Series notes
Northeastern State has faced the Lions in each of the last there seasons with the RiverHawks taking the last two contests.  NSU's last road win came at St. Charles, Mo. in the 2015 season finale by a narrow 17-14 win margin.  The last two contests have come by a four point win margin in favor of NSU.  In the RiverHawks' last meeting with LU at Doc Wadley Stadium, NSU drove down 98 yards for a go-ahead TD pass with 33 seconds to go for a 35-31 victory. 

Season twenty
The 2017 season is Northeastern State's 20th as a member of NCAA Division II and the 104th season overall.  Northeastern State is in their sixth season of MIAA membership with one year as an independent, and 13 as a member of the Lone Star Conference.

On this date
The RiverHawks are 4-2 on Sept. 7 and this is the first time since 2013 that they played on this date.  On the road, Northeastern State is 2-1 with their most recent win coming during the 2002 season at Arkansas Tech (9-7 in Russellville, Ark.).

Coaching matchup
Head Coach Rob Robinson is 2-1 against Lindenwood in his career at Northeastern State.  However, Robinson and company will be facing a different Lions football squad after a coaching change last off-season.  Robinson carries a 5-29 record at NSU, and spent the previous 12 years under Washubrn HC Craig Schurig as a member of the Ichabod coaching staff, serving as the offensive coordinator for the last four seasons. 

Jed Stugart (0-1 at LWU) is in his first season as the Lindenwood football head coach in 2017 and comes to St. Charles after being the head coach the University Sioux Falls for seven seasons.  Stugart had a record of 65-17, including a 32-5 mark over the last three years. In his first season in 2010, Stugart led the Cougars to a conference championship, and the team advanced to the NAIA National Championship game. The program began the transition to the NCAA Division II level after that. Sioux Falls won 20 games over the next three years, including a 9-2 mark in its first season as a member of the  Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

NSU last time out
TAHLEQUAH (Aug. 31, 2017) -- Gary McKnight Jr. had 108 receiving yards but the RiverHawks' fumbled the ball six times to Washburn who took the season opener 31-7 last Thursday night at Doc Wadley Stadium.

Junior Quarterback Dom McKinzy passed the ball for 244 yards but was brought down four times in the loss.

The RiverHawks missed a few key opportunities early after La'More Wise forced a fumble on Washburn's opening drive, and then going four-and-out.   The Ichabods returned the ball with a 13 play drive down the field for the game's first score on a ten-yard rush on a QB keeper to go up seven with seven minutes left in the open quarter.   Ra'Keim Abdul gave NSU their best rushing drive of the game with three straight rushes up the middle to get the RiverHawks on the edge of the Washburn red zone.  However, the drive faltered on the WU 24-yard line with a fumble; on the turnover the Ichabods scored the game's second TD on a 17 yard pass as the quarter ended.

In the second period, NSU's defense halted Washburn in all four of their drives including one that was on the Northeastern State one-yard line.  On a fourth-and-goal Quincy Dotson forced fumble to help get the RiverHawks some momentum.  With just under three-minutes left until the half, McKinzy connected with McKnight for 61 yards to set up a touchdown pass to Abdul at the back of the end zone.

Trailing 13-7 at the half Northeastern State looked like the team with the momentum and the ball to start the second half.    

In their opening drive the RiverHawks found themselves deep in their own territory and a NSU fumble recovery brought the ball out of the end zone saved them from an Ichabod TD.   Washburn would end up scoring in all three of their drives to extend their lead to 24 where it would end at.

The RiverHawks finished the night with 22 net yards on the ground while Washburn ran for 230.  On the defensive side, Tim Howard led NSU with 7.5 tackles, with La'More Wise just behind with six.

New coordinator
Northeastern State enters the 2017 season with an expanded coaching staff with Rashad Pittman joining the RiverHawks staff in offseason as a defensive line coach.  Pittman was an All-MIAA performer at Pittsburg State and was a two-time captain and a four-year letterwinner.  During the 2014 and 2015 seasons he served as a graduate assistant for PSU working with the offensive line.  Pittman's interior linemen helped lead the MIAA in total offensive and first downs.  During the 2016 season he worked at Cargage High School (Carthage, Mo.) as Co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Ends Coach.

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.

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 nine touchdown passes away from breaking the NSU NCAA Division II era career record (37), and needs 1,394 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.  

Strength of schedule 
It comes to no surprise that the RiverHawks had one of the toughest slates in the nation and in 2016 they had the tenth hardest schedule in NCAA Division II football.  Northeastern State faced three teams who went to the NCAA postseason (Central Missouri, Emporia State, and Northwest Missouri) and two who went to a Bowl Game (Fort Hays State and Washburn).