TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State returns after the bye to battle their first ranked foe of 2025, hosting #3 West Florida on Saturday from Doc Wadley Stadium.

NORTHEASTERN STATE vs.
#3/4 WEST FLORIDA
Saturday, Oct. 4 -- 1 p.m.
Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium
First meeting in all-time series

TOP STORYLINES

1 | The RiverHawks wrap up a brief two-game homestand by hosting #3/4 West Florida at Doc Wadley Stadium Saturday. The Argonauts mark the third first-time opponent for NSU in their second campaign as an NCAA Division II football independent, while UWF also marks NSU's first ranked foe of the season. Northeastern State will aim to collect their first victory against a ranked opponent in football since knocking off then-#11 Tarleton State on Oct. 26, 2002 in Tahlequah.

2 | NSU enters the week off of a bye and are just two weeks removed from their highest-scoring performance in the modern era of program history. The RiverHawks tallied 70 points against Westgate Christian behind 563 yards of total offense and ten touchdowns, including eight on the ground. Troy Nguyen would break a record of over 50 years by converting on ten extra point attempts in the game, surpassing the previous best of nine set by Larry Dotson against Northwestern Oklahoma on Oct. 31, 1970.

3 | Saturday marks the Indigenous Peoples' Game at Doc Wadley Stadium, sponsored by Tahlequah Lumber. As part of the festivities, admission is free for anyone who presents a CDIB or Tribal ID card. Additionally, Ja Li Si Gladd will perform the national anthem in Cherokee.

4 | The rushing attack was a key piece in NSU's blowout win against WCU. Not only did the group pick up eight touchdowns on the ground to match a program record, but they also added 366 rushing yards across the day, their most in a single game since Nov. 10, 2001. Ramon McKinney Jr. led the team against in yardage with 99 in the win, while his all-purpose yardage totals 639 through four games.

5 | The RiverHawks picked off four Westgate Christian passes in their most recent contest, bringing their interception total to nine for the season. Marvelous Owens leads the defense with three interceptions, adding another to his highlight reel against the Ravens. Additionally, Jaxon Woods, Jordan Tolbert, and Hagen Foreman logged interceptions in the 58-point win.

NSU QUICK HITS

>> Darrin Chiaverini leads the offense for his second season in Tahlequah after guiding that side to the ball to noticeable growth in 2024. Offensively, the team gained 558 additional yards on the ground (as well as an improvement of 0.7 yards per attempt), adding 40.8 more rushing yards per game. The passing attack also excelled, averaging 97.36 more yards per game, increasing yards per attempt by 2.35, and amassing 1,071 additional passing yards and 13 more touchdowns.

>> Donnie Smith saw a season low in passing attempts (12) against WCU in his fourth start of the season. Despite that, he displayed efficiency with ten completions and two throwing scores. The junior now has four passing touchdowns across his last two appearances.

>> Ramon McKinney Jr. has made reaching paydirt a habit early in his NSU career. The true sophomore ran for his fourth touchdown of the campaign in NSU's most recent game against WCU and has scored in every game this season. Additionally, he has scored in nine of his last ten contests, with 16 total scores during that span.

>> The RiverHawks gave Ethan Washington and LJ Robins their first rushing attempts of their NSU careers two weeks ago against Westgate. Washington flipped ten carries into 72 yard and two touchdowns, while Robins landed in the end zone himself alongside nine carries for 56 yards. 

>> In the absence of La'Vontae Shenault against Westgate Christian, the RiverHawks relied on a variety of targets, completing 12 passes to seven different players. Deuce Roberson factored in with a team-best three receptions for 64 yards, while contributing to the longest pass play of the day for NSU with a 34-yard reception. True freshmen Dekhari Dean and Cam Jackson recorded two catches apiece, with Jackson collecting his second receiving touchdown in the last three games. Cam Woods also reached the end zone with a ten-yard catch for his second touchdown in as many weeks.

>> The RiverHawks continued to struggle in the penalties department against WCU, getting flagged ten times for a total of 108 yards. Across the last three games, NSU has been flagged 31 times for a combined 299 yards.  Both totals mark their most across a three-game span since 2018. 

>> NSU's struggles on third down were placed on pause against WCU, with the RiverHawks converting on 5-of-6 (83.3%) of tries. The team's third down attempts marked their lowest in a single game since Sep. 8, 2001 against Missouri Southern, while they brought down their averaged yardage to go on third down to 4.2, compared to 10.5 in the North Alabama loss.

>> Junior Tanuvasa leads the defense in his second season as defensive coordinator at Northeastern State. In 2024, the RiverHawks displayed significant progress defensively, allowing 6.36 fewer points per game and 70 fewer points overall. Meanwhile, the pass defense allowed 741 fewer yards and 24 fewer first downs, while the rushing defense increased tackles for loss and forced opponents to lose an additional 85 yards on the ground.

>> The RiverHawks limited the Ravens to just 181 yards of offense two weeks ago, the lowest yardage total surrendered during the Chiaverini era and the fewest in a single game overall since Aug. 27, 2011 against Bacone.

>> Marvelous Owens enters the week as the first NSU player with three interceptions through the first four games of the season since Curtis Mayfield in 2008. Owens also leads all defensive backs in tackles (15) and has two pass breakups on the year.

>> True freshman Kale Charboneau paced the defense with seven tackles last week, getting involved on two tackles for loss.  The product of Wagoner, Okla. has led the team in the last two weeks with 13 total tackles, while he ranks third on the season with 18.

>> Mo Foketi saw his three-game streak of landing a punt 60 or more yards downfield come to an end against Westgate Christian, as the sophomore did not have to punt in the 70-12 win. It marked the first time in NSU's NCAA era (beginning in 1997) that they did not have to punt in a game.

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. DJ Shawn Solo will serve as the home color analyst for the 2025 season, while Captain William Morgan will handle all away games. Gameday coverage begins one hour prior to kickoff every week.

ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS

>> West Florida is in its third season under head coach Kaleb Nobles, a former assistant who also played and graduated at UWF in 2016. The university has fielded a football team since 2016 and won the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship, a team that Nobles served on the coaching staff of.

>> The Argonauts were off last week after earning their fourth win of the season on Sep. 20 in a 25-17 decision over North Greenville. The win kept UWF's unbeaten record intact, as the Argonauts are 4-0 to start the season for the first time since 2021.

>> Marcus Stokes leads the passing attack at the quarterback position. Across 12 career starts, Stokes has thrown multiple touchdown passes in eight, including three of his first four in 2025. The Argonauts average 300 passing yards per game, a total that is tied for 12th in Division II football. 

>> The Argos returned their top rushers from a season ago in TJ Lane (464 rushing yards, five rushing TD) and Jay Sharp (459 yards, four rushing TD). The pair have combined for 388 of the team's 509 yards on the ground to begin the campaign, while they're responsible for four combing rushing scores.  

>> Corey Scott was the top receiver from last season's seven-win team after collecting 34 receptions for 629 yards (18.5 yards per catch) with five touchdowns in 2024. The redshirt sophomore has gotten off to a similarly strong start in 2025, making 18 catches for 352 yards through four contests. 

>> UWF's run defense has been stout to begin the year, holding opposing rushers through four games to just 184 yards on 108 carries (39.8 yards per game, 1.5 yards per carry). Both the average yardage per game and per carry mark the lowest surrendered totals in Division II football.

>> The Argonauts are fourth in Division II football with 42 tackles for loss. Ja'Kobe Clinton and Kevin Roberts hold the team high individually with 6.5 TFL, while Christian Ware-Terry has six so far.