NORTHEASTERN STATE (2-6, 2-6 MIAA)
at WASHBURN (6-2, 6-2 MIAA)
Saturday, October 30 -- 1 p.m.
Yager Stadium (Topeka, Kan.)
All-Time Series: Northeastern State trails 8-2

TAHLEQUAH -- The RiverHawks will head to Kansas for the final time in 2021 and will look to spoil Washburn's Homecoming Game Saturday afternoon. 

Fans making the road trip to Washburn this Saturday, there will be no walk-up ticket sales on game day.   All tickets must be pre-purchased.
Order here: https://bit.ly/3167rz1

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Two of the final three regular-season games are on the road, where the RiverHawks' offense averages 31.3 points per game this season and has scored at least three touchdowns in each contest. 

2 | This will be the second straight week that Northeastern State will face a team ranked or receiving votes in the AFCA poll.  Washburn is also ranked ninth in the NCAA Super Region Three Poll to determine the postseason tournament. 

3 | Mark Wheeland leads the MIAA with seven touchdown catches this season and has caught for 100-yards in three games.  The junior is ranked 28th nationally in touchdowns, which is also tops in the MIAA.


4 | Marques Williams is tenth in the nation averaging 6.4 solo tackles per game, and is second in the MIAA.  In total tackles, he is second in the MIAA, averaging 9.1 per game, which is 32n best nationally. 

5 | The RiverHawks are 2-1 on the road this season and a win would secure a winning record away from home.


NSU QUICK HITS
>> Madison Wrather has started 30 consecutive games on the RiverHawks' offensive line, the longest streak among student-athletes on the NSU roster.  

>> Isaiah Davis has two 100-yard rushing games this season and is the first running back since 2012 (Joel Rockmore) to have at least two 100-yard days in the backfield.  He had a second three-touchdown game against Missouri Western, catching two and running against the Griffons. 

>> Keon Moore had his first 100-yard rushing day against Lincoln with 103 on the ground.  Moore had an 84 yard run for a touchdown which was the longest this season in the MIAA.  In the NSU record book, it is eighth-longest. 

>> NSU's tight end Matt Amos has his longest career pass reception against Lincoln for 62 yards.  His catch was the third-biggest play this season for NSU.

>> Dashawn Williams has two of the top-four biggest plays of the season for NSU on one-handed grabs.  He had a 65-yard catch at Missouri Western, the second-longest play of the year for NSU.

>> Redshirt freshman Grant Elerick has 1,097 passing yards this season and leads the team with eight touchdowns

>> Jacob Frazier has appeared in five games this season and is 34-for-54 in pass attempts, for 394 yards of offense, and has two touchdown passes.  He took the majority of the snaps in week eight against Northwest Missouri. 

>> Northeastern State's seven touchdowns against Lincoln are the most since Oct. 2011 vs. Harding and tied for seventh-most in the modern scoring era (1945-).  The five rushing touchdowns were tied for the fifth-most and highest total since Nov. 2003 at Central Oklahoma. 

>> The Northeastern State defense limited Missouri Western to field goals in five trips to the red zone and 173 passing yards, the lowest this season for the RiverHawks.  Against Northwest Missouri, they forced three turnovers, the most this season for the Bearcats.  Jordan Lamotte ran back an interception for a touchdown against the Northwest offense. 

>> Triumphant Olatunji was named MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week on Sept 27.  The sophomore had the longest kick return this season in the MIAA at Lincoln with a 70 yard run back.  Olatunji is the second NSU football player to earn MIAA Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors (Garrett Powell, 2015).

>> Taoheed Karim is tied for second in the MIAA with six pass breakups. 

>> Tim Davis is a sixth-year member for the RiverHawks and averaged 40.7 yards per punt through eight weeks, which is second-best in the MIAA and 22nd in the nation.  The graduate student has kicked an 85-yard punt against Northwest Missouri, which was second-longest in program history, and tied for the longest in NCAA Division II football this season.

>> Tyler Crawford, NSU's starting kicker, was a late addition to the team after transferring from Nebraska at the start of camp.  A Broken Arrow native has a field goal in the last three of the last four games for NSU. 

THE SERIES WITH THE ICHABODS
>> Northeastern State won in their first home meeting with Washburn during the 1988 season (35-30).
>> Washburn has won in all six contests in Topeka. 

ABOUT THE ICHABODS
>> Washburn is 4-0 this season at home and has won three consecutive games.  The home win streak is the longest since 2017 for the Ichabods; 2013 is the last time they won five straight on their home field.

>> Saturday is the 96th Homecoming Game for Washburn, where they are 48-45-1 overall.  Northeastern State has not appeared as a Homecoming opponent for Washburn previously.  Central Oklahoma beat Washburn 22-20 in their last Homecoming Game during the 2019 season. 

>> The Ichabods are 17th in the nation in third-down percentage (49.1%), and their scoring offense is second in the MIAA with 34.4 points per game. 

>> Washburn leads the MIAA with three blocked kicks and two blocked punts.

>> Malick Fall averages 1.12 sacks per game, tops in the MIAA, and ninth nationally.  He also averages 1.2 tackles for loss per game, which is fourth in the MIAA. 

>>  Mitch Schurig has the tenth best passing efficiency in the nation (165.4) and has 18 passing touchdowns, good for 18th most in the nation.

>> Dane Simoneau, Washburn's Co-Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line Coach, was Northeastern State's Offensive Coordinator for three seasons (2016-18).

>> Washburn has three players from Oklahoma on their roster.  Broken Arrow's Tory Dillard, Jr. played with NSU kicker Tyler Crawford in high school.