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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State football team lost 56-14 to Central Missouri Saturday afternoon at Doc Wadley Stadium.
 
The RiverHawks fell to 0-8 on the season and 0-8 in the MIAA, while the Mules (6-2, 6-2 MIAA) picked up their fifth-straight victory.
 
UCM got on the board early and often, as the visitors were able to rack up 649 yards of total offense (405 rushing, 244 passing) and eight touchdowns. NSU finished with 276 yards total (54 rushing, 222 passing). Central Missouri led 21-7 at half and scored touchdowns on all five second-half possessions.
 
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Pantastico finished 16 of 28 through the air for 189 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception for the second time this season. Junior wideout Garrett Powell registered a game-high seven catches for 85 yards and a score. Junior running back Joel Rockmore posted 53 yards rushing and his first touchdown of the season.
 
Sophomore safety Steffon Herd had a career-high 11 tackles to lead the defense. Carson Smallwood had seven tackles and finished with a career-high two sacks, which came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter.
 
UCM's LaVance Taylor (175 yards rushing, one TD) and Ray Harris (169 yards rushing, one TD) both rushed for more than 150 yards. Northeastern State narrowly avoided giving up three 100-yard rushers in a single game for the second-straight week, as third-stringer Evan Campbell tallied 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Taylor also finished with 235 all-purpose yards (175 rush, 35 receive, 25 kick return).
 
Hayden Hawk was 15-of-26 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns for the Mules.
 
Northeastern State returns to action with a 2 p.m. kickoff against Central Oklahoma Nov. 1 in Edmond, Oklahoma.
 
GAME NOTES

• -With the loss, Northeastern State falls to 9-2 all-time against Central Missouri. The Mules have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 107-21.
• -James Renfrow made his team-leading 28th career start.
• -The 14 points scored by NSU was the second-highest point total this year.
• -Kenny Culbertson had his first career fumble recovery in the first quarter.
• -Joel Rockmore's 65-yard kickoff return early in the second quarter was the longest of the season for the RiverHawks.
• -Dylan Beers missed a field goal in the second quarter. The RiverHawks are 0-for-4 on field goal attempts in 2014 and entered the game as one of just five teams across the nation to have not made a field goal this season.
• -Carson Smallwood had two sacks in the game. It was his first career multi-sack game and the first for a RiverHawk this season.
• -Central Missouri had two 150+ yard rushers in LaVance Taylor (175) and Ray Harris (169). The RiverHawks had only allowed one 150-yard rusher previously in 2014 (quarterback Bronson Marsh of Nebraska-Kearney had 242).
• -This was the third-straight game an opponent had a 100-yard rusher against NSU.
• -The Mules had 405 rushing yards. This was the third-straight game the RiverHawks gave up at least 346 rushing yards. It also marked the first time since Oct. 15, 2011, that an NSU opponent racked up at least 400 yards on the ground (Harding, 458).
• -The 649 yards of total offense was the most against NSU since Northwest Missouri State threw up 654 on Sept. 29, 2012.
• -This was the first game that the RiverHawks allowed more than 50 points since Oct. 26, 2013 against Central Missouri. This was also the first time an NSU opponent had 600 yards of total offense since that game last season against the Mules.
• -NSU had just 54 yards rushing. This marked the fifth time this season the RiverHawks failed to reach the 100-yard plateau on the ground.
• -Rockmore finished with a team-high 53 yards rushing and his first rushing touchdown of the season. He had 135 all-purpose yards (53 rush, 17 receive, 65 kickoff return), which was his highest since he had 217 against Missouri Southern State on Sept. 14, 2013. This was also the third time this season an NSU player posted 100 all-purpose yards in a game. Garrett Powell had 179 receiving yards against Emporia State and Derrick Moore registered 105 yards (83 rush, 22 receive) against Nebraska-Kearney.
• -Steffon Herd had a career-high 11 tackles (7 solo, 4 assist).
• -Northeastern State had a season-high 10 punts Saturday. Five were in the first quarter and a sixth was the first play of the second quarter. NSU has punted at least eight times in four of its last five games. The team netted 39.7 yards per punt, which was the second-highest of the season.
• -The RiverHawks dominated the time of possession 34:23-25:37. This was the fourth time in the last six games that NSU won the TOP.
• -NSU had eight penalties. The team has committed at least eight penalties in six games this year.
• -Northeastern State had an 11-play, 39-yard drive late in the contest that ate up 5:06 off the clock and ended in an interception. That was the sixth time this season NSU has ventured on a drive that lasted at least 5:00, and it was the sixth-longest drive in terms of plays in 2014.
• -The RiverHawks scored touchdowns in both the second and third quarters. This was the first time NSU scored on offense in a second quarter this season. This was also the first points of any variety scored in a third quarter by NSU all year.
• -This is the third time in school history that Northeastern State has begun a season with eight-straight losses (2004, 2013).
• -NSU has now lost eight games in a single season seven times in school history. Every occurrence but one has been since 2004 (1940).

 
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