Northeastern State will have its 55th home opener on Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium this Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with video coverage on TheMIAANetwork.com (subscription service) and the audio provided by Billy Country 96.3 in Tahlequah.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, Sept. 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Video: TheMIAANetwork.com
Radio: Billy Country 96.3
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/nsuok/football/
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE GAME NOTES - NSU VS. CENTRAL MISSOURI
NSU Notes
>> Thursday evening will be game number-286 for Northeastern State at Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium. NSU football holds a 169-116 record at the stadium with this being the 55th home opener at the facility. This will be the first time since 2002 that NSU will have an Eckert patrolling the football sideline on Gable Field with this being J.J. Eckert's home opener as head coach. Coach Eckert's father Tom led NSU's football program 1987-2002 and won a program-best 104 games.
>> The RiverHawks will be looking to halt a modest two-game skid in their home opener. NSU's last home-opening win came against Lindenwood (35-31), on Sept. 17, 2017.
>> NSU will play its fifth straight game against a team receiving votes in the AFCA National Division II poll.
>> Jake Pruitt is second in completion percentage in the MIAA after the first week of the season at 71.4-percent after going 15-for-21 at Emporia State.
>> Daxx McCalister is second in the MIAA in overall tackles with 14. All were solo, which is also a league-best by five. McCailster nearly tripled his career-best, which was five.
>> Mark Wheeland is sixth in the MIAA in reception yardage per game at 76.0. The NSU sophomore had five catches at Emporia State along with a touchdown for the RiverHawks.
>> Ashton Antwine and Caleb Hash returned the field as starters for the first time after nearly a year off of football. Antwine missed the final nine weeks of the season and Hash did not play in the final eight games last season.
>> Jahmel Bodrick played basketball for the RiverHawks last season and played in 28 contests while making four starts.
>> Redshirt quarterback Cayden Aldridge is a two-way player and will play for the NSU baseball program in the spring. Aldridge played quarterback for Tahlequah High School and was signed to play baseball at Oklahoma.
>> Ukoh Essang, Devante Nutall, and Damani Carter will play their final playing season at graduates. There are 117 players from 32 schools in Division II who are graduates playing this season.
>> Three Northeastern State coaches have won a national championship as a player or as a staff member. Tom Howe (University of Duluth) and Michael Conrad (Texas A&M-Commerce) both won NCAA Division II National Titles, and Head Coach J.J. Eckert was a member of the 1994 NAIA Championship at NSU.
>> NSU has two graduate assistants with Big 12 playing experience. Darius Curry was a four-year letter winner at Oklahoma State, and Brady Foltz played four-years at TCU.
Series Breakdown
| Overall: |
Northeastern State leads 8-6 |
| In Tahlequah: |
Northeastern State head 4-2 |
| In Warrensburg: |
Even at 4-4 |
| In MIAA Play |
Central Missouri leads 6-1 |
| Streak: |
UCM, W6 |
| Last Meeting: |
at UCM 62, NSU 10 (Sept. 6, 2018) |
| Last NSU win: |
NSU 24, UCM 23 (Oct. 20, 2012) |
>> Northeastern State won the first eight games of the head-to-head series against the Mules.
>> In September meetings, NSU holds a 3-1 advantage over the Mules.
>> The 1963 meeting at Gable Field featured a 62-0 win for NSU. The 62 point win margin is the widest for the program against a four-year institution and fourth-most in a game in program history.
>> The 2012 meeting between the RiverHawks and Mules is the last win (24-23) against the ranked team. Central Missouri was number-21 in the D2Football.com poll. This was also the program's first win as an MIAA member.
>> RiverHawks attempted its most passes in a game (58) in the 2017 meeting at Central Missouri. They would complete 31 which is tied for third all-time in NSU's record book.
>> The Mules have averaged 55.7 points in the last six meetings between the two programs.
About the Mules
>> Central Missouri broke into he AFCA national poll at number-22 and is ranked for the first time since week-three of the 2018 season.
>> The Mules came from behind in week-one to beat then-ranked number-11 Fort Hays State at home 34-30. Central Missouri scored 27 points in the second half with 13 of those coming in the final 5:35 of the contest. UCM improved to 10-17 against ranked opponents under head coach Jim Svoboda. It is their first such win since the Mineral Water Bowl in 2017.
>> Mules redshirt-senior quarterback Brook Bolles was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Bolles completed 14-of-26 passes for 271 yards and three scores against the Tigers. He added 57 yards on the ground with another touchdown. Bolles was a 2017 finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy and missed the majority of 2018 after suffering a season-ending injury in the opening game of the season. The RiverHawks were the first team to see Bolles-less Mules' squad last season.
>> Central Missouri is 31-20 in road games under head coach Jim Svoboda. Last season they went 1-4 away from Warrensburg.
>> In the preseason MIAA coaches' poll, the Mules were picked to finish in fifth, while the league's media voted them at fourth.
>> Without a primary quarterback last season, Central Missouri led the MIAA in total offense with 466.2 yards per game and were second in scoring offense at 34.7 points per game.
>> Shae Wyatt finished in the top-10 in receiving yards with 42 catches for 769 yards. His 18.3 yards per catch were seventh in the MIAA. In week one, Wyatt had 145 yards on five catches with a touchdown.
>> Devante Turner's 718 rushing yards were eighth in the MIAA last season. He had eight carries for 41 yards against Fort Hays State to start the season.
