TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (2-7, 2-7 MIAA) are set for their final home game of the season when they welcome the Washburn Ichabods (4-5, 4-5 MIAA) to town. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at Doc Wadley Stadium (8,300) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The contest will be Senior Day for the NSU football program and RiverHawks Rally for the university. Washburn enters the contest having lost four of their last five games, while NSU has split its last four matchups.

The game can be heard live on KEOK 102.1 FM in Tahlequah with Bill Huddleston (play-by-play) and Sean Rowley (color) providing commentary. A free audio broadcast can be found at goriverhawksgo.com. The game will 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 Washburn have met just five times in the history of the two programs . . . the two squads played a home-and-home series in 1987-88, and both teams picked up home triumphs . . . Washburn earned a 23-21 win in 1987, but the Redmen were victorious in the return matchup 35-30 . . . the only other three meetings between NSU and WU came over the last three years, when the Ichabods handed the RiverHawks three-straight losses.
 
Series History (WU Leads 4-1)
Date    Winner    Score
2014    WU    42-7
2013    WU    48-3
2012    WU    24-20
1988    NSU   35-30
1987    WU    23-21

THE HEAD COACHES  .  .  .  NSU's ROB ROBINSON (William Jewell, '00) is in his second season as the RiverHawks head coach . . . he was named the 19th head football coach in school history on Dec. 19, 2013 . . . he owns a 2-18 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.  WU'S CRAIG SCHURIG (Colorado Mines, '87) is in his 14th season with the Ichabods . . . he has compiled a 95-63 record during his tenure . . . in 13 seasons as the Ichabods' head coach, Craig Schurig has built one of the most respected programs in the MIAA with three NCAA playoff appearances as well as the 2005 MIAA title coming on the heel's of a 2007, 2009 and 2011 runner-up finish in the conference race . . . through his first 11 seasons, in addition to three NCAA playoffs and a conference title, Schurig has led the Washburn football program to the 2004 Mineral Water Bowl Championship and the 2010 Kanza Bowl Championship . . . as quarterbacks coach, he helped NSU QB coach Dane Simoneau throw for more than 4,000 yards setting a school record and a national finalist award for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in NCAA Division II, the first national finalist in Washburn history . . . Simoneau would go on to be a five-time consensus All-American at quarterback as well as the MIAA's Offensive Player of the Year, the first Ichabod to win the award . . . in his eleven seasons at Washburn, the Ichabods have had 18 different players earn 51 different All-American accolades, two MIAA Most Valuable Defensive Players, an MIAA Offensive Player of the Year,  four MIAA Freshman of the Year awards and 145 players receive all-MIAA honors . . . he has been equally on task with players in the classroom with 225 Ichabods named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, including three Academic All-Americans.
 
POWELL WINS WEEKLY ACCOLADE .  .  . Garrett Powell was named the MIAA/AstroTurf Special Teams Athlete of the Week, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced Oct. 19 . . . the senior wide receiver/punter from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, was a big weapon in flipping field position in NSU's 31-21 victory over Missouri Southern State on Oct. 17 . . . he punted eight times for 353 yards (44.1 yards per punt), which included a 71-yard boot in the first quarter that was downed at the one-yard line . . . the punt was the longest by any MIAA player this season and was also the longest of Powell's career . . . he finished the game with a career-high four punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and he also had a career-high three downed inside the 10. Powell leads the MIAA of 50+ yard punts (8) this season and is second in total punting (41.0) . . . he also had four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in the game . . . this is the first weekly honor of Powell's career and the first weekly special teams honor by an NSU football player since the RiverHawks joined the league in 2012 . . . the only other time an NSU player has won a weekly accolade was when former linebacker Langston Jones was named defensive athlete of the week on Sept. 16, 2013.
 
HAVE A DAY, DARIAN .  .  . NSU picked up a second-straight win by defeating Missouri Southern State 31-21 on Oct. 17 . . . the RiverHawks were led by a monster defensive effort from Darian Morris . . . the junior linebacker finished with nine tackles, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one interception, one forced fumble, one tackle for loss, one half sack, and one school-record 97-yard fumble recovery return for touchdown . . .the last time an NSU player had a fumble recovery for a touchdown was on Oct. 20, 2012 . . . the last time an NSU player had two fumble recoveries in the same game was on Sept. 13, 2008 . . . the last time an NSU player had at least one fumble recovery and one interception in the same game was on Oct. 21, 2006.
 
