Kearney, Neb. – For just the third time in school history, the Nebraska-Kearney football team will host Northeastern State.

The RiverHawks, from Tahlequah, Okla., visit Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Check the Loper schedule page for media and ticket links; note its Military & Service Personnel Appreciation Day.

NSU came to Kearney in 1961 and again in 2011. The Lopers won both of those games, 21-14 and 65-10, but dropped agrubably the most important game in the series.

In 1980, the teams met in the NAIA Division II semifinals in Tahlequah. NSU pitched a shutout, 14-0, and eventually ended up as national runners up. Then-Kearney State finished the season 9-2-1.

More recently, Loper senior quarterback Bronson Marsh (Millard South H.S.) ran for a career-high 242 and touchdowns of 59, 87, 1, and 1 yards as UNK won last fall in Tahlequah, 34-7. Sophomore linebacker Devontay LeFlore (Omaha Central H.S.) added a 62-yard interception return for a score as Kearney limited NSU to 264 total yards.

NSU (0-5), under second-year head coach Robert Robinson, is a young squad that fell to Missouri Western State by seven and led Fort Hays State most of the way before falling 27-13.

Offensively, three QB's have played with redshirt freshman Blayne Armstrong (6-3, 225 lbs.) slated to start. A transfer from FCS-Missouri State, he has played in all five games with two starts and is 9 of 25 for 120 yards, one TD and five INT's.

Whoever is slinging the rock will try and get the ball to six-foot junior receiver Garrett Powell. Also NSU's starting punter (40.7 avg.), Powell has caught 25 balls for 321 yards and a score. Reserve WR Jamari Pope has a team-best two TD grabs, along with 82 yards.

Veteran back Joel Rockmore, who played in the 2011 game at Cope, has been the 'Hawks main ball carrier for a while. He currently has 277 yards on 71 carries. His blockers up front include four juniors, led by center Brian Hobbs (5-11, 300 lbs.). This line has allowed 20 sacks for a loss of 149 yards.

On the other side of the ball, the RiverHawks give up 40.6 points and 455 yards per game with the majority of the dam­age coming on the ground. Teams are averaging 5.2 yards per carry, 256 yards per game and have reached the end zone eight times.
 
The two-deep this week features three new starters up front; junior Dakota Moran moves from tackle to end, junior Ruben Washington slides from nose guard to tackle and junior Gil Niko goes from reserve to starter at nose guard. Also, junior Darian Morris is the new starter at strong safety.
 
Senior Mike linebacker Irving Steele (6-0, 220 lbs.) has a team-high 59 tackles, including 4.0 sacks. Junior "Nickel" Steffon Heard (6-3, 210 lbs.) has 50 stops and 2.0 sacks with SAM linebacker Kenneth Davis (6-1, 230 lbs.) having 42 tackles and an INT return of 29 yards.

Looking to get off the schneid like NSU, UNK (0-5) had its best passing day in five years last Saturday at Central Oklahoma. Marsh threw for a career-best 330 yards with receivers Preston Foley (161) and Cougar Williams (108) both hitting the Century mark, something that hadn't happed at UNK since 2010.

Marsh has been fair across the board, throwing completions to 13 different receivers. The three-year starter is just 28 completions away from being the fourth Loper to have 300 in a career and his big game last week vaulted him into ninth in career passing yards (3,163). As long as he stays healthy, Marsh should crack the top five by season's end.

Defensively, UNK is still fifth in the MIAA in yards allowed per week (393). On the field for an average of 76 plays and 32 minutes, the Lopers have allowed 26 scoring drives this season with 30% of those starting inside the Kearney 45-yard line.

Among those trying to limit the opposition is senior co-captain and safety Dillon Loschen (Columbus). The fifth-year Loper currently is tied with former standout linebacker Mike Cordes for 29th place on the career tackles list (170).  Another productive Saturday should move Loschen up to 24th on that list.

Finally, UNK has forced only three turnovers this year – two INT's and one fumble – but two have come back for scores. After end/linemen Peyton Lange (Elkhorn) rumbled 89 yards for a score vs. Central Missouri, junior corner Antwan Hadley (Lake Wales, Fla.) picked off a pass and brought it back 67 yards for a TD at UCO. That's 156 return yards, compared to 138 – on six picks – by the opposition.

For the first time since 2012, UNK will play at Lindenwood. The Lopers and Lions meet next Saturday in suburban St. Louis at 1:30 p.m.