NORTHEASTERN STATE (1-5, 1-5 MIAA)
MISSOURI WESTERN (2-4, 2-4 MIAA)
Saturday, October 15 -- 4 p.m.
Gable Field at Doc  Wadley Stadium 
All-Time Series: Missouri Western leads 11-0

TAHLEQUAH -- Following two consecutive road games, Northeastern State returns home this Saturday to host Missouri Western for the sixth time in program history.

Saturday's game will be aired on the radio on Billy Country 96.3 - Tahlequah and GoRiverHawksGo.com. The video broadcast can be found on The MIAA Network through the NSU video portal.  

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Northeastern State returns home for the first time in two weeks and will be looking to win consecutive home games for the first time since 2013.

2 | The RiverHawks have the late kickoff during week seven in MIAA play.  This will be the fourth time NSU has been the lone contest or late game this season.

3 | NSU Head Coach J.J. Eckert and MWSU Head Coach Matt Williamson faced each other as players of the programs they lead today.  The meetings happened in 1994 and 1995.  

4 | Saturday's game will feature free general admission seating.  Reserved chairback seating will be available for a charge on GoRiverHawksGo.com/Tickets or at the Doc Wadley Stadium Box Office.

5 | Saturday is the 306th game played on Gable Field, the home for Northeastern State football since 1964.   Northeastern State has won 170 games on the current site for the football program. 


NSU QUICK HITS
>>  Malik Antwine leads NSU's receiving group with 322 yards and 22 catches.  The sophomore has three touchdowns and has thrown one on a 46-yard pass in the second quarter at Pittsburg State.   Dashawn Williams leads the team with four touchdown catches and has 20 receptions. 

>> Isaiah Davis started week six for NSU at running back and leads the team with 64 carries for 190 net yards.  Loran Kirk made his first appearance of the season at UCO last week and had six carries for 34 yards. 

>> Jacob Frazier started the first six weeks for the RiverHawks, and has a pass completion percentage of 61.2 with eight touchdowns.   Ben Ward has come into games five times this season and had his first touchdown of the season at Central Oklahoma in week six.  Grant Elerick started nine games at quarterback during the 2021 season as a redshirt-freshman.   

>> Northeastern State's defense has a new look in 2022.  Mike Lucas took over the RiverHawks' defense in August and is a well-seasoned coach with 30-plus years of coaching at the NCAA Division I college level.  Lucas was the head football coach at Southeastern Louisiana and was most recently the defensive coordinator at Northwestern State.  Damani Carter, an NSU letterwinner, will be the defensive line coach, along with Jalen Alexander, who was at Texas A&M-Commerce and Kilgore College.

>>  After going through the first three weeks without an interception, Northeastern State has picked off three in the previous three games.   Dawandrick Crockett has the second longest interception return in the MIAA this season at 45 yards at Central Missouri.

>> Jordan Lamotte leads the NSU defense with 41 tackles (30 solo-11 assist) and is in fifth place overall among MIAA players.  His 26 solo tackles are third overall among those in the MIAA.

>>  Tyler Crawford is 6-for-10 on field goal attempts this season, but he is just the third kicker in NSU history to have a pair of 50+ yard made attempts.  The Broken Arrow native is the only kicker in NCAA football this season, with three 50+ yard kicks and 11-for-11 on extra point attempts.  Additionally, in NSU history, he is one of two kickers with three 50+ yard made attempts and owns three of the top-14 longest field goals.  Crawford was an MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week selection in week four and also handles punting duties for NSU where he is fourth in the MIAA in 41.8 yards per kick.

>> The RiverHawks are the fifth-lowest penalized team in the MIAA, with 33 flags called this season.

>> Instant replay is available in the MIAA during the 2022 season; the RiverHawks are 0-2 in coaches' challenges.   A charged time out is given to a team if their challenge is unsuccessful. 

>> Northeastern State's captains for the 2022 season are: Shaakir Smith (#7), Jacob Frazier (#9), and Coltin Knape (#48).

>> The RiverHawks' 2022 roster holds 62 student-athletes from Oklahoma. 

THE SERIES WITH THE GRIFFONS
>> First meeting with Missouri Western was in 1994.
>> Saturday is the sixth time NSU has hosted Missouri Western

ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
>> The Griffons come to NSU on a four game skid, its longest since finishing the 2017 season with five consecutive losses. Missouri Western's previous two contests have come against top-15 teams.

>> Missouri Western's roster features four players from Oklahoma.  

>> The Griffons are one of the most penalized teams in the MIAA and have surrendered 355 yards this year, second most in the association. 

>> Quarterback Reagan Jones is a dual threat and has rushed for 407 yards this season, good for fifth most in the MIAA, and passed for 1186 yards.  

>> Missouri Western is second in the MIAA with 210 rushing yards per game with 12 touchdowns on the ground.  In 262 attempts, the Griffons are averaging 4.8 yards per carry. 

>> Brandon  Johnson is third in the nation with two blocked kicks.  The sophomore has 14 tackles and a fumble recovery. 

>> Team's are averaging 186 yards per game in the air this season against MWSU's defense; that total is second lowest in the MIAA.

>> Missouri Western is second best in the MIAA in third down conversions (47.8%) and third in halting drives on third down, with teams having a 36.3% success rate in moving the chains.