TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State continues a four-game road trip by facing Truman State in Kirksville, Mo. on Saturday. 

(#13/18) NORTHEASTERN STATE at
TRUMAN STATE
Saturday, Sep. 12 -- 12 p.m.
Stokes Stadium
All-Time Series: NSU leads 2-1 -- Last meeting was Sep. 18, 1987 in Tahlequah (W, 38-21)

TOP STORYLINES

1 | Northeastern State travels to Kirksville, Mo. with the opportunity to make history. A victory against Truman State would give NSU its first 3-0 start of the program's NCAA era. NSU's last 3-0 start came in 1991, when the team went on to win their first 10 games. Additionally, a win Saturday would match the 1991 team's 10-game winning streak, as NSU's current streak of nine straight wins marks the longest active winning streak in Oklahoma college football and the second-longest in Division II football.

2 | Last week's 27-7 win against Missouri S&T catapulted the RiverHawks into the No. 13 spot in the latest D2Football.com poll, in addition to No. 18 in the AFCA Top 25. In the D2Football.com poll, it marked the second straight week NSU gained five spots, while NSU's gain of six spots in the AFCA poll marked the third-largest leap inside the rankings this week.

3 | This week's matchup features a quarterback battle between a pair of signal-callers who are among Division II's best at taking care of the football. Through 14 starts with the program, NSU's Donnie Smith has a 4:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while Truman's Dylan Hair threw interceptions on just 1.6% of his pass attempts in 2025.

4 | Jordan Schelling took command of the rushing attack in Saturday's win against the Miners, turning 21 carries into 64 yards and a touchdown. The freshman added seven receptions and a receiving score to bring his total to 28 touches, meaning he handled the football on more than 36% of the team's offensive plays in Rolla in just his second game as a college football player.

5 | It was a group effort behind the passing game's 287-yard performance, as four NSU targets recorded at least six catches for the first time in recorded program history.

NSU QUICK HITS

>> Darrin Chiaverini is in his third season as head coach and offensive coordinator at Northeastern State. Year two of NSU's Chiaverini-led offense saw the RiverHawks set school records in points scored (483), points per game (40.3), touchdowns (65) and yards per play (7.3). 

>> The RiverHawks have reached at least 341 yards of offense in 15 straight games, a yardage total the team surpassed just nine times from 2017-23. NSU was held below 341 yards in each of the 18 games prior to the start of the Chiaverini era in 2024.

>> Donnie Smith guided the offense in overcoming a slow start and two first-half turnovers as a unit and brought them to the promised land on a 10-play, 81-yard drive that spanned just 1:36 after the two-minute timeout before halftime. The touchdown, a five-yard pass from Smith to Jordan Schelling, gave NSU its first lead of the night (10-7). Smith went 10-of-12 on the drive and brought a similar consistency into the second half, leading three more scoring drives behind 12-of-13 passing to bring his total completions on the night to 30, just one shy of his career high.

>> Smith enters the week with 3,651 career passing yards in Tahlequah, just five shy of Dustin Workman (3,656) for fifth in program history. The career passing record is held by Lynn Pattillo (5,799), who played at NSU from 1978-81 and was a member of the 1980 national runner-up team that was inducted into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame last May.

>> While Schelling's five-yard score was the bright spot entering the tunnel at halftime, Malachi Butler provided another big highlight with his first career receiving touchdown at NSU, a four-yard reception in the back of the end zone to give the RIverHawks a two-score advantage with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

>> Deuce Roberson continued to cement his status as one of the program's top possession receivers with a seven-catch, 85-yard performance on Saturday against Missouri S&T. With last Saturday's performance, Roberson claimed sole possession of fifth in program history in career receptions (105), just five behind Zac King in fourth.

>> The offense has thrived in third-down situations early this season, converting 20-of-31 attempts (64.5%). The team's 20 third-down conversions mark the most across a two-game stretch in recorded program history.

>> Jeremy Atwell is in his first full season as defensive coordinator and his third season overall on the NSU football coaching staff. Atwell was promoted to co-defensive coordinator before the team's sixth game of the 2025 season against Lincoln (Mo.). Across NSU's nine-game winning streak, which spans his time as a defensive coordinator, the RiverHawks have allowed just 9.9 points and 221 yards per game.

