TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) are set to open the 2015 campaign with a home contest against the No. 7-ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas (0-0, 0-0 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT) Sept. 3 at Doc Wadley Stadium (8,300) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The RiverHawks are coming off the first 0-11 season in school history and the first winless campaign since 2004. NSU will be attempting to win on opening night for the first time since joining the MIAA in 2012. 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 Pittsburg State have met 28 times since the first meeting between the schools in 1912, and the Gorillas lead the all-time series at 14-12-2 . . . Pitt State took the first three meetings of the series before NSU got on the board with a 6-0 triumph in 1928 . . . PSU and NSU locked up in the season opener in 2012, and it was the first meeting between the schools since 1987, when PSU captured a 57-0 victory . . . the Gorillas have captured all three games since NSU joined the MIAA in 2012 . . . PSU won 41-20 in Tahlequah in 2012, and the Gorillas won at home in both 2013 (45-6) and 2014 (31-0) . . . this will be the fourth-straight season the two teams will open the year against one another . . . PSU begins the 2015 campaign ranked No. 7 in the nation and is coming off an appearance in the NCAA Championship Second Round.
 
Series History (Pittsburg State Leads 14-12-2)

Date	Winner	Score
2014	Pittsburg State	31-0
2013	Pittsburg State	45-6
2012	Pittsburg State	41-20
1987	Pittsburg State	57-0
1969	NSU	48-21
1968	NSU	14-7
1967	Tie	7-7
1966	Pittsburg State	35-27
1965	NSU	28-7
1964	NSU	39-0
1959	Pittsburg State	34-14
1958	NSU	40-3
1957	Pittsburg State	19-7
1956	NSU	31-16
1955	NSU	13-7
1954	Pittsburg State	27-0
1953	NSU	19-14
1952	NSU	42-20
1951	NSU	31-13
1948	Pittsburg State	44-13
1941	Tie	13-13
1934	Pittsburg State	25-0
1930	Pittsburg State	18-0
1929	NSU	13-7
1928	NSU	6-0
1927	Pittsburg State	14-0
1924	Pittsburg State	21-0
1912	Pittsburg State	67-7

 
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 0-11 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.
             PSU's TIM BECK (Pittsburg State, '88) is in his sixth season as head coach of the Gorillas . . . he has compiled a 47-14 (.770) record during his tenure leading his alma mater . . . Beck led Pitt State to the school's fourth all-time national championship and a 13-1 record in his second season leading the Gorillas in 2011 . . . he earned NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year honors from Liberty Mutual, the Don Hansen Football Committee and FieldTurf™, as well as MIAA Coach of the Year accolades that season . . . Beck served for 16 years as the Gorillas' offensive coordinator and 22 seasons as a member of the Pitt State coaching staff before becoming Pitt State's 14th head football coach at a press conference on Dec. 9, 2009 . . . last year, Pitt State advanced to the NCAA Championship Second Round following a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl in 2013 . . . during his tenure on the PSU staff, Beck has coached 47 All-Conference players and 23 All-Americans . . . Beck was a two-year football letterman at Pittsburg State, playing defensive back for the Gorillas from 1985-86 . . . he earned All-CSIC honors both seasons and was an NAIA All-District 10 pick as a senior.
 
RIVERHAWKS DEBUT NEW TURF UPGRADE .  .  . Northeastern State Director of Athletics Tony Duckworth selected Hellas Construction to provide and install new Matrix® Turf at Doc Wadley Stadium for the 2015 season . . . the new playing surface replaced the first iteration of field turf that was installed at Gable Field in 2005 . . . the newest edition to the stadium features top-of-the-line turf which is currently utilized most notably by the Dallas Cowboys, Baylor University and the University of California . . . the design features the same NSU logo that currently dons center court inside the NSU Event Center, and the end zones have a black background with "NORTHEASTERN STATE" and "RIVERHAWKS" in large, white lettering outlined in NSU green . . . Hellas defines Matrix® Turf as the finest synthetic turf system available . . . from the advanced fibers, down through the patented REALFILL™ and reinforced backing – each component is part of an authentic, artificial turf system . . . Matrix® Turf has undergone decades of in-depth research and intense testing, resulting in countless innovations that make each Matrix synthetic turf field stronger and more reliable than ever before . . . Matrix® Turf is also held to a higher standard when it comes to testing for strength, safety and overall performance . . . each Matrix® Turf field is designed to provide a superior athletic experience at all levels of competition.
 
