            SBU's KEITH ALLEN (Oklahoma, '97) is in his sixth season with the Bearcats . . . he was named the seventh head football coach at Southwest Baptist on June 29, 2007 . . .  Allen has guided the Bearcats to a significant turnaround in just four seasons as head coach, moving the Bearcats from 0-11 in Allen's first season as interim head coach to 5-6 in 2008 . . . the Bearcats followed with a 6-5 mark in 2009, their first winning season in eight years . . . Allen then led the Bearcats to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 23 years, finishing the 2010 season with a 7-4 record . . . along the way, his Bearcats have set numerous school records as their high-powered offense improved to one of the best in the nation in total offensive yards per game . . . SBU has also had the nation's leading receiver in receptions per game in two of the last four seasons (Nick Smart and Johnnie King)
            Prior to becoming head coach, Allen served two seasons as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, while also working with safeties and special teams and as the team's recruiting coordinator . . . he came to SBU from San Jose State after being with the Spartans for three seasons . . . Allen's special teams finished in the top half in net punting, punt and kickoff returns, and field goals made in the WAC . . . Allen has coached eight players that have gone on to play professional football: Steve Gachette, James Jones, Tyson Thompson, Charles Pauley, Marcus Helfman, Jamall Broussard, Pat Dennis, and Kelly Gregg.
            Allen received his first coordinator position in 2000 when he moved to Quincy University in Illinois . . . he was the defensive and special teams coordinator while also working with the defensive backs . . . prior to Quincy, Allen coached at three NCAA Division I universities . . . he started out at Oklahoma in 1997 with the defensive line, then moved to Northeast Louisiana in 1998 to work with the defensive backs. He followed that with a move to Texas Christian for the 1998 and '99 seasons where he was the director of recruiting and assistant director of football operations . . . he received his master of liberal arts degree in 2000 from TCU . . . after graduating with a civil engineering degree from OU in 1997, he stayed on with the Sooners for a year as a graduate assistant and worked with the defensive line.
 
DEFENSE HOLDS UCM TO 22 YARDS RUSHING  .  .  .  The Northeastern State defense put together an all-time performance in the team's 24-23 victory over Central Missouri Oct. 20 . . . the RiverHawks allowed just 250 total yards with only 105 coming in the second half . . . NSU also gave up just 22 yards rushing on 24 carries, while shutting out the Mules in the second half . . . all marks were season lows for UCM . . . sophomore defensive back Cayle Shambaugh recovered a fumble in the endzone midway through the third quarter for the first defensive touchdown of the season, and that sparked NSU's 17-point comeback . . . junior defensive backs Vernon Jones and Victor Johnson also had interceptions.
 
JONES LEADS MIAA IN TACKLES, IS 24TH IN THE NATION  .  .  .  Junior linebacker Langston Jones recorded a career-high-tying 16 tackles against Missouri Southern State Sept. 8 . . . seven of his tackles were of the solo variety, while the other nine were assisted . . . the mark equaled his total from the Mineral Water Bowl last season against Minnesota State Mankato, when he had six solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles . . . Jones is leading the MIAA in tackles per game (10.1), and he ranks 24th in the NCAA in that category.
 
SURPASSING MILESTONES  .  .  .  There are currently five RiverHawks who are approaching or have surpassed career milestones . . . senior wideout Jermaine Sherman became just the fourth player to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau since NSU became a Division II program in 1998 . . . sophomore Joel Rockmore became just the fifth RiverHawk in the D-II era to reach 1,000 career rushing yards . . . both members of the team reached their career milestones against Oct. 20 against Central Missouri . . . junior cornerback Vernon Jones has nine career interceptions, tying him for the school's D-II record for most in a career . . . sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton is second in NSU's D-II history in passing yards (3,993), total offense (4,279) and passing TD's (32) . . . to tie Kenny Davis for all three of those marks, he needs, respectively, 339 passing yards, 466 total offense yards, and three passing TD's . . . junior linebacker Langston Jones is fourth on NSU's D-II charts with 207 career tackles.
 
JONES'N FOR A PICK  .  .  .  Junior Vernon Jones has five interceptions this season, with all five coming in his last five games . . . he also had two INT's Oct. 3 against Missouri Western, and he is second in the MIAA and seventh in the nation in that category . . . Jones has nine picks in two seasons as a member of the RiverHawks, tying him for the school's D-II record for most career interceptions.
 
10 TACKLES FOR EVERYBODY  .  .  .  The NSU defense has produced seven different players who have recorded double-digit tackles in a game this season . . . leading the way for the RiverHawks are junior safety Victor Johnson and junior linebacker Langston Jones, who both have three games with at least 10 tackles . . . junior linebacker Jack Gray has two double-digit tackle performances . . . others with a 10-tackle game this season are senior safety Terrence Leach, junior safety Victor Williams, sophomore defensive back Cayle Shambaugh and sophomore cornerback Chandler Barr.
 