>> NSU's no-fly zone continued into the road opener last Saturday, as the RiverHawks held the Miners to just 75 passing yards. Through two games, opposing offenses have found just 131 yards through the air, the fewest in a season-opening two-game stretch since 1999. Across NSU's nine-game winning streak, the team has surrendered just 127.6 passing yards per game, with five passing touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

>> Braylon Hardrick was a standout in last week's win, turning in a career-high nine tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack, the first of his NSU career. Hardrick is in his first season as a starter and is the son of Brian Hardrick, who recorded 88 tackles and two interceptions across an NSU playing career that spanned from 1998-2001.

>> Time of possession has strongly favored Northeastern State through two games, as opposing offenses have held the football for a combined 41:11, more than a minute less than the 42:34 NSU spent with possession in the season opener against DSU.

>> Troy Nguyen continued to amaze with a 54-yard field goal against Missouri S&T in the third quarter Saturday. It marked a career long for Nguyen, in addition to the longest made field goal at NSU since 2008 and the third-longest in program history. Additionally, Nguyen extended his streak of made PAT kicks to 77 after knocking down three in Rolla. 

ON THE AIR

>> The 2026-27 athletics season marks the launch of the RiverHawks Radio Network, the official radio home of NSU football and basketball.

It marks the first time in 15 years where NSU Athletics programming is available in the Tulsa metro area. Listeners can hear the "Voice of the RiverHawks" Orry Phillips on the call for football and basketball games on ESPN 99.9 FM/1550 AM. Meanwhile, 97.1 The Sports Animal carries all episodes of The Darrin Chiaverini Show and The NSU Basketball Coaches Show.

All games and coaches shows can still be heard live in Tahlequah and Muskogee for the third straight season on Lakes Country 102.1.

Gameday coverage will begin one hour prior to kickoff every week.

WATCH PARTY

>> When the RiverHawks are on the road, Emery's Grill (409 N Muskogee Ave) in downtown Tahlequah is the official watch party destination to take in all the action. Come cheer on the RIverHawks this week as they face Truman State on Saturday at 12 p.m. in a welcoming game-day atmosphere with alumni, fans, and community members. We look forward to seeing you as we come together to support RiverHawks football! 

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

>> Truman is in its third season under Kellen Nesbitt as the program's head coach. Nesbitt is the son of Gregg, who held the same role from 2010-23. In 2025, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 1994 after an eight-win campaign that saw the team win eight of its final nine regular season games following an 0-2 start.

>> Dylan Hair is in his third season leading the offense from the quarterback position. The senior has reached 25 passing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons, while throwing just 12 interceptions on 669 career pass attempts in Kirksville. However, two of those occurred in last week's loss to Davenport.

>> Hair's rushing ability makes him one of the top threats on the offensive side of the ball for TSU, as he heads into Saturday with 1,385 career rushing yards and 12 rushing scores. In 2025, the Wardsville, Mo., native averaged six yards per carry and 62.1 rushing yards per game.

>> All three of TSU's projected starters at receiver have significant experience from the previous season. Nathan Ryan earned All-GLVC honors after logging 36 receptions for 596 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025. Meanwhile, Jackson Overton added 32 receptions for 417 yards, while Adam Hall provided 24 catches for 252 yards.

>> The Truman offensive line consists of projected starters who combined for 50 games played in 2025, including All-GLVC First Team pick Wyatt Bonnett at center. The Bulldogs were powered by their offensive line to 368.7 yards per game in 2025, an average that ranked fourth in the GLVC.

>> On third down, the Bulldogs enter the week with just seven conversions on 19 tries (36.8%). The team's seven third-down conversions are their fewest in a two-game span since 2023.

>> Linebacker Jack Weltha will be one of the more experienced and decorated players at the position NSU will face this season. The 2025 All-GLVC First Team selection enters Saturday with 168 tackles after matching his career high with 14 against Davenport last week.

>> Against a pass-heavy Washburn team in the opener, the Bulldogs struggled. Truman's defense surrendered 328 yards on 37 pass attempts by the Ichabods in the contest and has finished in the bottom three in pass yards allowed per game in back-to-back seasons after leading the GLVC in that category in 2023.

>> The Bulldogs suffered a setback in their run defense's production last weekend against Davenport, allowing 282 yards on the ground, the second-most of the Kellen Nesbitt era.