Week 5: Northeastern State (0-4) vs. Missouri Western State (2-2) at 1 p.m.
Tahlequah, Okla. | Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium
Welcome Home
Saturday's contest is NSU's 90th homecoming football game that dates back to the 1924 season with Northeastern State beating Kansas City University, 10-0. The RiverHawks are looking to snap a five game skid on homecoming with their last win coming in 2011 against Harding (49-41). Between 1924 and 1992, NSU was 39-23-3 on homecoming.
All-Time Series
This Saturday will be the eighth meeting between the RiverHawks and the Griffons with series split at four visits for each program. Northeastern State has not beaten Missouri Western in the previous match ups with the closest contest coming in 2015 with NSU falling 24-17. The 2017 meeting will be the sixth straight season that both teams have face each other.
On this Date
Northeastern State has played ten times on Sept. 30 with the last coming in 2006 with a 40-29 win at East Central in Ada, Okla. Two of the contests have come in a tie with Northeastern State picking up wins five times. Of the ten contests, NSU has only hosted once on this date in 1955 which was a 13-7 win over Northwestern Oklahoma.
Coaching Matchup
Rob Robinson (5-32) is in his fourth season as head coach at Northeastern State. In three seasons at NSU, Robinson has 25 student-athletes who have been named All-MIAA, and 46 who where named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Robinson was named the 19th head football coach in school history on Dec. 19, 2013 and spending previous 12 years under Craig Schurig as a member of the Washburn Ichabod coaching staff, serving as the offensive coordinator for his last four seasons at WU.
Matt Williamson (2-2) was named the sixth head football coach in Missouri Western history in December of 2016. He began his coaching career at Missouri Western in 1997 as a graduate assistant and returned to his alma mater in 2000 as a defensive line coach before becoming defensive coordinator in 2005, a position he held for two seasons. Since leaving Missouri Western, Williamson spent 10 seasons at the Division I level, most recently serving as defensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin University.
Being Wise
NSU senior
La'More Wise is fourth in the MIAA on the defensive side with 10.3 tackles per game. At #18 Fort Hays State on Sept. 23, Wise had 15 take-downs which was the most this season for NSU, and tied for fourth most in the MIAA through four weeks of play. Of his 41 tackles this season, Wise has 25 which were unassisted, which is good for second most in the MIAA.
Good Knight
NSU senior
Gary McKnight Jr. caught seven passes for 200 yards on Saturday, Sept. 16 at home against Pittsburg State. McKnight's performance was the fourth highest for a receiver in NCAA Division II football in week three and the most since 2011 for the RiverHawks. Additionally, he caught two touchdown passes, and 254 all-purpose yards which was the most this season in the MIAA.
McKnight is second in the MIAA in average yardage per game with 87.0 and second in total reception yardage with 348.
McKinzy record book watch
In his first season at Northeastern State, junior quarterback
Dom McKinzy broke an overall program record with 2,767 passing yards and tied the record books with 26 touchdown passes in 2016. McKinzy is five touchdown passes away from breaking the NSU NCAA Division II era career record (37), and needs 804 passing yards to set the NCAA Division II era record which is 4,405. In the Redmen/RiverHawks program record books he holds season bests in passing yards per game (251.5) and total season offensive average (266.9).
Roy Burk (1968-70) holds the overall Northeastern State record for touchdown passes with 53 and Lynn Pattillo (1979-81) is the career passing yards leader with 5,799 yards.
NFL Hall of Fame heritage
Freshman
Nick So'oto a two-time All-District, All-Parish, and All-City Selection at Parkway High School (Bossier City, La.) is the nephew of 10-time NFL All-Pro Junior Seau who was a member of the NFL Class of 2015 Hall of Fame, and had his number retired with Los Angeles (San Diego) Chargers. Additionally, So'oto has a cousin Vic (So'oto) who played in the NFL for four seasons and is presently a Defensive Line Coach at the University of Virginia.
Herd gets NFL shot
Steffon Herd, a four year letterwinner and three time All-MIAA selection was invited to the Los Angeles Rams' rookie mini camp during the summer. The former RiverHawks Defensive Back played in 43 career games and recorded 290 total tackles, mostly from the last three years. This last season, Herd led Northeastern State with 101 overall tackles, with 71 being solo which was fourth highest in the MIAA.
