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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-1, 0-1 MIAA) are set for their 2013 home opener against the (RV) Missouri Southern State Lions (1-0, 1-0 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 2:37 p.m. (CT) Sept. 14 at Doc Wadley Stadium (8,300) in Tahlequah, Okla.

The contest is the MIAA Game of the Week and will be broadcast live by the MIAA Network . . . the game will be available on KSMO Channel 62 in Kansas City, and Cox Cable 3 or 703 in Oklahoma . . . 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).

ID'S REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2013 .  .  . All fans wishing to attend an NSU home football or basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities . . . NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry . . . tickets can be purchased at NSU's new ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com . . . NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts . . . for questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
THE MATCHUP  .  .  . Northeastern State and Missouri Southern State have met 17 times since the first meeting between the schools in 1968, and the RiverHawks own 12-5 all-time advantage . . . NSU won the first six games, and the Lions picked up their first victory of the series in 1988 . . . Northeastern State collected two forfeit wins in the late 90's, and MSSU owns a 4-2 advantage since 1999.
 
Series History (NSU Leads 12-5)
Date          Winner                       Score
2012          MSSU                         27-21
2003          NSU                            15-10
2002          MSSU                         38-7
2001          MSSU                         24-0
2000          NSU                            33-15
1999          MSSU                         28-7
1998          NSU                            10-0
1997          NSU                            forfeit
1996          NSU                            forfeit
1987          NSU                            21-20
1988          MSSU                         22-19
1979          NSU                            32-20
1978          NSU                            22-20
1971          NSU                            28-0
1970          NSU                            42-7
1969          NSU                            45-0
1968          NSU                            45-0
 
THE HEAD COACHES  .  .  .  NSU's KENNY EVANS (Northeastern State, '82) is in his sixth season as the RiverHawks head coach . . . he was named head coach in 2008 after 28 years as an assistant coach at six other universities . . . during that span, Evans coached in six bowl games, two national playoffs and was part of a coaching staff that won eight conference championships . . . his ninth conference championship was added in 2010 as the RiverHawks posted their first winning season in 10 years. He owns a 17-17 record in his last four seasons after starting 3-19 in his first two campaigns . . . in 2012, Evans guided Northeastern State through its first season as members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association . . . the RiverHawks started slow against the premier competition, but they finished strong by winning their last four games to end the year at 4-6 . . . the 2011 team was one of the most successful in school history, as the RiverHawks recorded 30 team and individual school records . . . Evans has coached or recruited nine All-Americans, 11 conference players of the year, more than a dozen who have made it into the National Football League, as well as numerous All-Conference players at seven different colleges.
            MSSU's DARYL DAYE (LSU, '86) is in his second season with the Lions . . . he has compiled a 7-5 record during his short tenure . . . Daye was named the 11th HC in the history of Missouri Southern football on December 16, 2011 . . . in his first season as the head coach with the Lions, Daye led the team to a 6-5 record, its first winning season since 2007 and just the third winning season in the prior 20 years . . . he helped mentor the Division II National Defensive Player of the Year as Brandon Williams broke the Southern sack record and was named to five different All-America teams. Williams was also selected to play in the Senior Bowl . . . Daye came back to Southern after serving two seasons with the NFL's Buffalo Bills as Assistant to the Head Coach . . . he assisted Defensive Coordinator Dave Wannstedt in coaching the inside linebackers and also helped to coach the special teams units . . . prior to his stint with the Bills, Daye served for four years with the Lions as the team's defensive coordinator . . . he was also the special teams coach and also coached the Southern linebackers.
 
SLOW BEGINNING, PART 2 .  .  . NSU lost its season opener to Pittsburg State for the second-straight year, this time a 45-6 decision in Kansas . . . the RiverHawks were nearly shutout, but they were able to get on the board midway through the fourth quarter . . . the green and white conceded 582 yards of total offense, while only managing 244 . . . PSU scored touchdowns on six of its first nine possessions, with a field goal and two failed fourth-down conversions sprinkled in . . . Northeastern State has now dropped its season opener in nine of the last 11 years.
 
