TAHLEQUAH (Oct. 19, 2024) – One of the finest performances in many a football season by Northeastern State fell ever-so-painfully short on Saturday afternoon in the President's Cup game against No. 11/8-ranked Central Oklahoma.

NSU appeared poised to shock the NCAA Division II world, but undefeated UCO rallied from a 26-point first-half deficit, then a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, to edge the RiverHawks 64-57 on Indigenous Peoples' Day on Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium.

NSU (1-6) lost despite posting its highest point total since a 59-0 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Oct. 7, 2000 and the ninth-highest point total in program history. The RiverHawks rolled up 544 yards of offense, their highest single-game total since 2011.

Ramon McKinney Jr. had one of the greatest offensive performances in school history, catching six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, rushing 15 times for 116 yards and a touchdown and completing two of three passes for 21 yards and two touchdowns. McKinney was the first NSU player to ever score both rushing and receiving in a game since Dashawn Williams did so in 2022 against Lincoln (Mo.).

NSU receiver Cameron Woods had seven catches for 120 yards, the second straight game he's posted a triple-digit receiving effort. Quarterback Dereun Dortch finished 27 of 42 passing for 344 yards (the sixth-highest passing yardage total in program history) but was sacked five times and committed four turnovers – two interceptions and two fumbles. NSU also held possession for nearly 38 of the game's 60 minutes and blocked a punt for a touchdown. The RiverHawks scored 17 more points than any team this season against the Bronchos.

But UCO (7-0) was just a smidge better. Quarterback Jett Huff completed 17 of 27 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns (but with three interceptions) and tailback Jaylen Cottrell carries 16 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns. The Bronchos, who entered the game averaging 52.8 points per game – second-best in Division II – finished with 609 yards of offense.

A 5-yard touchdown run by Cottrell with 6:27 left put UCO ahead 64-57. The Bronchos recovered a fumble by Dortch at the NSU 28 with 4:20 left, but NSU's defense held, with UCO kicker Nicky Quevedo missed a 33-yard field goal with 1:55 left, giving the RiverHawks a final opportunity.

NSU drove from its own 20 to the UCO 38 before an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-2 play ended the RiverHawks' hopes.

"At the end of the day, when it gets in the fourth quarter, we've got to step up and make plays on both sides of the ball," NSU coach Darrin Chiaverini said. "We didn't do that today. I'm disappointed that we score 57 and don't win the game, but we've got to be able to rush and cover on defense and tackle. We're not doing that well enough right now. That's disappointing.

"But I'm proud of the team overall. We'll continue to grow and get better and then we've got to continue to recruit, because we've got to understand where our holes are right now. We have holes on our roster and I see them show up every game. We're going to get that fixed, soon. But right now, we're going to keep pushing with our team, keep developing our team and finish strong this season."

Cottrell scored on the game's first offensive snap, on a 75-yard run, but NSU quickly tied the score on a trick play, with wide receiver Deuce Roberson hitting McKinney on a 57-yard score just over two minutes into the game.

Just as quickly, Kobey Stephens returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards, setting up a 23-yard scoring pass from Huff to Dominique Dunn, putting the Bronchos up 14-7.

After that, NSU controlled most of the rest of the first half. After a 46-yard field goal by Troy Nguyen, NSU recovered a fumble by Jett on the UCO 35, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Dortch that put the RiverHawks ahead 17-14. NSU then forced a UCO punt, which LaKedrick Holmes blocked and Kaden Kelly recovered for another touchdown, making it 23-14.

Nguyen followed with a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter. After a missed field-goal attempt by UCO, NSU scored again, with Dortch hitting Roberson on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass from the UCO 3 to cap a 10-play drive. Peni Masiva then intercepted Jett and returned it to the UCO 25, and two plays later, McKinney scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, giving NSU a 40-14 lead with 46 seconds left in the half and no doubt raising eyebrows across Division II.

The Bronchos' high-powered offense needed only 33 seconds to respond, with Huff connecting with Madison Ridgeway on a 20-yard touchdown pass to pull UCO within 40-21 at halftime. On UCO's first second-half possession, Huff hit Ashton Schumann on a 33-yard touchdown pass. Nguyen answered for NSU with his third field goal, from 47 yards, extending the RiverHawks' lead to 43-28. Nguyen accounted for 15 points as NSU recorded the most kicking points in a game in its history. 

UCO soon closed that 15-point gap entirely. The Bronchos capped a four-play scoring drive with a 1-yard run by Andrew Carney. UCO's Dylan Buchheit then intercepted Dortch and returned it to the NSU 1. Carney scored from there and Jett threw a 2-point conversion pass to Dunn to tie the game with 4:31 still left in the third quarter.

NSU didn't blink. McKinney threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dean Odom with 14:46 left in the game, and Jordan Lamotte then intercepted Huff, giving NSU possession at the UCO 28. Two plays later, Dortch found Dedrek Taylor-Akins for a 27-yard touchdown and the RiverHawks were up 57-43 with 13:23 left. But the offense slowed after that, failing to score on its final four possessions.

UCO needed only five plays to score on a 26-yard run by Cottrell, and Stephens returned an NSU punt 48 yards to the NSU 28, setting up a 25-yard touchdown pass from Huff to Jacob Delso, again tying the game with 8:57 left.

Hagen Foreman led NSU defensively with 11 tackles, while Kelly had nine to go with his blocked-punt touchdown and Clavon Caine added seven, including three for loss.

The RiverHawks will finish a three-game homestand next Saturday, hosting Lincoln (Calif.) at 6 p.m.