Game Notes  I Live Stats  I  Live Video  I  Free Audio  I  Tickets

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-4, 0-4 MIAA) will celebrate Homecoming Week by playing host to the No. 3-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats (4-0, 3-0 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (CT) Oct. 5 at Doc Wadley Stadium (8,300) in Tahlequah, Okla.
 
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).
 
GAME NOTES
THE MATCHUP  .  .  .  Northeastern State and Northwest Missouri State have only met three times in the respective history of the two programs . . . the Bearcats have taken all three meetings by a combined score of 120-13 . . . NWMSU captured the first game in 1939 by a slim 7-0 margin, but the team blew out NSU in each of the next two matchups, the first being a 47-7 triumph in 1940 and the last a 66-6 victory last season in Maryville . . . the meeting in 2012 was the first for the two programs as members of the same conference.
 
Series History (NWMSU Leads 3-0)
Date   Winner          Score
2012   NWMSU          66-6
1940   NWMSU          47-7
1939   NWMSU          7-0
 
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 17-20 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.
            NWMSU's ADAM DORREL (Northwest Missouri State, '98) is in his third season with the Bearcats . . . he has compiled a 25-6 record during his tenure, and he has been the head coach of his alma mater since 2011 . . . Dorrel was named head coach at Northwest Missouri State after the passing of long-time assistant coach Scott Bostwick on June 5, 2011 . . . Bostwick never led the Bearcats onto the field as he was named head coach after Mel Tjeerdsma retired following 17 seasons at Northwest, a program that the two helped build . . . being one of the first players to start on the offensive line under Tjeerdsma in 1994, Dorrel continued the Bearcat excellence in his first season as head coach, returning the Bearcats to the playoffs for an eighth straight season, the longest current streak in NCAA Division II football . . . the Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, falling to the eventual national champion for the second season in a row . . . in addition to a celebrated playoff run, the Bearcats led the nation in scoring, averaging more than 50 points per game during the regular season and scoring the second most points in college football regardless of division . . . prior to being named head coach, Dorrel was no stranger to Bearcat football or the expectations . . . he was the offensive coordinator at Northwest from 2007 to 2010, helping the Bearcats to an unprecedented five consecutive NCAA Division II Championship appearances and their third national title in 2009 . . . in Dorrel's seven seasons with the Bearcats since returning in 2005, they have an 87-14 record and added five MIAA Championships . . . Dorrel himself is a former Northwest All-American, having played under legendary head coach Mel Tjeerdsma . . . Dorrel was a three-year captain for the Bearcats during his collegiate career as an offensive lineman from 1994 to 1997 and earned All-MIAA honors in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
 
A FIRST IN THE MODERN ERA .  .  . Northeastern State registered five interceptions against Washburn on Sept. 21 . . . the five picks were two shy of the school record set in 1980, and it was also the most by any NSU team in the modern era and the most by any NCAA team in a single game this season . . . the feat is so rare, there have been two NSU teams in the modern era (2004, '05) that recorded five interceptions all season . . . those that picked off Ichabod QB's were Kyler Harris (2), Chandler Barr, Carson Smallwood and Darrain Winston.
 
GO FOR IT .  .  . NSU opponents have been especially greedy in 2013, as all four of them have tried a fourth-down conversion at least once . . . Pittsburg State was the boldest of the four, as the Gorillas tried three but were only successful once . . . Missouri Southern was 1-for-1, but both Washburn and Emporia State went 0-for-2 . . . NSU opponents are 2-for-8 (25 percent) on fourth-down tries in 2013 . . . conversely, the RiverHawks have gone 1-for-2 on fourth downs in every game this season . . . Northeastern State attempted a fourth down in all but one game last season and finished 8-for-19 (42 percent), while opponents also attempted at least one in all but one game and finished 6-for-20 (30 percent).
 
DEJA VU .  .  . NSU has started the season 0-4 for the second-straight year, falling to all the same opponents in Pittsburg State (45-6), Missouri Southern State (17-14), Washburn (48-3), and Emporia State (45-24) . . . Northeastern State has now dropped its season opener in nine of the last 11 years . . . the RiverHawks were blown out by PSU a year and also lost a narrow 27-21 to MSSU last season . . . NSU fell 66-6 to Northwest Missouri State last season and will be looking to buck the trend against the Bearcats.
 
THE TREACHEROUS SLATE CONTINUES .  .  . NSU once again is in the midst of one of the most difficult schedules of any team in the country . . . Northeastern State's first six opponents are a combined 23-1, while the team's seventh MIAA game is against a 2-2 Central Missouri squad that has lost to No. 3 Northwest Missouri State and No. 6 Missouri Western State by a combined seven points . . . of the six opponents, five are currently ranked in the AFCA Coaches' Poll (NWMSU, MWSU, No. 10 Pittsburg State, No. 15 Washburn, No. 24 Emporia State), while Missouri Southern State was receiving votes in the polls until this week. . . NSU is competing against the same 10 teams from a year ago.
 
LEADING A NATION .  .  .  Langston Jones has compiled 53 tackles through four games so far this season . . . the senior linebacker is third in the entire NCAA in both total tackles and tackles per game (13.3) . . . he started off the year with a bang, stopping 12 Gorillas in the season opener . . . he recorded a career-high 21 stops against Missouri Southern State and followed that with a 13-tackle effort against Washburn . . . Jones exploded for 110 tackles a year ago, and 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 has registered 13 career double-digit tackle performances . . . his 299 career stops are good for third in NSU's modern era.
 
JUMPING ON TOP .  .  .  Northeastern State scored first in six of the last eight games to end the 2012 campaign . . . the RiverHawks went ahead 3-0 on a Drew Patton field goal in three of those games (Washburn Sept. 15; Missouri Western State Oct. 6; Southwest Baptist Oct. 27) . . . NSU scored touchdowns against Northwest Missouri State (Sept. 29), Central Missouri (Oct. 20) and Lincoln (Nov. 3) . . . one of the only two contests in that stretch where NSU did not score first was Sept. 22 against Emporia State, when the Hornets shut out the green and white in the opening half . . . Northeastern State did not score first in the season finale against Central Oklahoma, but the RiverHawks were able to defeat the Bronchos . . . despite its 0-4 record in 2013, NSU has been ahead 7-0 against both Missouri Southern and Emporia State.
 
JONES'N FOR A PICK  .  .  .  Senior cornerback Vernon Jones recorded five interceptions in 2012 . . . the Jacksonville, Fla., native finished tied for third in the MIAA and 14th in the NCAA in that category, and he was named to the All-MIAA Honorable Mention squad . . . Jones registered his first INT of 2013 against Emporia State when he became the first player to pick off ESU QB Brent Wilson . . . he has 10 picks in three seasons as a member of the RiverHawks, giving him sole possession of first place in school history during the modern era.
 
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.
 
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.
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-