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EDMOND, Okla. – The Northeastern State football team lost 28-10 to Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Wantland Stadium.
 
The RiverHawks (0-9, 0-9 MIAA) handed back the President's Cup to the Bronchos (7-2, 7-2 MIAA) for the first time since 2009. UCO snapped a four-game losing streak to NSU.
 
Junior running back Joel Rockmore led Northeastern State with 74 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also had a game-high 146 all-purpose yards with the help of 44 yards receiving and 28 yards on one kickoff return. He surpassed two milestones in the game, as he now has 3,062 career all-purpose yards and 2,021 career rushing yards.
 
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Pantastico finished 14-of-31 passing for 180 yards and one touchdown. Junior wide receiver Garrett Powell had six receptions for 98 yards and one TD.
 
UCO quarterback Chas Stallard led the home team with a 24-for-32 effort through the air. He passed for 268 yards and one touchdown, and he also tallied 48 rushing yards and two TD's on the ground.
 
NSU got on the board first when senior Dylan Beers connected on a 37-yard field goal on the RiverHawks' opening drive. The team entered the contest as one of only five squads in the nation to have not made a field goal this year. Beers missed a 39-yard attempt on NSU's second drive and is now 1-for-5 on the season.
 
After being forced to punt on their opening possession, the Bronchos marched down the field and ended their next three drives in the endzone to take a 21-3 lead at halftime. The two teams exchanged touchdowns late in the third quarter and did not score in the fourth quarter as UCO secured the victory.
 
Central Oklahoma outgained Northeastern State 378-275. UCO led 268-180 through the air and 110-95 on the ground. NSU won the time of possession 30:28-29:32. The RiverHawks were also 8-for-17 on third-down conversions, while the Bronchos were just 5-for-11.
 
Northeastern State will stay on the road next weekend with a trip to Topeka, Kansas. The RiverHawks will take on Washburn at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8.
 
GAME NOTES

• With the win, Central Oklahoma improved to 46-27-2 against NSU in the all-time series. The RiverHawks lost the President's Cup for the first time since 2009, snapping a four-game win streak over the Bronchos.
• James Renfrow made his team leading 29th career start.
• Dylan Beers made a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter. This was the first made field goal for the RiverHawks in 2014. They came into the game 0-for-4 and were one of just five teams in the nation to have not made a field goal all season.
• The RiverHawks scored first for the fourth time this year. They fell to 4-10 when scoring first since joining the MIAA in 2012.
• NSU won the time of possession for the fifth time in the last seven outings.
• With an interception in the second quarter, Kevin Pantastico has now thrown an INT in seven games this season and leads the MIAA with 12 total.
• Garrett Powell's touchdown reception in the third quarter gives him five on the year. He moved into a tie for seventh place for career TD's in NSU's modern era record book.
• Powell's six catches gives him 55 in his career and moves him into eighth place on the list of RiverHawks career reception leaders in the NCAA era. He is also one of just four NSU receivers to reach the 50-catch plateau in a single season since 1996.
• Kenneth Davis had a team- and career-high 12 tackles (seven solo, five assisted).
• This was the first time NSU has held an opponent to less than 30 points in 2014.
• Joel Rockmore finished with 74 yards rushing. He now has 2,021 career rushing yards and is just the second member of the team to reach the 2,000-yard rushing plateau in the modern era.
• Rockmore had 146 all-purpose yards, which put him at 3,062 total all-purpose yards for his career. He is one of only four RiverHawks to have reached 3,000 total career all-purpose yards in the modern era.
• Rockmore has posted at least 135 all-purpose yards in two-straight games. His total Saturday was the most since he had 217 against Missouri Southern State on Sept. 14, 2013.
• The RiverHawks held UCO without a 100-yard rusher after allowing a 100-yard rusher in three-straight games. NSU also held the Bronchos to just 110 yards rushing. The RiverHawks had conceded an average of 377.7 yards on the ground over the last three weeks.
• NSU had just 95 yards rushing. This marked the sixth time this season the RiverHawks failed to reach the 100-yard plateau on the ground.
• Northeastern State had a season-high three drives that lasted at least 10 plays. The team also posted three drives that went at least 50 yards. That is the second-highest total in a single-game this season.
• This is the second time in school history that Northeastern State has begun a season with nine-straight losses (2004).
• NSU has now lost nine games in a single season for just the fifth time in school history (2004, 2008, 2009, 2013).

 
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