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PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Northeastern State football team dropped a 37-0 decision to No. 9 Pittsburg State Saturday night at Carnie Smith Stadium in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association contest.
 
The RiverHawks (0-1) were shutout for the first time since Sept. 5, 2009, while the Gorillas (1-0) posted their ninth straight season-opening victory. Pitt State scored on its first five possessions, while NSU's first five possessions included four punts and one turnover on downs at the end of the first half.  
 
The NSU held the Gorillas to just 10 second-half points. The RiverHawks were able to drive the ball into enemy territory five times, and even got into the redzone twice, but they were never able to damage the scoreboard.
 
Pitt State posted 396 yards of total offense, with 227 coming through the air and 169 coming on the ground. NSU tallied 180 yards total, with 132 through the air and 48 via the ground attack.
 
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Pantastico threw for 132 yards on 13-of-28 passing in his first game with NSU. He threw two interceptions and lost one fumble, while leading the team with 13 yards rushing.
 
Junior running back Joel Rockmore also posted 13 rushing yards on four attempts before leaving the game with an injury. Rockmore was playing in his first game since the second week of last year when he suffered a season-ending injury. Senior running back Terrance Dixon finished the game with nine yards on 13 carries. He also led the team with five receptions for 40 yards.
 
Gorilla signal caller Anthony Abenoja finished 18-of-23 passing for 230 yards and one score. He also led the team with 49 rushing yards on nine carries. Marquise Cushon led the passing attack with 96 yards on four receptions, which all came in the first quarter.
 
Running back Jeff Seybold, who was named to the All-MIAA First Team last season, was held to a career-low 14 yards rushing on just six carries. He also had three receptions for 18 yards and scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
 
Northeastern State will now prepare for its home opener against Fort Hays State. The RiverHawks and Tigers (0-1) will kickoff at 2 p.m. Sept. 13 in the MIAA TV Game of the Week.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

Qtr.	Time	Team	Play	Score
1	11:40	PSU	Connor Frazell 26 FG	3-0
	7:48	PSU	Anthony Abenoja 19 rush (Frazell kick)	10-0
	2:47	PSU	Jeff Seybold 9 rush (Frazell kick)	17-0
2	14:15	PSU	Abenoja 10 pass to Seybold (Frazell kick)	24-0
	6:59	PSU	Frazell 35 FG	27-0
3	1:36	PSU	Solomon Watkins 5 rush (Frazell kick)	34-0
4	4:08	PSU	Frazell 36 FG	37-0

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH ROB ROBINSON
Opening statement…
"I thought the guys played hard. That was the most impressive thing. We had some struggles at first. Pitt was well prepared. It was the first game for our coaching staff. There was some miscommunication when we had the ball late in the second quarter. We had an opportunity to score, but our quarterback spiked the ball on fourth down. That was my fault with not making sure he knew the situation. He spiked it and that's on me, I should have communicated that better. But the guys came out and they fought the entire game, which was a big thing. So I'm very proud of the way they played. The big thing is your best jump in progress comes from week one to week two. Once tomorrow gets here this game will be behind us, and we'll start preparing for Fort Hays State."
 
On the offense in the second half…
"You know we were that close to breaking runs. We had to make some substitutions on the offensive line, and I thought the guys did a great job of fighting. They got first downs in the second half and we've got to be able to capitalize on that."
 
On the young defense and their fight…
"The defense played extremely hard and they were right there to make some plays. If a couple of those plays go a different way, it's a different ballgame. I'm really proud of the effort they showed, especially against a team like Pittsburg State at their home."
 
GAME NOTES

• NSU coach Rob Robinson made his coaching debut Saturday.
• Northeastern State's game against Pittsburg State marked the third time in a row that the RiverHawks opened the season against the Gorillas, including the second time in Pittsburg, Kansas.
• The announced attendance of 10,814 was the fourth largest in Carnie Smith Stadium history.
• Pittsburg State leads the series over the RiverHawks 14-12-2. The Gorillas have won the last four meetings. NSU's last win over the Gorillas was in 1969.
• Ross Dvorak, Joel Rockmore and James Renfrow all made their 21st career starts. Ross Dvorak also made his team-leading 14th consecutive start, while Jack Gray made his 26th career start.
• Eddie General had the first forced fumble of his career with 1:51 left in the second quarter. Donnie Fuston recovered the forced fumble, which was the first of his career.
• Steffon Herd made his first start on the defensive side of the ball for NSU. He led the team with eight total tackles (seven solo). 
• Six RiverHawks made their first start in the green and white. They were Romon Beard, Garrett Powell, Dakota Ritchie, Tyler Easter, Kevin Pantastico and Michael Davis.
• Garrett Powell made his first career catch, good for 21 yards, in the second quarter. 
• Since 2003, Northeastern State has faced 27 ranked teams. They are 0-27 in those matchups.
• This was the first time the RiverHawks were shutout since Sept. 5, 2009, when they lost 6-0 to Tarleton State.
• NSU embarked on a 13-play, 69-yard drive late in the third quarter that ended with a Kevin Pantastico thrown interception in the endzone. The drive, in terms of total plays, would have been good for third longest last season. The drive, in terms of time (5:51), would have been good for second longest last season.
• Pitt State running back Jeff Seybold, who was named to the All-MIAA First Team a season ago, was held to a career-low 14 yards rushing.
• Northeastern State had more fourth-down conversions (3-for-5) than third-down conversions (2-for-16).

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