SHERMAN HAVING BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN  .  .  .  Senior wide receiver Jermaine Sherman is currently in the midst of a banner season . . . he had a career-high 133 yards against Missouri Southern State Sept. 8 . . . he also set his personal record for receptions in a game when he caught nine passes for 63 yards against Emporia State Sept. 22 . . . Sherman scored touchdowns in each of the first four games this season . . . he also had 102 yards receiving against Central Missouri Oct. 20 . . . he currently ranks seventh in the MIAA in receptions per game (5.6) and ninth in receiving yards per game (73.3).
 
RUNNIN' THE ROCK .  .  . Sophomore running back Joel Rockmore has rushed for at least 100 yards in four of his last five games, including a career-high 176 yards on just 15 attempts Sept. 15 against Washburn (11.7 average) . . . he was a big reason why the RiverHawks were able to record 251 rushing yards against the No. 9 team in the nation . . . he has also hit the century mark against Emporia State (105), Missouri Western (131) and Central Missouri (121) . . . his 25 carries against the Mules were a career high . . . Rockmore has also recorded 200 all-purpose yards twice this season, against Washburn (211) and Missouri Western (203) . . . he is averaging 100.5 rushing yards per game, which is good for second in the conference and 35th in the nation . . . he is also averaging 144.3 all-purpose yards per game, good for fifth in the MIAA and 36th in the nation.
 
TREACHEROUS OPENING SLATE .  .  .  Northeastern State has faced the most difficult schedule in the nation to open the 2012 season . . . NSU dropped a 41-20 affair to No. 1 Pittsburg State in the season opener, and the RiverHawks then lost 27-21 on the road against then-undefeated Missouri Southern State . . . Northeastern State also fell 24-20 at No. 9 Washburn despite outgaining the Ichabods 423-286 in total offense, and the team fell 30-20 to undefeated Emporia State and 66-6 to No. 11 Northwest Missouri State . . . the 31 points scored against Missouri Western was the most the Griffons had allowed all year (45-31), and NSU defeated Central Missouri 24-23 . . . NSU's first seven opponents are currently 44-11 this season, and the team has faced the top seven teams currently sitting atop the league standings . . . the RiverHawks have also faced six teams that have been ranked in the top 25 in the nation at least once this year in either the AFCA Coaches' Poll or the D2Football.com poll.
 
2012 CAPTAINS  .  .  .  The NSU football team voted on its 2012 captains, and the three members of the team who will be serving as captains throughout the year are junior linebacker Jack Gray, junior safety Victor Johnson and sophomore running back Terrance Dixon.
 
THE O-LINE  .  .  .  NSU's starting offensive line is one of the biggest in Division II college football, and they have started together in six of seven games this year . . . with an average height of 6-foot-4 and an average weight of 278, the RiverHawks front five lead the way for a rushing attack that currently ranks ninth in the MIAA with 146.4 yards per game . . . Northeastern State has produced a 100-yard rusher in five of seven games this year, as Terrance Dixon amassed 128 yards on the ground in the season opener against Pittsburg State, and Joel Rockmore has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau in four of his last five games (career-high 176 against Washburn, 105 against Emporia State, 131 against Missouri Western State, 121 against Central Missouri) . . . the O-line also yielded just 10 sacks all season, which is 48th in the country . . . the starting offensive line is (from left tackle to right tackle) senior Michael Bowie (6-5, 320), sophomore Chris Webber (6-5, 250), redshirt freshman Ross Dvorak (6-2, 250), sophomore Jonathan Brown (6-2, 290), and sophomore Ethan James (6-5, 280).
 
ONSIDE  .  .  .  The RiverHawks were the only team in the MIAA to both attempt and recover an onside kick in the opening week of the season . . . NSU scored late in the third quarter on a 30-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton to senior wide receiver Jermaine Sherman, making the score 31-13 in favor of the visiting Gorillas. . . on the ensuing kickoff, redshirt freshman kicker Daniel Bond squibbed the ball to the sideline . . . the Gorillas were completely caught off guard, as sophomore wide receiver Prince McJunkins was the only player anywhere near the ball . . . he easily hauled in the onside kick, but the home team was unable to take advantage as Deaton was intercepted three plays later . . . NSU also attempted and recovered an onside kick against Emporia State Sept. 22 . . . McJunkins also recovered that kick . . . only two other teams in the MIAA have recovered an onside kick this season (Nebraska Kearney, Pittsburg State).
 
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