TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State wraps up a three-game road trip and the month of October by facing Central Oklahoma in an in-state rivalry matchup for the President's Cup in Edmond, Okla.

NORTHEASTERN STATE at
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Saturday, Oct. 25 -- 7 p.m.
Chad Richison Stadium
All-Time Series: NSU trails 53-30-2 -- Last meeting was Oct. 19, 2024 in Tahlequah (L, 64-57)

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Northeastern State travels to Edmond for the first time since 2022 to take on Central Oklahoma in the President's Cup game. It will mark the 86th meeting between the programs across the rivalry's 113-year history in football. Additionally, it is set to be the final meeting in a annual streak that has spanned 28 straight seasons, due to UCO being left off the 2026 schedule.

2 | The offense continued to produce in a lightning-shortened win over William Jewell last week, tallying 341 yards of offense across 36 plays (9.5 yards per play) and just under 36 minutes of game time. As a team, the RiverHawks have claimed at least 9.5 yards per play in three of their last four contests. Their current scoring average (36.3 points per game) is their highest across the program's NCAA era (1997-present), while their average yardage total (416.3) is their highest since 2011.

3 | Marvelous Owens recorded his sixth interception of the season in the opening half of last week's 35-7 win over William Jewell, becoming the first player with six interceptions in a season at Northeastern State since Curtis Mayfield (2008). He joins Mayfield and Jojo Polk (1999) as the only players with six interceptions across a single season in NSU's NCAA era. Owens has four games left to become the first NSU player since 1988 to log at least seven interceptions in a single campaign.

4 | Cam Woods continued his explosive midseason stretch with a 57-yard touchdown reception on the team's second offensive play against William Jewell last Saturday. It marked his seventh touchdown catch of the season, matching the total from his All-American campaign in 2024. Additionally, it marked his third catch of 57 yards or more in 2025 and his fifth straight game reaching paydirt. This week, Woods faces a UCO defense that he emerged with seven catches for 120 yards against a season ago.

5 | La'Vontae Shenault made an impact on Saturday with a team-leading six catches for 88 yards and his second touchdown of the season on the team's final offensive play of the day. Despite missing the Westgate Christian game in September and seeing last Saturday's game get shortened due to lightning, Shenault is still on pace to become the team's fourth 1,000-yard receiver across program history, while his per-game receptions average (7.2) is sixth in all of Division II football.

NSU QUICK HITS

>> In year two under Darrin Chiaverini, the offense has seen gains in points per game (27.9 in 2024, 36.3 in 2025), passing offense (206.2 yards per game in 2024, 278.9 in 2025), total offense (337.7 yards per game in 2024, 416.3 in 2025) and yards per play (5.1 in 2024, 7.3 in 2025).

>> Donnie Smith made it three weeks in a row on tossing three scores or more. Smith needed just 36 minutes of game time and 19 attempts to throw four touchdown passes. The junior has passed for multiple touchdowns in five straight, the first NSU player to do so since Cade Yeager in 2017.

>> Across the last four contests, Smith has completed 67-of-82 (81.7%) passes for 993 yards (14.8 yards per completion) with 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Smith's completion percentage on the season (69.6%) ranks inside the top ten across NCAA Division II football, while his yards per completion (13.4) total outranks six of his nine counterparts inside the national top ten on completion rate.

>> With four games left, Donnie Smith's quarterback efficiency rating (167.4) sits in the top 20 nationally and is the highest in the program since 2011. It is third across all single-season efforts in program history. 

>> Ramon McKinney Jr. surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards for the year in Saturday's win. Despite the shortened game, the true sophomore fell just two yards short of another 100-yard performance and enters this week's action with momentum after rushing for 35 yards and a pair of first downs across six carries in the team's final drive against the Cardinals. 

>> With four games left, McKinney is on pace to finish third across program history in single-season all-purpose yardage, only behind Trey McVay (1,845 in 2011) and Carlton Booe (1,774 in 1999). Additionally, McKinney is on pace to match NSU Hall of Famer Derrick Moore's 1991 season average of 6.6 yards per carry, which ranks third in program history.

>> Cam Woods has reached the end zone in five straight games, catching seven touchdown passes across that span. Another score this week from the All-American tight end would make him the first NSU player across the program's NCAA era to make a touchdown grab in six straight.

>> Continuity has been key up front this season for the offense. The RiverHawks have seen four members of the offensive line (Deven Jones, Justus Gilliam, Cayson Badley and Jayden Flores) start in all seven games so far, assisting NSU to 6.7 yards per carry and 8.7 yards per play across their last four. They've surrendered just three sacks in that span, as well as four or fewer tackles for loss in three of their last four.

