WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Northeastern State's game at No. 2-ranked Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon began with promise for the RiverHawks, with a defensive stop of the Mules' potent offense.
But in a span of one minute, 45 seconds later in the first quarter, the game got away from NSU, as Central Missouri scored three touchdowns in that span and eventually pulled away for a 63-21 win at Walton Stadium.
Central Missouri quarterback Zach Zebrowski, last season's Harlon Hill Trophy winner as the top football player in NCAA Division II, accounted for seven touchdowns against NSU (0-2). Zebrowski completed 37 of 47 passes for 508 yards and six touchdowns and rushed five times for 15 yards and another score for the Mules (1-0).
For NSU, quarterback
Dereun Dortch completed 14 of 24 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, a 1-yard pass to
Deuce Roberson in the second quarter. In the third quarter,
Jaden Trawick scored his first career touchdown for the RiverHawks on a 6-yard third-quarter run and added a 1-yard scoring run with 3:20 left. Freshman quarterback
Luke Milligan relieved Dortch late in the third quarter and saw his first extensive collegiate action, guiding a late scoring drive for the RiverHawks.
The game turned after NSU went three-and-out on its first offensive series. On the second play after NSU punted, Zebrowski hit Hogan Wasson on a 68-yard touchdown pass at the 9:47 mark of the first quarter. NSU's
Jay Caldwell, struggling for extra yards while returning the ensuing kickoff, fumbled and the Mules recovered. On the next play, Zebrowski connected with Zach Patterson for a 35-yard score.
Two plays into the subsequent NSU drive, Ladarian Paulk intercepted a pass from Dortch, giving the Mules possession at the NSU 30. Three plays later, Zebrowski found NyNy Davis open for a 17-yard touchdown pass at the 8:02 mark and the Mules led 21-0.
By the end of the quarter, Central Missouri had scored two more touchdowns for a 35-0 lead and Davis caught a 47-yard scoring pass just 73 seconds into the second quarter. Davis had five catches for 101 yards for the Mules, while Wasson had five for 95 yards.
NSU answered with its best drive of the game, a 13-play, 75-yard march capped by Dortch's touchdown pass to Roberson with 7:22 left before halftime. Central Missouri led 49-7 at intermission.
Trawick's first touchdown run, with 5:13 left in the third quarter, pulled the RiverHawks within 56-14. He finished with 17 carries for 27 yards and caught one pass for 31 yards.
Thanks in good part to a 60-yard run in the fourth quarter – NSU's longest offensive play so far this season –
Marco Smith led the RiverHawks in rushing with 87 yards on 13 carries, while
Blake May added five carries for 24 yards. Dedrick Taylor-Akins led NSU receivers with three catches for 35 yards. NSU finished with 308 yards of offense, compared to 634 for Central Missouri.
Jordan Richburg and
Alexander Green had six tackles each to lead the NSU defense, with
Alonso Person adding five tackles and
Ousmane Doumbia recovering a Central Missouri fumble in the fourth quarter. Punter
Tyler Crawford averaged 41.7 yards on six kicks.
The RiverHawks, playing as an independent this season, have an open date next Saturday. NSU will visit Fort Hays State (Kan.) on Sept. 21 and will face Missouri Southern in Broken Arrow, Okla., on Sept. 28.
