TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Aug. 28, 2026) – Northeastern State picked up Friday right where it left off last football season, with the RiverHawks dominating a quality NCAA Division II opponent.
Quarterback
Donnie Smith passed for 319 yards and four touchdowns and NSU's defense limited Delta State (Mississippi) to only 69 yards of offense as the RiverHawks rolled to a 52-0 win in the season opener for both teams on Gable Field at
Doc Wadley Stadium.
NSU (1-0), ranked No. 23 by D2Football.com, extended its winning streak to eight games, its longest since 1991, when the RiverHawks won their first 10 games of the season. NSU recorded its first shutout against a Division II opponent since 2000, when it blanked Central Oklahoma 7-0 in the regular-season finale.
Delta State (0-1), playing its first game under new coach David Dean, is coming off a 7-3 season and is one of just 38 NCAA Division II programs to have recorded 500 all-time victories. But the Statesmen didn't have an answer on Friday, suffering their first shutout since 2021.
Delta State had only four first downs, all of them after halftime, by which point it trailed 24-0. Quarterback Nick Clark completed 6 of 16 passes, for only 13 yards.
The 69 total yards allowed by NSU were the fourth-fewest in program history and the second-fewest as a Division II program, just one shy of the record of 68 the RiverHawks allowed vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1999.
NSU's
Marvelous Owens scored a defensive touchdown on a 35-yard interception return, one of only 40 offensive plays run by Delta State – 42 fewer than NSU.
Khaden Walker and
Kale Charboneau each recorded six tackles to lead the RiverHawks. NSU also blocked a field-goal attempt by the Statesmen in the second quarter.
As good as NSU looked on defense, the offense looked just as exceptional. On the first snap of the game, Smith connected with
Cam Jackson on a 75-yard touchdown pass. Jackson finished with five catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Deuce Roberson had nine catches for 90 yards and
Jaylen Thompson had three catches for 27 yards. Both also caught a touchdown pass from Smith.
The RiverHawks rushed for 200 yards, led by Thompson (nine carries, 67 yards),
Jordan Schelling (13 carries, 54 yards, one touchdown) and
Kyron Downing (eight carries, 45 yards).
Carter Kopecky also had a touchdown run for NSU, a 2-yarder with 2:21 left that finished the scoring.
NSU kicker
Troy Nguyen went 7-of-7 on extra-point attempts and added a 48-yard field goal with 4:02 left in the second quarter.
The RiverHawks scored on their first three possessions. After Jackson's 75-yard catch, Smith hit Roberson from 6 yards out and Thompson on a 10-yard scoring play, putting NSU up 21-0 in the first quarter.
A 34-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Jackson made it 31-0 and Owens soon followed with his pick-six before NSU tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
NSU will make its first road trip of the season for a Sept. 5 game at Missouri S&T, a team that beat the RiverHawks last season. That will begin a stretch of four straight road games, with NSU not scheduled to play at home again until an Oct. 3 game against Texas-Permian Basin.