>> Junior Tanuvasa and Jeremy Atwell lead the defense as co-defensive coordinators. Both are in their second seasons with the program. With four games to go, the defense has seen progress in scoring (35.7 points allowed per game in 2024, 21.4 in 2025) and opposing rushing yardage (195.2 per game in 2024, 128.9 in 2025). Meanwhile, the RiverHawks have picked off 13 passes this season through seven games, already matching their 2024 total.

>> Youth continued to shine for the defense last week. Redshirt freshman Cooper Snyder led the team in tackles with seven (six solo), while true freshman Jordan Tolbert recorded his second interception of the season and his first interception return for a touchdown.

>>  With four games left, Troy Nguyen is just two PAT kicks away from reaching the top five across program history in extra points made in a single season. So far, the true sophomore has connected on 31-of-31 tries. The program record sits at 48, claimed by NSU Hall of Famer Larry Dotson in 1970.

>> Mo Foketi is on pace to surpass the program record in single-season yards per punt, averaging 51.5 yards through seven games. The current full-season record sits at 44.6, owned by Mark Ross (1979).

ON THE AIR

>> Radio coverage of this weekend's contest is presented by the official radio home of NSU football, Lakes Country 102.1 FM. Hear the "Voice of the RiverHawks" Orry Phillips and the RiverHawks Sports Nest (DJ Shawn Solo and Captain William Morgan) on the call for this week's rivalry matchup. Coverage starts at 6 p.m. from Chad Richison Stadium with the Countdown to Kickoff show.

THE GREEN AND WHITE NETWORK IS HEADING TO EDMOND

>> Come get your pregame on with fellow NSU alumni and RiverHawks fans, and tailgate with the NSU Alumni Association. Join us for tailgate fare, beverages and festivities at 4 p.m. outside the southeast corner of Chad Richison Stadium. The tailgate event is free for Alumni Association members and $10 for non-members. Any attendance fees are separate from admission fees to the game. To learn more about joining the NSU Alumni Association, visit nsualumni.com.

WATCH PARTY

>> Northeastern State University Football invites you to join us for an official RiverHawks Football Watch Party on Thursday, August 28th at the Squeeze Inn in Tahlequah (109 Spring Street, Tahlequah, OK 74464). Come cheer on the RiverHawks as they open the season against Saginaw Valley State. The event will feature a welcoming game-day atmosphere for alumni, fans, and community members to enjoy the action together. Special food and beverage pricing will be available exclusively for active NSU Football QB Club members. Entry is limited to individuals 21 and up. We look forward to seeing you as we come together to support RiverHawks Football!

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS

>> Central Oklahoma is led by three-time Division II national champion head coach Adam Dorrel in his fourth season in Edmond. Dorrel led the program to a conference title and postseason berth in 2024, marking his fifth MIAA championship and the program's first playoff appearance since 2003.

>> Quarterback Jett Huff enters Saturday with momentum, winning two of his last three at the quarterback spot behind completions on 67-of-99 (67.7%) passes in that span. The junior has averaged 15 yards per completion with 11 touchdowns against just one interception during the three-game October slate, as well.

>> Ashton Schumann has been the top target inside the UCO passing attack this season. The sophomore is fourth in Division II football in yards (707) and is tied for 13th in receptions per game (6.4). Last week against Emporia State, the League City, Texas native exploded for 202 yards and a pair of scores on seven catches. He has reached paydirt with receiving touchdowns in three straight entering the weekend. 

>> UCO ranks third in the MIAA in rushing offense (190.7) and yards per carry (4.8). William Mason leads the ground game in yardage (598) and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns (four) alongside Jaylen Cottrell. It was Cottrell who paced the backfield with 15 carries last week for 54 yards, owning 375 yards across 66 carries (5.7 yards per carry) on the season.

>> The Bronchos have allowed multiple sacks in six of seven games and are eighth in sacks surrendered (18) across the MIAA. The offense has also allowed 34 tackles for loss across their last four, their most in a four-game stretch since 2023.

>> Experience is a guiding theme on the defensive side of the ball among top contributors. 15 of 16 defenders with 11 or more tackles in 2025 are juniors or seniors.

>> The Bronchos have surrendered the fourth-most passing yards per game (237.1) in the MIAA, while their run defense has allowed the fifth-fewest (138.0) across the league.