TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) will open the 2016 campaign on the road against the Washburn Ichabods (0-0, 0-0 MIAA). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 1 at Yager Stadium (7,200) in Topeka, Kansas.
 
The game can be heard live on KEOK 102.1 FM in Tahlequah with Scott Pettus (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 six 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 two teams have met each of the last four years as members of the MIAA, and the Ichabods have won all four games by a combined score of 149-51.
 
Series History (WU Leads 5-1)

Date	Winner	Score
2015	WU	35-21
2014	WU	42-7
2013	WU	48-3
2012	WU	24-20
1988	NSU	35-30
1987	WU	23-21

ON THE UPTICK .  .  . The RiverHawks football program is enjoying Year 3 of the Rob Robinson . . . the program continues to move in the right direction and the 2016 season is sure to show further progress toward bringing Northeastern State back to prominence . . . Robinson's first year saw the team go 0-11, but it took him just one year to rebound as the 2015 team posted a 3-8 record . . . the coaching staff has added plenty of playmakers that will help generate more wins this year.
 
SACK PARTY . . . Northeastern State recorded 26 quarterback sacks last season, which was the most in a single season since the 2005 squad finished with 28 . . . the RiverHawks had four sacks each against Pittsburg State, Missouri Western State and Nebraska-Kearney, while registering three against Central Missouri and Washburn . . . NSU had two sacks 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 . . . Steffon Herd led the team with 5.0 sacks, which was the most in a single campaign since Travis Boswell finished with 7.0 in 2011 . . . Irving Steele and T'Nheous Smith finished in a tie for second on the team with 4.0 sacks each . . . Quincy Dotson has posted 3.5 sacks this year.

DON'T THROW ON US .  .  . Northeastern State defensive coordinator Josh Lattimer has injected an exciting new brand of defense to the RiverHawks program . . . in his two years leading his side of the football, NSU has been one of the MIAA's most dominant team's in terms of shutting down the opponent's pass game . . . in 2014, the RiverHawks finished fourth in the league in pass defense, allowing just 187.1 yards per game through the air . . . the 2015 squad allowed four additional yards per game (191.1) but fared better in the league, finishing second in the conference only to the team that went on to claim the national championship (Northwest Missouri State).
 
COMPETING AGAINST THE BEST .  .  . NSU has boasted one of the strongest strengths of schedule since joining the MIAA in 2012 . . . the league always features a plethora of teams that earn national rankings, and this season is no different . . . of the 11 conference opponents on NSU's schedule for 2016, six earned preseason national rankings or were receiving votes from the American Football Coaches Association . . . the three ranked teams were No. 1 Northwest Missouri, No. 20 Central Missouri and No. 24 Emporia State . . . the three RV teams were Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State and Central Oklahoma. 
 
BRING 'EM BACK .  .  . Last season, Northeastern State returned just 23 players from the 2014 team, while adding 64 newcomers to the roster . . . there were also just nine seniors on the team . . . the 2016 squad has much more stability, with 58 returning players and a whopping 23 seniors . . . the RiverHawks also began the 2016 season with 48 newcomers . . . in total, there are 23 seniors, 13 juniors, 15 sophomores and 55 freshmen.
 
STAFF STABILITY .  .  . For the first time since joining the MIAA, the RiverHawks had no changes in their full-time staff from the previous year . . . those entering their third year with the program are head coach Rob Robinson, defensive coordinator Josh Lattimer, special teams coordinator Rob Messinger, offensive coordinator Dane Simoneau and wide receivers coach Marvin Bohannon . . . Will Skeans is entering his second year as the strength and conditioning coach, and he is in his second stint with the program . . . he was a graduate assistant at NSU in 2012-13 . . . offensive line coach Julian Mendez is also in his second year . . . those serving as graduate assistants with Northeastern State this season are Ryan Dvorak (second year) and newcomers Mitch Buhler, Chris Girdner and Jacques Washington.
 
