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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-5, 0-5 MIAA) return home for a contest against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (0-5, 0-5 MIAA). NSU and UNK are the last two winless teams in the MIAA this season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CT) Oct. 11 at Doc Wadley Stadium (8,300) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The game can be heard live on KEOK 102.1 FM in Tahlequah with Bill Huddleston and Sean Rowley providing commentary. A free audio broadcast can be found at goriverhawksgo.com. The game will also be streamed live on Stretch Internet (http://portal.stretchinternet.com/nsu/, subscription based). A football-only season pass is available for $69.95, and a day pass can be purchased for $9.95.
 
GAME NOTES
THE MATCHUP  .  .  .  Northeastern State and Nebraska-Kearney have met four times throughout the years and the current series is deadlocked at 2-2 . . . the Lopers defeated the RiverHawks 65-10 in Kearney in the last meeting between the schools in 2011 . . . the Redmen posted a 14-0 victory over UNK in 1980 in the NAIA Championship Semifinals, and NSU went on to lose in the national championship 17-10 to Elon . . . the two squads split a home-and-home series in 1960-61.
 
Series History (Series tied 2-2)
Date    Winner    Score
2011    UNK    65-10
1980    NSU    14-0
1961    UNK    21-14
1960    NSU    34-21
 
THE HEAD COACHES  .  .  .  NSU's ROB ROBINSON (William Jewell, '00) is in his first season as the RiverHawks head coach . . . he was named the 19th head football coach in school history on Dec. 19, 2013 . . . he owns a 0-5 all-time record . . . Robinson spent the previous 12 years under Craig Schurig as a member of the Washburn Ichabod coaching staff, serving as the offensive coordinator for the last four seasons . . . he also directed the running backs from 2007-13 and coached the wide receivers from 2002-06 . . . he served as the recruiting coordinator from 2002-10 and was the academic coordinator from 2010-13 . . . Robinson was an integral member of a Washburn staff that completely turned around the Ichabod program . . . Washburn averaged 3.3 wins from 1989-03 and had just one winning season, but the Ichabods averaged 7.9 wins from 2004-13 and posted 10 straight winning campaigns . . . Robinson is the second former coordinator under Schurig's tutelage to become the head coach of another program, joining Fort Hays State's Chris Brown . . . Robinson spent the 2001 season at Pittsburg State as a graduate assistant, coaching the defensive backs with Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig . . . the Gorillas won the MIAA Championship that year.
            UNK's DARRELL MORRIS (Northwest Missouri State, '83) is in his 15th season with the Lopers . . . he is one of the most successful coaches in the program's 107-year history . . . he currently has the second highest winning percentage in Loper lore (64.0), ranks third in wins (98) and has led UNK to four RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) titles and four NCAA Division II playoff berths . . . a member of the Loper coaching staff since 1986, he was named the 16th head football coach in school history in October 1999 . . . he owns an all-time coaching mark of 98-60 at UNK, and he has led the Lopers to an 82-42 conference record . . . he was twice named the RMAC Coach of the Year (2002, '05) . . . since taking over, he has had 17 All-Americans and 106 different players earn all-conference honors . . . UNK players have been up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the Division II Heisman, on six occasions in the Morris era . . . quarterback Justin Coleman was runner up in 2000 with QB Jake Spitzlberger a national finalist in 2011.
 
TALE OF THE TAPE .  .  . This week's matchup for Northeastern State will be a battle between the last two winless teams in the MIAA this season . . . neither team has scored in the third quarter this season, but both NSU and UNK have 28 fourth-quarter points . . . the two squads are a combined 0-10 this year, and they both rank near the bottom of the MIAA in several statistical categories . . . NSU ranks in the bottom three in 15 categories . . . UNK ranks in the bottom three in 16 categories . . . NSU is 12th in scoring offense (11.0), 12th in scoring defense (41.2), 11th in rush offense (63.4), 10th in pass efficiency (98.3), 12th in pass defense efficiency (141.1), 10th in punt return average (5.8), 11th in interceptions gained (2), 11th in kickoff coverage (32.7), 12th in field goals (NSU is one of just two schools in the nation - Malone University - to have not attempted a field goal this season), 11th in sacks by (6), 11th in third-down conversion percentage (29.1), 12th in penalties (105.2, which is 36 yards per game more than the next-closest team), 12th in turnover margin (NSU leads the MIAA in both fumbles lost - 5 - and interceptions thrown - 12), 11th in redzone offense (45.5), and 12th in redzone defense (89.3) . . . UNK is 11th in scoring offense (11.9), 11th in scoring defense (33.8), 10th in total offense (284.0), 10th in total defense (420.2), 12th in rush defense (204.2), 11th in pass offense (114.8), 12th in pass efficiency (85.4), 11th in pass defense efficiency (136.3), 11th in interceptions gained (2), 12th in kickoff coverage (31.8), 11th in field goals (1-for-3), 11th in sacks against (19), 10th in first downs (15.4), 12th in opponent third-down conversion percentage (48.1), 10th in turnover margin (-1.20), 12th in redzone offense (40.0).
 
TRICKERATION .  .  . The Northeastern State offense has yet to score a point in three road games this season . . . the RiverHawks special teams, however, got on the board in the second quarter against Northwest Missouri State this past week . . . NSU came out in punt formation from NWMSU's 45-yard line midway through the second quarter, and Daniel Murray's snap went to upback Prince McJunkins instead of punter Garrett Powell . . . McJunkins waited momentarily for Peter Udoumoh to get behind the defense, and he found the sophomore defensive back wide open for a touchdown . . . the points were the first in the second quarter by NSU this season and are the only road points for the RiverHawks so far in 2014 . . . Northeastern State has still yet to score in a third quarter this year.
 
SCHEDULE RELIEF .  .  . The RiverHawks have played the most difficult schedule of any MIAA program this season . . . the teams Northeastern State has faced through the first five weeks of 2014 are a combined 18-7 . . . the 72 percent win percentage is the highest opponent win percentage of any team in the conference, and the 18 combined victories rank second in the nation for opponent wins so far this season . . . the remaining schedule for Northeastern State looks dramatically different from the first five contests, as the final six teams on NSU's docket are a combined 12-18 (40 percent) . . . the five teams NSU has faced this season are Pittsburg State (4-1), Fort Hays State (3-2), Missouri Western State (3-2), Emporia State (3-2), and Northwest Missouri State (5-0) . . . the RiverHawks will end the season against Nebraska-Kearney (0-5), Missouri Southern State (2-3), Central Missouri (3-2), Central Oklahoma (4-1), Washburn (2-3), and Lindenwood (1-4).

MIAA, NSU PARTNER WITH STRETCH INTERNET FOR 2014 .  .  . The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced a partnership with Stretch Internet® to provide streaming of conference events, beginning in 2014 . . . Stretch partners with the league and members institutions to broadcast all conference football and men's and women's basketball games, as well as selected other conference events . . . fans will be able to view all conference football and basketball games live through almost any internet connected device, including Smart TV's, Apple TV and Google Chromecast . . . the new GameCentral 2.0 platform will also allow fans to access live stats in the video stream . . . the new platform also features archived games and other video content.
 
2014 NSU TAILGATING GUIDELINES .  .  . Entrance will open three hours prior to kickoff and will close to incoming vehicles two hours prior kickoff . . . extreme caution must be taken when driving through the area . . . tailgating assignments consist of the equivalent of thre parking spots . . . each group will get one assigned area . . . each assigned tailgate area will be allowed a maximum of one vehicle . . . areas will be assigned in sequence based on order of arrival . . . it is important to fill the tailgate areas in sequence in order to maximize space in an orderly, safe fashion . . . all participants are expected to respect fellow tailgaters . . . all participants are expected to follow local, state, and federal laws . . . participants who are currently enrolled NSU students are expected to abide by NSU Student Rules and Regulations . . . no tent stakes may be used on parking lot asphalt . . . vehicles will not be allowed to leave the tailgate area until kickoff.
 
TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2014-15 .  .  . 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 . . . this is the second-straight year ID's have been required at those events . . . NSU students and faculty/staff are allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's are not accepted as a form of entry . . . tickets can be purchased at NSU's ticketing website, 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 launched a 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 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.