DOWN AND OUT CAPTAINS .  .  .  Northeastern State lost two of its senior captains in the first game of the season . . . quarterback Johnny Deaton suffered a fractured fibula against Pittsburg State and will miss the rest of the season . . . he was injured in the second quarter and was 1-for-3 passing for 24 yards prior to his injury . . . sophomore Thor Long took over at QB . . . middle linebacker Jack Gray registered five tackles against the Gorillas, but he will miss at least three games due to a broken hand he suffered in the preseason . . . junior walk-on Eddie General is penciled in as the replacement for the time being.
 
ENDING 2012 STRONG  .  .  .  The RiverHawks got off to a sluggish start in its inaugural season in the MIAA . . . the team faced a treacherous slate, being pitted against five ranked teams in the first six weeks of the season . . . NSU was able to find its footing late in the year, however, and the team rattled off four-straight wins to end the 2012 campaign . . . the four-game win streak is currently the longest by any current MIAA member . . . the RiverHawks ended the season with victories over Central Missouri (24-23), Southwest Baptist (22-17), Lincoln (45-21), and Central Oklahoma (22-20).
 
NATION'S 10TH LEADING TACKLER, PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN RETURNS FOR SENIOR CAMPAIGN  .  .  .  Senior linebacker Langston Jones exploded for 110 tackles a year ago . . . he led the MIAA with 11.0 tackles per game and was also tied for 10th in the nation . . . he was named to the All-MIAA Second Team and the Don Hansen All-Super Region Three Third Team for his efforts . . . Jones was also named a 2013 USA College Football Division II Preseason All-American prior to the start of this season . . . he registered 10 career double-digit tackle performances, including a career-best 16 against both Minnesota State (2011 Mineral Water Bowl) and Missouri Southern State (second game of 2012 season) . . . his 246 career stops are good for fourth in NSU's history since joining the NCAA.
 
ROCKMORE ALSO EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN ACCOLADES .  .  . Junior running back Joel Rockmore finished the 2012 campaign as the nation's 23rd-ranked rusher (113.8 ypg), and he was also 22nd in all-purpose yards (151.4 ypg) . . . he only rushed for 13 yards in the first two games of the season and averaged 126.4 yards rushing over the final eight games . . . he rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his last eight games, including a career-high 198 yards on 33 carries Nov. 10 against Central Oklahoma . . . he had a stretch of four-straight contests where he eclipsed his career high for carries in a game, with his newest mark of 38 coming against the Bearcats . . . Rockmore also recorded 200 all-purpose yards three times last season, against Washburn (211), Missouri Western (203)  and UCO (223) . . . he was named to the All-MIAA Second Team and the Don Hansen All-Super Region Three Third Team for his efforts last season . . . he was also named a 2013 USA College Football Division II Preseason All-American prior to this year.
 
LEAGUES TOP KICKER RETURNS .  .  . Placekicker Drew Patton returns for his final collegiate campaign . . . the senior from Fayetteville, Ark., led the MIAA and was eighth in the country with 1.38 field goals made per game last year, and he was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention for his efforts . . . he has finished in the top 15 nationally in made field goals both freshman and junior years . . . he also owns two career game-winning field goals and one game-winning extra point . . . Patton has converted 32 field goals in his career, and he is 10 shy of tying Jared Homer (2006-09) for the school Division II era record for most field goals made in a career (since 1996).
 
THE YOUNG, BUT EXPERIENCED O-LINE  .  .  .  NSU's starting offensive line looks quite similar to what it did a year ago . . . three of the players were starters last season, while the other two also possess plenty of game experience . . . junior left tackle Ethan James (6-5, 315), junior left guard Jonathan Brown (6-2, 305) and sophomore center Ross Dvorak (6-1, 290) have a combined 29 starts in their NSU careers . . . right guard Trevon Lawson (6-1, 325) played in all 10 games as a true freshman and made one start . . . senior Kenny Garrett (6-4, 290) played defense in 2012 and in the first game this season, but he was moved to right tackle prior to the Missouri Southern State game . . . beginning the season, the RiverHawks did not have a senior offensive lineman on its roster.
 
