NORTHEASTERN STATE RIVERHAWKS FOOTBALL 1958 AND 1994 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS • 1999 NCAA SEMIFINALIST • 21 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS • 93 ALL-AMERICANS GAME INFORMATION Northeastern State RiverHawks (0-0) Head Coach: J.J. Eckert (Northeastern State, 1997) Date.......................................................................................Saturday, March 27 Record at NSU: 0-11 (2nd Season) Time .............................................................................................................. 6 p.m. Overall Record: 85-72 (16th Season) Location ...............................................................................Stephenville, Texas AT Venue .................................................................................... Memorial Stadium #24 Tarleton State Texans (4-2) Capacity ...................................................................................................... 12,000 Head Coach: Todd Whitten (Stephen F. Austin, 1987) Video ...................................................................................TarletonSports.com Record at Tarleton: 83-39 (11th Season) Radio ...................................................................................Lakes Country 102.1 UP THE MATCH Overall Record: 108-67 (15th Season) Play-By-Play.................................................................... Bill Huddleston Commentary .........................................................................Scott Pettus TOP STORY LINES Sideline ....................................................................................... Don Vieth Northeastern State has not played a college football game since Nov. 16, 2019 (Home vs. Fort Hays State). The Mid- Twitter ........................................................................................@NSU_Football America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) did not develop a formal football schedule for the 2020-21 athletics Hashtag ...............................................................................................#TeamNSU 1 season. MIAA football programs were permitted to set up no more than four joint practices, scrimmages, or games with outside competition. SPRING SCHEDULE With the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association playing a closed schedule, this spring has been the first time 3/6 at Southeastern Okla. *. ........................................................................... since Oct. 19, 2013, that the RiverHawks have seen a team on the field outside of Association play. To check off a few 2 other boxes, NSU has not played south of the Red River since Sept. 3, 2011, vs. Texas at San Antonio, which was also the 3/12 Arkansas Tech* ........................................................................................... first game for the Roadrunners football program, and the last time the RiverHawks played a NCAA Division I opponent. 3/27 at (24) Tarleton State & ..............................................................6 p.m. 4/10 Green and White Game / Junior Day .................................1:30 p.m. There will be a massive difference between the two programs Saturday with Tarleton State in week-seven of their season and Saturday’s game being a virtual season opener for the RiverHawks. The Texans have played four games at home 4/15 at Ouachita Baptist * ....................................................................... TBA 3 and hosted former NCAA Division II rivals Midwestern State on March 20 for Homecoming. Tarleton State would win that contest 33-21 over the Mustangs. & - Exhibition * - Joint Practice The fall of 2020 is the first time since 1945 that Northeastern State did not play a football game in a calendar year. Starting in 1942, due to World War II, four seasons of football were not played. The following predates Northeastern 4 State as an institution, and Oklahoma Statehood, 1906 (as Cherokee Male Seminary) is the last time a team was not TRENDS fielded. During the 1918 Spanish Flu, Northeastern played one game against Southwestern Oklahoma and won 101-0. Overall ..................................................................................................................0-0 Home .................................................................................................................... 0-0 Opening week one under the lights has not been an uncommon occurrence for the RiverHawks, with a kick-off time at 6 Away .....................................................................................................................0-0 p.m. or later happening each season since at least 1995. In 2019, NSU opened the year with three straight night games, Current overall streak ...............................................................................Lost 24 5 and in 2018 six were played under stadium lights. Current home streak ..................................................................................Lost 12 Current road streak ...................................................................................Lost 22 Current neutral site streak ......................................................................... Lost 1 QUICK HITS Current bowl streak...................................................................................... Lost 1 >> Northeastern State is not counting Saturday’s game as part some on the defensive line in 2019. Last win ........................................10/28/17, Missouri Southern, 32-29 (2OT) of the official records for the program’s history, and it is an Last loss ...............................................................11/16/19, Fort Hays State, 91-7 exhibition contest. The game does count in Tarleton State’s >> Dylan Friedman is projected to be NSU’s starting kicker Day game ............................................................................................................ 0-0 record book and the season’s win-loss record. Saturday and was a mid-season transfer from Bethany (Kan.) and Night game .........................................................................................................0-0 was 5-for-8 in PAT attempts this last fall. >> The offensive line will have a different look Saturday with September .......................................................................................................... 0-0 Madison Wrather as the lone starter to return. Matthew Harker is >> After being limited to 50 plays in 2019, Isaiah Davis is the October ................................................................................................................ 0-0 a returner but did not play the 2019 season. projected starter as the featured back for NSU. Davis was a November ........................................................................................................... 0-0 redshirt-freshman at Texas A&M-Commerce in 2018 during the Leading after 1st quarter ................................................................................ 0-0 >> Similarly, the defensive line will have a different makeup, a National Championship season, ran for 214 yards, and averaged Trailing after 1st quarter .................................................................................. 0-0 mix of new, old, and returning from injury. Damani Carter, who 19.5 yards per game. Tied after 1st quarter .........................................................................................0-0 transferred to NSU from Arkansas in 2019, started the first four Leading at halftime ..........................................................................................0-0 games of the season before being lost to injury is slated to make >> Two Northeastern State coaches have won a national a return Saturday. championship as a player or as a staff member.Michael Conrad Trailing at halftime .............................................................................................0-0 (Texas A&M-Commerce) won an NCAA Division II National Title, Tied at halftime ................................................................................................. 0-0 >> Jacob Medrano has started the last seven games as NSU’s and Head Coach J.J. Eckert was a member of the 1994 NAIA Leading after 3rd quarter ............................................................................... 0-0 quarterback and is the projected starter Saturday at Tarleton Championship at NSU. Trailing after 3rd quarter ................................................................................ 0-0 State. Tied after 3rd quarter ...................................................................................... 0-0 >> What does BTC mean on the front of the NSU football Overtime ...............................................................................................................0-0 >> Jahmel Bodrick played basketball for the RiverHawks during helmets? Be the Change. The tag is on the back of the main vs. Top-25 teams ................................................................................................0-0 the 2018-19 season and played in 28 contests while making four fountain at the entrance to Northeastern State. starts. Bodrick was part of the special team group and played vs. Non-ranked teams.......................................................................................0-0 Scoring first .........................................................................................................0-0 Opponent scores first .......................................................................................0-0