TAHLEQUAH (Nov. 14, 2026) –
Donnie Smith passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns, both to
Deuce Roberson, as Northeastern State closed the regular season with a 34-13 rout of West Alabama on Saturday afternoon on Gable Field at
Doc Wadley Stadium.
NSU (7-3) now will await its postseason fate. The RiverHawks entered the game as a longshot to climb high enough in the NCAA Division II Super Region 4 rankings to qualify for the playoffs, but a bowl berth – in either the First Americans Bowl or the Heritage Bowl – also is a possibility.
NSU lost to only one Division II opponent this season, with its two other losses coming against Football Championship Subdivision foes.
West Alabama (6-5) lost for the second straight season to the RiverHawks. NSU's defense limited the Tigers to just 241 yards of offense, or about 3.9 yards per play, with
Blaine Anderson and
Braxton Street each recording an interception. Anderson also led the RiverHawks with 10 tackles, while Street added nine. The RiverHawks didn't allow an offensive touchdown until the final seconds of the game.
Smith completed 22 of 27 passes and during the game, he broke the NSU career record for passing yards of 5,799, set by Lynn Pattillo from 1978 to 1981. Smith finished the game with 5,814 career passing yards. He now has 15 games at NSU with multiple passing touchdowns.
NSU kicker
Troy Nguyen also established a new program record for made extra points. His fourth conversion kick of the game – after a 1-yard touchdown run by Smith in the third quarter – was the 139
th of his career. That broke the former mark of 138 set by Larry Dotson, who graduated in 1971.
The RiverHawks took the lead for good with a touchdown on their second possession, an eight-play, 77-yard drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Roberson, who had four catches for 76 yards. The duo later connected on a 2-yard scoring pass with 6:58 left in the second quarter, boosting NSU's lead to 14-0 by halftime.
NSU took the second-half kickoff and marched 75 yards in 14 plays over 7:01.
Marco Smith's 1-yard touchdown run made it 21-0. The Tigers went three-and-out and the RiverHawks went on another touchdown drive on 74 yards in six plays, with
Donnie Smith scoring.
West Alabama's Kendrick Joseph returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Tigers within 28-7. A subsequent interception gave West Alabama possession at the NSU 27, but Anderson's interception of a pass by Carter Hankins ended that threat.
Nguyen kicked field goals of 35 and 41 yards in the fourth quarter to again extend NSU's lead. Michael Dujon scored on a 4-yard run with 13 seconds left for the Tigers.
Jalen Richmond had eight catches for 85 yards for the RiverHawks, while
Malachi Butler added four catches for 77 yards and
Cam Jackson had five catches for 44 yards.
Marco Smith, a redshirt freshman, rushed for a career-high 56 yards on 15 carries, leading a rushing attack that netted 129 yards.
Jaylen Thompson had nine carries for 55 yards.
Before the game, about 20 seniors were recognized on Senior Day for their contributions to the program, including 13 players who have started games during the 2026 season.
