NORTHEASTERN STATE (1-9, 0-9 MIAA)
at WASHBURN (1-9, 0-9 MIAA)
Saturday, November 11 -- 1 p.m.
Yager Stadium (Topeka, Kan.)
All-Time Series: Northeastern State trails 10-1 (Washburn forfeited the 1987 meeting) -- Last meeting was Oct. 29, 2022 in Tahlequah (21-17 L)

TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State football rounds out the 2023 campaign with a road trip to Topeka, Kan. to do battle with Washburn Saturday afternoon. 

TOP STORYLINES

1 | In their 2023 finale, Northeastern State will look for their first win over Washburn as a member of the MIAA. 

2 | When the teams met last season in Tahlequah, the RiverHawks took a 17-6 lead to halftime against the Ichabods. However, the visitors kept NSU off the scoreboard in the second half, while scoring 15 unanswered to take a 21-17 win. WU found the game-winning score with under two minutes to play. 

3 | With a 1-9 record entering week 11, Washburn will end the fall with their first losing season since 2018, while the Ichabods will also finish the season with their most losses and fewest wins of the Schurig era. 

4 | Wide receiver Devin Blayney will be a name to watch in this matchup for the RiverHawks. When NSU faced WU in 2022, the then-true freshman made four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Blayney also played a leading role in the longest offensive play across the game, making a 44-yard catch off a Ben Ward pass in the first quarter. 

5 | The Nov. 11 meeting marks the latest point in the calendar year the two teams have battled in series history. 

NSU QUICK HITS

>> The RiverHawks 2023 roster holds 60 student-athletes who are from Oklahoma.

>> After having just 14 upperclassmen on the roster in 2022, the RiverHawks possess 35 juniors and seniors on the 2023 roster, well over double last season's total. 

>> Entering the final week of the campaign, NSU remains one of the MIAA's least-penalized teams. The RiverHawks have seen 50 penalties against them in 2023, the third-fewest in the conference. Their average of 46.7 penalty yards per game stands as the second-fewest.

>> Jack Meservy is in his first season as the offensive coordinator for Northeastern State. Meservy has been on the football coaching staff at NSU since the start of the Eckert era in 2019. Other roles Meservy has previously held on the Northeastern State coaching staff include running backs coach, equipment manager, and assisting with the program's external communications. Meservy still serves as wide receivers coach in 2023, marking his third season in the role.

>> Last week's scoreless result was the fifth time Northeastern State has been left off the scoreboard across a game this season. This week, the RiverHawks will look to put points on the board against a Washburn defense that has surrendered 38.2 points per game in 2023. 

>> Blake May holds the team lead in rushing yards (513). In his first season with the program, the junior has tallied the most yards on the ground from an NSU player since Joel Rockmore netted 854 in 2015. 

>> NSU's duo of sophomore targets in Will Bergner and Devin Blayney have been no stranger to big plays in 2023. They have been involved in five of the team's seven longest plays on the offensive end this season. Blayney was on the receiving end of their longest yardage gain in week 10, catching a 38-yard Grant Elerick pass in the second half of the contest against Northwest Missouri. Meanwhile, Bergner leads the team in catches (22), receiving yards (281) and receiving touchdowns (two) with one week left in the season. 

>> The NSU offensive line has done a stellar job of keeping their quarterbacks safe in 2023. The RiverHawks have allowed ten sacks across the season, the third-fewest in the MIAA.

>> Northeastern State is in its second season with defensive coordinator Mike Lucas. Lucas took over the RiverHawks' defense in August 2022, and despite being hired right before the start of the season, he guided them to their best season in years on that side of the ball. The defensive unit surrendered their fewest points per game (33.6) and rushing yards per game (206.7) since 2012 and finished in the top half of the league in passing defense (206.3 passing yards allowed per game). Prior to coming to Tahlequah, Lucas was the defensive coordinator at Northwestern State. Lucas possesses over three decades of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I college level, and was the head football coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 2007-12. 

>> Makarios Brown paced all NSU players with 12 total tackles (6 solo) in last week's action against Northwest Missouri. Brown, in his first season with the program, enters the final week of the season with the team's tackling crown with 76 total stops (45 solo). The sophomore has also contributed 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. 

>> This week, Dalton Crumbly rounds out a strong first season as a full-time starting linebacker for Northeastern State. The former Henderson State Reddie ranks second on the team with 69 tackles (26 solo). The junior has also contributed 2.5 tackles for loss.

>> In his final home game as a RiverHawk, Daymiko Warren was a factor on the defensive side of the ball, getting involved in five tackles (three solo) and adding two tackles for loss. Warren was part of a group of twelve seniors that were honored in last week's Senior Day pregame festivities. 

>> LaKedrick Holmes has been a consistent presence in coverage this season. The junior leads the team with seven pass breakups alongside two interceptions across his nine appearances in 2023.

>> Tyler Crawford has again been one of the conference's top punters this fall. The 2022 All-MIAA Honorable Mention leads the league with 14 punts of at least 50 yards, while he is tied for third in punts inside the 20 (12) and fourth in punt average (41.6 yards per punt). 

ON THE AIR

>> Northeastern State football's radio home is Billy Country 96.3 FM in Tahlequah with Bill Huddleston on the call as "the Voice of the RiverHawks", handling play-by-play. Shawn Tiemann serves as the primary road color analyst. Audio streaming is provided on GoRiverHawksGo.com under the Live tab on the homepage. 

ABOUT THE ICHABODS

>> Head football coach Craig Schurig is in his 22nd season leading the program and is the longest-tenured active head coach in the MIAA. Under his leadership, the Ichabods have made four appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, most recently in 2021. 

>> Washburn took a 41-7 loss in Edmond, Okla. last week to Central Oklahoma. After striking the first blow of the afternoon contest with a one-yard Sam Van Dyne touchdown run, the Bronchos scored 41 unanswered to take a commanding win inside Chad Richison Stadium. 

>> The Ichabods have lost six straight at home, including five in 2023. Their last win in Topeka came against Central Oklahoma over a year ago on Oct. 22, 2022 in a 37-9 triumph on Homecoming over the Bronchos. 

>> Sam Van Dyne has seen the majority of the starts at the quarterback spot for the Ichabods in 2023. The true freshman has thrown for 12 touchdowns, though five of his ten interceptions on the season have been thrown in the last two weeks. 

>> Freshman receiver D.J. Bell leads all WU targets with 39 catches, 511 yards and five touchdowns. Bell also saw the most action in the Washburn rushing attack last week against the Bronchos with 13 attempts on the ground in Edmond. 

>> Defensively, the Ichabods rank tenth in scoring (38.2 points allowed per game), ninth in total defense (431.7 yards allowed per game), 11th in rushing (191.3 YPG) and sixth in passing (240.4 YPG). 

>> Patrick Altenor has been a valuable asset for the Washburn defense in 2023. The junior defensive end leads the Ichabods in both total tackles (48) and sacks (three), while he has 5.5 tackles for loss, ranking only behind Caeden Spencer (six) across WU defenders.