THE QB/WR DUO RETURNS .  .  . NSU is set to begin Year 2 of the Kevin Pantastico era . . . the junior quarterback returns after an inaugural campaign that saw him finishing fourth in the MIAA in passing yards per game (196.9) and sixth in total offense (193.4) . . . he finished 193-for-375 for 2,166 yards . . . he also had eight touchdowns to go with 14 interceptions, while starting all 11 games . . . Pantastico has the luxury of throwing to one of the top receivers in the league in Garrett Powell . . . the senior wideout ranked second in the MIAA last season in receptions per game (5.7) and fourth in receiving yards per game (72.8) . . . he appeared in 10 games and finished the campaign with 57 receptions for 728 yards and five touchdowns.
 
RECONSTRUCTING THE O-LINE .  .  . Northeastern State struggled up front in 2014 with an offensive line that started seven different combinations in the first seven games of the season . . . NSU enters 2015 with a projected starting offensive line that features four players who were not on the roster last season . . . the RiverHawks have beefed up the interior with the addition of Andrew Alvarado (LT), Jordan Baldwin (LG), Taylor Cooley (C), and Lance Cox (RG) . . . Tyler Easter returns to start at right tackle . . . the new-look offensive line features five juniors that average 305 pounds and are an average height of 6-foot-3 . . . also returning to the fold to provide veteran leadership is junior Brian West (6-3, 285) . . . redshirt freshman Dakota Ritchie (6-4, 275) was the team's starting left tackle last season before suffering a season-ending injury in the first game.
 
SOLVING THE KICKING WOES .  .  . Northeastern State was one of just two teams in the entire country (Malone University) to not attempt a field goal in the first five games of the 2014 season . . . the RiverHawks were also one of five teams across the nation (Lincoln, Clarion, Southern Nazarene, Cheyney) to not make a field goal through the first eight weeks of the season . . . the RiverHawks were 1-for-7 on field-goal attempts last year, with the lone conversion coming in Week 9 against Central Oklahoma . . . both players who attempted field goals in 2014 are no longer with the program, and Eddie Garcia has been added to the mix to help the special teams . . . Garcia is a junior college transfer from El Camino College who earned All-National Central Conference Second Team honors a season ago . . . he went 13-for-15 on field-goal attempts with a long of 45 last season, and he also was 24 of 26 on point-after attempts.
 
QUITE THE TURNOVER .  .  . The RiverHawks have completely overhauled their roster for the 2015 campaign and feature only 23 players who have ever played in a game for NSU prior to this season . . . there are 64 newcomers to the roster and just 32 players who were on the team a year ago . . . the roster breakdown includes nine seniors, 28 juniors, seven sophomores and 52 freshmen . . . of the 64 newcomers, 24 are transfers.
 
MIAA RANKS FROM 2014 .  .  . The RiverHawks will be looking to improve on a team that ranked in the bottom two in the MIAA in 17 statistical categories a season ago . . . NSU was also last in the league in 11 categories, including scoring offense (10.5), total offense (274.6), rushing offense (69.8), pass efficiency (96.2), third-down conversions (27.8), scoring defense (39.5), rushing defense (224.6), pass defense efficiency (136.0), interceptions (5), field goal conversion percentage (.143), first downs per game (15.4) and penalty yards per game (79.6).
 
MIAA, NSU PARTNER WITH STRETCH INTERNET FOR 2015 .  .  . The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association is set to continue its partnership with Stretch Internet® to provide streaming of conference events . . . 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 can view all conference football and basketball games live through almost any internet connected device, including Smart TV's, Apple TV and Google Chromecast . . . the 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.
 
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.
 
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE  .  .  . Season ticket packages are now on sale for the six-game home portion of the football schedule . . . prices begin as low as $45 per person for an adult general admission ticket . . . season chair back seats begin at $75 each for adults and $25 each for children ages 4-14 . . . season ticket holders receive the benefit of sitting in comfortable chair back seats for NSU's six home MIAA contests where they can watch future NFL players competing in the finest NCAA Division II conference in the nation . . . they also receive excellent view of the halftime show featuring the NSU Band . . . the 2015 campaign marks the third year of the $25 single-game Family 4-Pack, which includes two general admission adult tickets and two general admission student tickets (ages 4 through high school) . . . the Family 4-Pack may be purchased at any time and used at any regular season home game . . . all Northeastern State home football games are played at Doc Wadley Stadium and will be contested on the new Matrix® Turf installed this summer . . . also for convenience, the Athletics Department will continue utilizing online ticketing for football and basketball . . . online ticketing allows for advanced ticket sales . . . all fans are required to show a ticket prior to entering an NSU football or basketball contest . . . NSU students and faculty/staff are allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's are not accepted as a form of entry . . . for questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
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.