The Headline: Northeastern State will have an opportunity to finish the final month of the season with a bang with their opponents having a combined 8-20 record.  The last time NSU and the Lopers met last season was on the road with a 31-14 NSU win and the RiverHawks defense holding UNK to 199 yards of total offense.  Through six games the series with the Lopers is tied at three wins apiece, in MIAA play both teams have taken games on their opposition's turf.   The highlight of the series so far was in the 1980 NAIA Championship Semifinals with Northeastern State working a 14-point shutout.  

Last Time Out: Dimonic McKinzy aired out four touchdown passes with 263 yards against top-ranked Northwest Missouri in a 74-29 loss.  The RiverHawks' Gary McKnight caught three touchdown passes with 136 yards and was the first receiver since 2011 that had three TD's against the Bearcats.   NSU's passing game out-matched NWMSU by 27 with 318 yards in the air.  Additionally, the RiverHawks held onto the ball with no-fumbles with the top-ranked Bearcats coughing up a pair.  Inside the red zone, NSU remained effective and was perfect in both drives; the RiverHawks have scored in their last six drives into the red zone.
 

W/L	Date	PF	Location	PA	Notes
W	Nov. 12, 1960	34	Tahlequah, Okla.	21
L	Nov. 11, 1961	14	Kearney, Neb.	21
W	Dec. 13, 1980	14	Tahlequah, Okla.	0	NAIA Division I Semifinal Playoff Game
L	Sept. 10, 2011	10	Kearney, Neb.	65
L	Oct. 11, 2014	7	Tahlequah, Okla.	34
W	Oct. 10, 2015	31	Kearney, Neb.	14

The Opponent: The Lopers snapped a 17-game losing streak after holding off Central Oklahoma 47-32 in Kearney last weekend.  Redshirt freshman Steve Worthing threw three touchdown passes and senior linebacker Tyke Kozeal returned an interception for a score with 1:44 left to seal the game for UNK.   Central Oklahoma had well over 100 yards of total offense over UNK in the loss but it was four interceptions and two "pick-six" run-backs that helped tipped the scales.  In the air this season, UNK is eleventh in the MIAA in passing offense with 225.3 yards, and its defense is seventh by allowing 268.4 yards in the air.  UNK's O-line has allowed 17 sacks this year which is tenth most in the league. Worthing has 11 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in seven games this year; Kozeal leads the nation with 61 solo tackles and averages nearly 16 tackles per game this season.

In the air: Dimonic McKinzy is having a historic first season with the RiverHawks and through just seven games he is already eighth in NSU career NCAA Division II record book*.  The sophomore from Kansas City, Mo. has a pair of 300 passing yard games and three above 200, against Lindenwood on Sept. 8, he tossed five TD passes with no interceptions.  With 16 touchdown passes, McKinzy is sixth in the NSU NCAA Division II record book as well.
*Since 1996

L-Town:  Gary McKnight, junior from Lawton, Okla. is second in the MIAA with 85.6 yards per game and second with seven touchdown passes this season.  In one season, he is tied for seventh since 1996 when Northeastern State moved to NCAA Division II status in career TDs.   McKnight has 599 receiving yards on 27 catches with a pair of three touchdown games.

The Herd: Senior Steffon Herd is second in the MIAA with 49 solo tackles which is fourth most in NCAA Division II football this season.  The four-year letter winner is averaging just over nine tackles a game and in fifth in NSU's NCAA Division II record book with 217 tackles in the backfield.  Two weeks ago at home against #18 Emporia State he had 11 solo tackles.

THE HEAD COACHES...NSU's Rob Robinson (William Jewell, '00) is in his third season as the RiverHawks head coach . . . he was named the 19th head football coach in school history on Dec. 19, 2013 . . . he owns a 4-25 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 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 the Washburn staff that competely turned around he 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 Schruig'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 Josh Lamberson (Northwest '05) is in his second season with UNK and won his first game last week over Central Oklahoma and holds a career record of 1-17…came from Central Missouri where he was the offensive/ recruiting coordinator for five seasons and went 39-19 with back-to-back playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011…the Mules in 2014 led the MIAA with 35.7 points per game…spent two seasons with Southeastern Oklahoma as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator (2008-10)…was a graduate assistant during the 2006-07 seasons with Northwest Missouri State where they played in two national championship games.