STREAKING NO MORE .  .  . Northeastern State defeated Nebraska-Kearney 31-14 on Oct. 10 to snap what was the nation's fourth-longest active losing streak . . . the RiverHawks had failed to win a game since the end of the 2013 season, but they picked up a decisive triumph over the Lopers to break into the win column for the first time in the Rob Robinson era . . . NSU scored first, last and plenty of times in between to secure the 17-point victory . . . senior running back Joel Rockmore rushed the ball 18 times for a career-high 210 yards, while also scoring touchdowns on runs of 76 and 85 yards . . . junior wideout Matthew Butler also recorded a 74-yard TD reception in the third quarter . . . those were the three longest plays of the season . . . Northeastern State held the Lopers scoreless over the final two quarters and kept them below 200 yards of total offense (199) . . . the last time Northeastern State held an opponent to fewer than 200 yards of total offense was August 27, 2011.
 
YEA, HE'S STILL GOT IT .  .  . Joel Rockmore was an all-region performer in 2012 and a preseason All-American in 2013 . . . the senior tailback exploded out of the gates in 2013 but suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the year . . . he returned in 2014 but struggled to regain his elite form, finishing with just 272 yards rushing on 86 carries (3.2 yards per carry) in nine games (30.2 yards per game) . . . he started off well this season - 252 yards through the first three games - but he then erupted for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries in a win over Nebraska-Kearney on Oct. 10 . . . he busted runs of 85 and 76 yards, which were the two longest rushes of his career . . . he also tallied 101 yards rushing on 25 carries in a win over Missouri Southern State on Oct. 17 . . . the 25 carries were the most for him in a single game since he had 33 against Central Oklahoma on Nov. 10, 2012.
 
SACK PARTY .  .  . Northeastern State has recorded 23 quarterback sacks through nine games this season, which is the most in a single season since the 2009 squad finished with 24 . . . the RiverHawks had four sacks each against Pittsburg State, Missouri Western State and Nebraska-Kearney, while registering three against Central Missouri and two each against Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Southern State. . . the last time NSU posted multiple four-sack games in a single season was in 2010 . . . senior linebacker Irving Steele and junior defensive back Steffon Herd lead the team with 4.0 sacks each . . . if either one registers at least one more half sack this season, it will be the most in a single campaign since Travis Boswell finished with 7.0 in 2011 . . . T'Nheous Smith and Quincy Dotson are all tied for third on the team with 3.0 sacks each.
 
VIDEOBOARD UPGRADE UNVEILED OCT. 3 .  .  . Northeastern State University Director of Athletics Tony Duckworth announced that a new videoboard would be installed at Doc Wadley Stadium . . . funded completely through private dollars, the new project is estimated to cost $100,000 . . . the 16' x 9' videoboard with 32' branded top banner and 8' x 9' backlit advertising panels debuted at NSU's Oct. 3 home football game against Northwest Missouri State . . . Duckworth said the project cost was greatly reduced because there is already a current structure in place . . . one of the major difference fans will notice right away will be a larger videoboard that goes from standard definition to high definition . . . with the recent turf installation project completed this past summer, NSU has now invested approximately $500,000 in upgrades to Doc Wadley Stadium this year.

2015 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 three 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.

NSU SELECTED LAST IN PRESEASON POLLS .  .  .  Northeastern State was picked to finish 12th in both the 2015 MIAA Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced at the MIAA Football Media Day on August 3. The RiverHawks collected 16 points in the coaches' poll and 47 points in the media poll. They were also selected to finish 12th in both polls last season. Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State locked down the top two spots in both rankings. The Bearcats brought in eight of 12 first-place votes (118 total) in the coaches' poll and raked in 28 of 41 first-place votes (478 total) in the media poll. Pittsburg State earned four first-place votes in the coaches' poll and 13 in the media poll to earn 114 and 455 points, respectively. NSU finished 0-11 overall a year ago and finished 12th in the conference.

TICKETS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2015-16 .  .  . 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 third-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 partners with Advanced-Online to bring fans 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.