UPDATE: To avoid the threat of severe weather, Fort Hays State has adjusted its kickoff time to 11 a.m. against Northeastern State on Saturday, September 21.

TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State football battles Fort Hays State on the road with a Saturday night battle this weekend.

NORTHEASTERN STATE at
FORT HAYS STATE
Saturday, Sep. 21 -- 7 p.m.
Lewis Field Stadium
All-Time Series: Northeastern State trails 9-2 -- Last meeting was Aug. 31, 2023 in Tahlequah (56-0 L)

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Northeastern State returns from the bye week receiving an opportunity at redemption against Fort Hays State after being shut out by the Tigers in Tahlequah last season. NSU's last victory against FHSU came in 1990, when the team took a 37-7 win in Tahlequah, while the program's lone win in Hays was a season prior in 1989 (16-14).

2 | Defensive backs Jordan Richburg (11 tackles, two INT) and Nigel Bethel Jr. (nine tackles, 1 BU) will seek to minimize the individual successes of FHSU quarterback Jack Dawson's top targets in their first meetings with the Tigers across their collegiate careers. Meanwhile, Dawson will look to replicate his success against the RiverHawks from last season, where he had six total touchdowns, including five passing scores.

3 | This contest will be the second under the lights for NSU in the span of three games. Two more night games remain on the schedule, with the Oct. 12 meeting with Lincoln (Mo.) and Homecoming on Oct. 26 against Lincoln (Ca.) taking place with 6 p.m. kickoffs in Tahlequah. No road game has a kickoff time later than 2 p.m. across the rest of the season.

4 | NSU quarterback Dereun Dortch will face a Tigers secondary that returns their top contributors from last season's pass defense that yielded the second-fewest yards through the air per game (199.4) in the MIAA. Regular opportunities for the dual-threat signal-caller to make plays with his legs could be in the cards, though, as the Tigers have allowed 159 rushing yards to quarterbacks through three games this fall.

5 | The Northeastern State pass rush will aim for a strong showing against a Fort Hays State offense that's surrendered nine sacks this season, including eight in the last two weeks. Jamar McKee has recorded NSU's lone sack of the season through two games, while Marquez Chatman has shined with two tackles for loss in as many weeks of action.

NSU QUICK HITS

>> NSU possesses players on the 2024 roster from over ten different states, including 32 players from Oklahoma, 31 from Texas and 19 from California. 

>> Darrin Chiaverini leads the offense after previously guiding the offensive attack at the Division I level for five seasons at Colorado. Through the air, he coached two of the top quarterbacks in CU history in Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez, while he also coached five receivers that finished among the university's all-time top 20 in yards. Meanwhile, the ground attack was highlighted by Jarek Broussard and his Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year nod in 2020.

>> Big plays were not elusive in Warrensburg against the UCM defense, as NSU recorded four plays of at least 25 yards across the meeting. Freshman running back Marco Smith logged the longest offensive play of the campaign so far with a 60-yard rush late in the game.

>> Through two games, Deuce Roberson has been the top target for quarterback Dereun Dortch. Roberson possesses 93 receiving yards on eight catches with a touchdown, while Dedrek Taylor-Akins and tight end Cameron Woods are tied for second in receptions with four apiece.

>> The freshman duo of running backs in Marco Smith and Jaden Trawick highlighted NSU's efforts with the ground game against UCM. Smith ran for a game-high 87 yards on 13 carries in his first appearance with the program, while Trawick logged the most carries on the team (17) and ran for two scores.

>> Junior Tanuvasa leads the defense in his first season as defensive coordinator at Northeastern State. It marks the third school that Tanuvasa has served on a Darrin Chiaverini coaching staff for after spending 2023 in the same role at Chaffey College. Tanuvasa also spent time at Colorado from 2019-21 during Chiaverini's tenure on the offensive staff. 

>> Defensively, the RiverHawks have allowed 504.5 yards of total offense per game through two contests. The pass defense has yielded 321.5 yards per game so far, while the run defense has surrendered 183 yards per game. 

>> Alexander Green added seven tackles against the Mules to lead the team in takedowns for a second consecutive week. The junior has 16 on the season, with 11 solo stops.

>> Jordan Banks and the duo of defensive linemen in Jarveon Williams and Ma'afu Asaeli found their way in the UCM backfield on Sep. 7, getting involved on tackles for loss. Banks has 1.5 on the season, while tying for third on the team with nine tackles. 

>> The Northeastern State secondary seeks a turnaround after allowing 514 passing yards to Central Missouri, with seven completions of at least 20 yards surrendered. Alexander Green recorded four pass breakups, while LaKedrick Holmes added two in the loss.

>> Ousmane Doumbia found success in his first reps as a RiverHawk late in the UCM game, recording a pass breakup and recovering a fumble on the final drive of the afternoon for the hosting team. Doumbia previously played at Butte College (Ca.), where he recorded 47 tackles and three interceptions over 11 games played in 2023.

>> On special teams, punter and kickoff specialist Tyler Crawford had a productive afternoon in Warrensburg, averaging 41.7 yards across five punts with a long of 47, while adding a touchback on kickoff duties. Troy Nguyen was three-for-three on extra points but missed a 43-yard field goal try.

ON THE AIR

>> Catch live radio coverage of every Northeastern State football game this season on the radio home for NSU football, Lakes Country 102.1 FM. Hear the "Voice of the RiverHawks" Orry Phillips on the call every week with a rotating lineup of color analysts across the season, with gameday coverage beginning one hour prior to kickoff every week.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

>>  After a three-win 2022 campaign, the Fort Hays State Tigers turned things around in 2023 with a seven-win effort, highlighted by 17 All-MIAA performers and one of the top defensive units in the conference. Every All-MIAA player but defensive tackle Jason Wallace returned this fall.

>> Quarterback Jack Dawson returns after a 2023 season that saw him earn All-MIAA Third Team honors. Dawson has completed 60-of-103 (58.3%) passes through three games this fall and has thrown for three touchdowns, with as many interceptions so far. 

>> 2023 All-MIAA Second Team pick Trevor Watts has received the highest volume among Dawson's targets so far, with 16 catches for 143 yards. Jabari Lewis has been a factor, too, averaging 21.7 yards per catch to lead the team in receiving yards (152) three games into his sophomore season.

>> Shane Watts has been the workhorse back for FHSU to begin the season, with 58 carries across three games.  The senior has logged at least 96 rushing yards in four of five games since 2023 that's received at least 18 carries in, including a 161-yard performance on 24 attempts agaisnt Missouri Western two weeks ago.

>> The FHSU defense returns seven All-MIAA playmakers from a year ago and most recently forced Northwest Missouri into catching the turnover bug last week, coming away with three interceptions against Bearcats quarterback Chris Ruhnke. 

>> The defensive line boasts an impressive duo of defensive ends with Myles Menges (3x All-MIAA) and Parrish Terry (2023 All-MIAA) in starting roles. Also rotating in is Gaven Haselhorst, who had 9.5 TFL in 2022 for the Tigers before injuries shortened the 2023 season for the Kansas State transfer.