TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State returns to the road with a date against Lincoln (Mo.) to begin a three-game road trip.

NORTHEASTERN STATE at
LINCOLN (Mo.)
Saturday, Oct. 11 -- 12 p.m.
Dwight T. Reed Stadium
All-Time Series: NSU leads 5-2 -- Last meeting was Oct. 12, 2024 in Tahlequah (W, 55-7)

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Northeastern State begin a three-game road trip that spans the rest of October by facing Lincoln (Mo.) in Jefferson City. It will mark the fifth time in program history that the RiverHawks have played the Blue Tigers in an away contest, with their road record in the series being 2-2. A win for the RiverHawks will place them back at .500 through six games, marking the first time they've held an even record at that point in the season since 2011.

2 | The passing attack looks for continued dominance after going for 361 yards through the air against #3 West Florida last week. It marked the most yards surrendered by the UWF pass defense since Nov. 13, 2021, while Donnie Smith tossed the most passing yards in a single game for an NSU quarterback since 2014. Tight end Cam Woods was the top receiver for Smith, catching seven passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns en route to a nod as Walter Camp Division II Offensive Player of the Week.

3 | La'Vontae Shenault made his return after a one-game absence due to injury, but he once again proved to be a vital part of the passing game. The DeSoto, Tex. native tied for the team lead with eight catches and finished second with 77 receiving yards last Saturday. Shenault enters the week ranked fifth among all receivers in the Division II ranks with 7.5 receptions per game.

4 | Ramon McKinney Jr. added another 103 all-purpose yards in the loss last weekend to West Florida. The McKinney-led rushing attack will aim for a rebound against the Blue Tigers after having a net total of -7 yards on Saturday, the lowest yardage total since 2008 and their fourth-lowest for a single game in program history.

5 | The defense will look to repeat success from a season ago against the Blue Tigers. The RiverHawks held Lincoln to just 86 passing yards and 243 yards in total in a 55-7 win on Oct. 12, 2024. Ayden Guess and Hagen Foreman were each involved in six tackles for the win, while LaKedrick Holmes returned an interception off an Isaiah Tate pass for a touchdown.

NSU QUICK HITS

>> Darrin Chiaverini leads the offense for his second season in Tahlequah. Five games into the season, the RiverHawks have seen gains in points per game (27.9 in 2024, 33.4 in 2025), passing offense (206.2 yards per game in 2024, 294.2 in 2025), total offense (337.7 yards per game in 2024, 413.0 in 2025) and yards per play (5.1 in 2024, 6.6 in 2025).

>> Donnie Smith and Cam Woods combined for the two most explosive plays of the season for Northeastern State. Smith's passes of 77 and 74 yards to Woods marked the longest offensive plays of the campaign for the RiverHawks, while the 77-yard strike marked the longest completion for an NSU individual since 2017.

>> Ramon McKinney Jr. has not only been a threat in the ground game (372 rushing yards), but the true sohpomore has also been one of the top targets of the passing game in 2025. McKinney ranks second on the team in receptions (21) and third on the team in receiving yards (234) through five games.

>> Ramon McKinney Jr. has 742 all-purpose yards through five games (148.4 yards per game) in 2025. The Waxahachie, Tex. native is on pace to finish third in season all-purpose yardage across program history behind Trey McVay (1,845 yards in 2011) and Carlton Booe (1,774 in 1999).

>> With six games left, La'Vontae Shenault has a chance to push for the single-season program record in receptions.  The senior is on pace to finish the campaign with 75 catches, just seven shy of Trey McVay's record of 82, set in 2011. Ranking second on the list if Milton Harris, who logged 59 catches in 2003.

>> Junior Tanuvasa and Jeremy Atwell lead the defense as co-defensive coordinators. Both coaches are in their second seasons with the program. Five games into the season, the defense has seen progress in scoring (35.7 points allowed per game in 2024, 28.0 in 2025) and opposing rushing yardage (195.2 per game in 2024, 146.4 in 2025). Meanwhile, the RiverHawks have picked off ten passes this season, only three off of their entire 2024 total (13).

>> Marvelous Owens made eight tackles and picked off his fourth pass of the season in last weekend's loss to the Argos. Owens is the first player to have at least four interceptions in a season since 2015.

>> Ousmane Doumbia led the team with a career-high nine tackles last Saturday, while Khaden Walker added seven in the loss. Doumbia ranks fifth on the team in total tackles (20), while Walker holds the lead with 39 total stops after five games. 

>> Mo Foketi put another strong performance on the field last Saturday, sending three punts a distance of 171 yards with a long of 64. Foketi has sent a punt at least 60 yards in each game he's played in for the season, while his average distance (51.9 yards) ranks near the top of the field of Division II punters.

>> Northeastern State stayed away from the penalty bug on Saturday, drawing just three flags for a combined 17 yards. It marked their lowest penalty count in a game all season and their second-lowest penalty yardage total of the Chiaverini era.

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 on the call for the matchup, with coverage starting with the Countdown to Kickoff at 11 a.m. from Jefferson City.

ABOUT THE BLUE TIGERS

>> Lincoln is in its second season under former Missouri Western and Nebraska Kearney assistant Moses Harper. Harper led the Blue Tigers to two straight wins to open the campaign, including their first triumph over an NCAA foe since 2019 when they knocked off Lane (27-15) on Sep. 6. Though the Blue Tigers have locked up their first multi-win season since 2018, they enter the weekend on a three-game losing streak.

>> Jaylen Thomas took the entirety of the passing reps at quarterback last week against Southwest Baptist, finding completions on 17-of-33 throws for 245 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Thomas enters the week against NSU with 63 career passes as a Blue Tiger.

>> Senior running back JaDarrius Thomas leads the team with 240 rushing yards across 50 carries (4.8 yards per carry) after five games. Thomas is in his first season at Lincoln after spending 2024 at Nebraska Kearney, appearing in ten games and claiming 203 rushing yards on 33 carries (6.2 ypc). 

>> The Blue Tigers return 2024's leading rusher in Jareese Howard (667 yards, six rushing TD in '24). Howard has played a large role in 2025, rushing 53 times for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Last season against NSU, the then-freshman led the team with 72 yards across 16 carries, with a long rush of 19 yards.

>> Marcus Harris has been a big-play target during the first half of 2025, making 13 catches for a team-best 329 yards (25.3 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Harris is in his first season with the program after spending time at Kent State and Indiana State.

>> The defense seeks a strong showing after surrendering a combined 996 yards and nine total touchdowns across their last two games in losses to Upper Iowa (31-10) and Southwest Baptist (50-21).

>> Senior linebacker Jordan Hoskins leads the team with 31 tackles and enters the week with 95 stops across his two-season career in Jefferson City.