TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State's dream of a strong start to the 2023 football season turned into a nightmare for the RiverHawks on Thursday night.
Fort Hays State scored on three consecutive first-half possessions and wasn't challenged thereafter, taking advantage of what eventually proved to be four NSU interceptions to down the RiverHawks 56-0 in the opener for both teams at Doc Wadley Stadium.
Fort Hays State quarterback Jack Dawson completed 20 of 23 passes for 317 yards and five touchdowns – each to a different receiver – and ran for another score for Fort Hays State (1-0, 1-0 MIAA), which had 459 yards of offense. The Tigers' defense, meanwhile, limited NSU (0-1, 0-1) to 199 yards of offense.
"It's frustrating," NSU coach J.J. Eckert said. "To go and have the first two possessions like we did and then you throw interceptions, and we never bounced back. … It was in all three phases. That's disappointing.
"We've got to get better."
NSU used three quarterbacks, with Ben Ward starting, followed by Grant Elerick and Sawyer Jones. Elerick completed 8 of 17 passes for 80 yards. Avrey Payne was the RiverHawks' top receiver, with three catches for 51 yards, while Blake May rushed 15 times for 46 yards.
Junior linebacker Dalton Crumbly led NSU's defense with six tackles.
Fort Hays State is coming off its first consecutive losing seasons in a decade, but the Tigers seized control early against NSU. Dawson scored on a 3-yard run with 5:53 left in the first quarter, capping an 8-play drive, and after an interception, the Tigers scored on the first play of the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from Dawson to Trevor Watts.
Dawson hit Cale Cormaney on a 6-yard scoring pass on FHSU's next series, making it 21-0. The Tigers then blocked a NSU punt from inside the NSU 5-yard line and Mason Perez returned it for a touchdown.
Late in the second quarter, a disputed interception by FHSU gave the Tigers possession at their own 12, and they again cashed in, scoring with 27 seconds left on an 8-yard pass from Dawson to Shane Watts, making it 35-0.
A quick interception on NSU's first series of the third quarter led to another FHSU touchdown pass, this one to Jayden Horace. Fort Hays State scored in the fourth quarter to cap a 97-yard drive that started with another interception. The Tigers' top receiver on Thursday, Hosia Stokes, had five catches for 132 yards but didn't score.
Northeastern State's best scoring chance came in the third quarter, when the RiverHawks drove from their own 20 to the FHSU 3, but an interception ended that threat.
Fort Hays State extended its series lead against NSU to 9-2, having won all nine meetings since NSU joined the MIAA.
The Thursday night home opener for the RiverHawks was their first since 2019.
NSU, which lost its 2022 season finale 42-0 to Nebraska-Kearney, has suffered consecutive shutouts for the first time since the 2018 season. The RiverHawks' next game will be at Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 9.