NSU SELECTED 9TH/10TH IN PRESEASON POLLS .  .  . The Northeastern State football team was picked to finish ninth in the 2016 MIAA Coaches Poll . . . the RiverHawks were also selected by the league media to finish 10th this season . . . this tied the highest NSU has been picked in its four previous years as league members, as the green and white was also picked ninth (coaches) and 10th (media) in a then-15 team league in 2012 . . . Northeastern State was chosen 11th (coaches) and 10th (media) in 2013, and the RiverHawks were selected to finish last (12th) in the two preseason polls in both 2014 and 2015 . . . Northeastern State collected 31 points in the coaches' poll and 117 points in the media poll . . . the team was selected to finish 12th last season . . . NSU finished 3-8 overall a year ago and finished in a tie for ninth in the conference.
 
HOW THEY'VE FARED IN THE NEW LEAGUE  .  .  .  The RiverHawks are in their fifth year as members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association . . . since joining the NCAA in 1996, NSU has been a member of the Lone Star Conference (1996-2011), an independent (2011-12), and now the MIAA (2012-P) . . . the MIAA is one of the strongest football conferences in the country, as it boasts multiple national champions and squads that routinely make deep runs in the NCAA Championship playoffs . . . the MIAA is home to three of the last five national champions, including Northwest Missouri State (2013, 2015) and Pittsburg State (2011) . . . since joining the MIAA, the RiverHawks are 9-34 overall with a 9-33 record against league opposition.
 
NSU ATHLETICS PUBLICATIONS RECEIVE NATIONAL RECOGNITION .  .  . The Northeastern State Athletics Media Relations Department earned national recognition for its publications designs during the 2015-16 academic year, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) . . . headlining the accolades was the 2015 women's and men's soccer schedule poster, which won the award for Nation's Best Poster in the College Division . . . the College Division consists of every non-NCAA Division I school, including NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and all NAIA and NJCAA institutions . . . the NSU Athletics schedule posters dominated the entire poster category, winning five of the top six positions . . . the 2015-16 women's and men's basketball schedule poster earned runner-up honors, while the 2016 softball/baseball poster was selected third in the nation . . . the 2016 women's tennis poster received fourth place in the division, while the 2015 football poster was honored as sixth-best in the country . . . the NSU Athletics schedule posters are a collaboration between the NSU Athletics Media Relations Department and the NSU Communications and Marketing Department . . . CoSIDA sponsors a variety of media guide/publication and digital design contests and an annual writing contest for its members, with every CoSIDA member at every level having the opportunity to receive recognition for his/her work . . . the judging is done by news media/communications professionals who utilize those publications in their work.
 
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE  .  .  . Season ticket packages are on sale for the five-game home portion of the upcoming 2016 football schedule . . . prices begin as low as $45 per person for an adult general admission ticket . . . season chair back seats begin at $75 each . . . season ticket holders receive the benefit of sitting in comfortable chair back seats for NSU's five 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 2016 campaign will mark the fourth 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 . . . also for convenience, the Athletics Department will continue utilizing online ticketing for football and basketball. Online ticketing will allow 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 . . . NSU faculty/staff can purchase an upgraded reserved chair back season ticket for just $25 . . . Northeastern State is entering its fifth season as members of the MIAA and will play against teams from one of the premier conferences in the country . . . fans are encouraged to wear their NSU Green to all games . . . all RiverHawks gear can be purchased by visiting goriverhawksgear.com, the official online store of RiverHawks Athletics . . . 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.
 
THE END OF AN ERA .  .  . The 2015 season marked the final year of competition for running back Joel Rockmore . . . the dynamic player joined the program in 2010 and stayed as a member of the RiverHawks for six seasons before saying goodbye to Tahlequah . . . he redshirted in both 2010 and 2013 and competed in 2011, '12, '14 and '15 . . . during his time with NSU he was selected to two All-MIAA teams, one All-Region team and was also honored as a 2013 preseason All-American . . . he played in 42 games and made 35 starts, and he ended his time at Northeastern State with school records for career all-purpose yards (4,423) and kickoff return yards (1,100) . . . Rockmore finished his career with 2,843 rushing yards, 439 receiving yards, 1,100 kickoff return yards and 11 punt return yards . . . he also scored 22 touchdowns (20 rushing, 1 receiving, 1 kick return) . . . his banner year came in 2012 when he rushed for 1,024 yards, making him the first member of the team since 2005 to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau.