TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Nov. 17, 2026) – Northeastern State snapped a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion on Saturday, routing William Jewell (Mo.) 52-10 on a sun-kissed afternoon on Gable Field at
Doc Wadley Stadium.
NSU (4-3) has won 11 of its last 12 football games against NCAA Division II competition, as two of the RiverHawks' three losses have come against Football Championship Subdivision teams. NSU hadn't played since Oct. 3, as its Oct. 10 game at West Florida was cancelled due to Hurricane Isaias.
Quarterback
Donnie Smith completed 14 of 16 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns as the RiverHawks rolled up 503 yards of offense and zoomed to a 35-3 halftime lead over William Jewell (4-2). Freshman
Mikail Trotter rushed for a career-high 125 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries to lead an NSU rushing attack that finished with 285 yards.
Meanwhile, NSU defensive back
Marvelous Owens recorded his second interception return for a touchdown this season, a 26-yard return in the final minute of the first half. NSU limited the Cardinals to 172 yards of offense. William Jewell quarterback Charlie Loose completed only 8 of 19 passes for 83 yards.
Jordan Schelling, who had 13 carries for 57 yards, scored NSU's first touchdown on an 8-yard run with 8:32 left in the first quarter. William Jewell answered with a field goal before Smith went to work, throwing touchdown passes of 14 yards to
Malachi Butler and 14 yards to
Jaylen Thompson.
Trotter scored on a 14-yard run with 6:53 left in the second quarter to put NSU up 28-3. After the Cardinals intercepted a pass by Smith in the final moments of the first half, Owens turned the tables by intercepting a pass thrown by Joe Federer and scoring with 28 seconds left before halftime.
Loose scored on a 1-yard run on the Cardinals' first second-half series, but Smith hit
Cam Jackson for a 41-yard touchdown and Trotter scored on a 4-yard run before the end of the third quarter.
Troy Nguyen added a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter as the RiverHawks matched their season high in points.
With his first completion, Smith set a program record with his 384
th, passing Lynn Pattillo, who had 383 from 1978 to 1981. Jackson was his top target against William Jewell, catching five passes for 86 yards. Thompson had three catches for 43 yards and
Deuce Roberson added two catches for 38 yards.
Defensively,
Jordan Tolbert and
Khaden Walker led the RiverHawks with seven tackles each, while
Kale Charboneau added six stops.
The RiverHawks will have an open date next week before hosting NAIA opponent Langston on Oct. 31 in the renewal of what was a fierce rivalry in the early 1990s. NSU's next game against a Division II foe will be Nov. 7 at McKendree (Ill.).