BET ON BOWIE  .  .  .  Former Northeastern State offensive lineman Michael Bowie became the 15th player in school history and the first in 21 years to be selected in the NFL draft when he was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks with the 36th pick in the seventh round in the 2013 draft . . . he was the 242nd overall pick and is attempting to become the first NSU football player since 1992 to play for an NFL team . . . he has been named to the team's official 53-man roster and is slotted as the third-string right guard on the team's official depth chart.
 
NSU FOOTBALL PLAYERS SELECTED IN THE NFL DRAFT

Year	Round	Selection #	Player	Team
2013	7	242	Michael Bowie (OT)	Seattle Seahawks
1992	8	216	Derrick Moore (RB)	Atlanta Falcons
1983	12	324	John Higginbotham (DT)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1979	8	212	Keith Miller (LB)	Atlanta Falcons
1978	8	308	Richard Crump (RB)	Buffalo Bills
1974	9	209	Ed McCartney (TE)	New England Patriots
1973	8	208	Archie Pearmon (DE)	Miami Dolphins
1973	13	313	Willie Martin (OG)	Houston Oilers
1972	2	42	Roosevelt Manning (DT)	Atlanta Falcons
1972	6	147	Bob Hudson  (TB)	Green Bay Packers
1967	12	313	Kent Lashley (WR)	Kansas City Chiefs
1965	20	274	Billy Scott (DT)	Los Angeles Rams
1959	15	172	Fred Hood (DE)	Washington Redskins
1955	14	163	George Elliott (RB)	Los Angeles Rams
1947	18	162	Barney Barnett (DE)	Chicago Cardinals

ANOTHER TREACHEROUS OPENING SLATE .  .  .  Northeastern State faced the most difficult schedule in the nation to open the 2012 season, and the squad will repeat that slate in 2013 . . . NSU is set to do battle against three teams that received preseason AFCA national ranks, and three others that received votes in the preseason polls in the first seven weeks of the season . . . the RiverHawks are set to battle No. 4 Northwest Missouri State, No. 6 Missouri Western State, No. 21 Pittsburg State, Emporia State (RV), Central Missouri (RV), and Washburn (RV) . . . Northeastern State took on six teams last year that were ranked in the top 25 in the nation at least once in either the AFCA Coaches' Poll or the D2Football.com poll.
 
2013 CAPTAINS  .  .  .  The NSU football team will have five captains this season, and they are all in their final collegiate campaign . . . those seniors slated to lead the program in Year Two of the MIAA era are quarterback Johnny Deaton, linebacker Jack Gray, safety Victor Johnson, cornerback Vernon Jones, and fullback Nick Whitlow . . . Gray and Johnson are serving as captains for the second-straight year . . . the five captains have played in a combined 119 career games and have made 79 career starts.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE  .  .  . The NSU Athletics Department announced its season ticket packages for the six-game home portion of the upcoming football schedule . . . prices begin as low as $50 per person for an adult general admission ticket. Season chair back seats begin at $100 each, and additional seats after purchasing four are $90 each . . . season ticket holders receive the benefit of sitting in comfortable chair back seats. They also receive first option to purchase playoff tickets, premier seating for NSU's six home games (five MIAA games and one non-conference), excellent view of the playing surface and an optimal view of the halftime show featuring the NSU Band . . . new for 2013 is the $25 single-game Family 4-Pack, which includes two general admission adult tickets and two general admission student tickets (ages 4 through high school) . . . the Family 4-Pack may be purchased at any time and used at any regular season home game . . . all Northeastern State football home games are contested at Doc Wadley Stadium.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR .  .  . Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online and has launced its new, one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com . . . NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories . . . the store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials . . . every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable . . . the new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com . . . the shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.