Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney football team looks to make it two straight when it plays at Northeastern State this Saturday in Tahlequah, Okla.

The game kicks at 2:00 p.m. from Doc Wadley Stadium. The contest can be heard live locally (KRNY 102.3 FM) and over the internet at www.krny.com. To watch the action, log on to UNK's Stretch Internet page; cost is $9.95 or $69.95 for a season pass. Finally, live stats will be available HERE.

UNK (1-6) hasn't won on the road since a resounding 34-7 decision over the Riverhawks (1-6) in October 2014. In that game, quarterback Bronson Marsh had himself a day, rushing for 242 yards and four TD's. The Lopers closed the scoring with a 62-yard interception return.

NSU used three big plays to post a 31-14 win at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium last year. The effort ended a 16-game losing streak; the 'Hawks have won four times since that mid-October day.

Joel Rockmore scored on runs of 76 and 85 yards and Kevin Pantastico threw a 74-yard scoring pass to current senior receiver Matthew Butler. On the other side of the field,
UNK rushed for 141 yards (4.1 ypc) with Marsh injured late in the first half and replaced by current third-year redshirt freshman Ryan McFarlin.
 
Owning a win over Lindenwood and an overtime loss at Pittsburg State, the 2016 NSU squad has lost five in a row. Newcomers Dimonic McKinzy (6-0, 220 lbs.) and Gary McKnight (6-1, 200 lbs.) are part of an offense averaging 24 points and 358 yards per week. The 'Hawks are tied for third in the MIAA in passing TD's (18) and have scored at least 27 points four times.
 
A 2014 walk-on at Minnesota who then started at Highland C.C. (Kan.) last year, McKinzy is completing 48% of his passes and averaging 243 yards per game. He has tossed 16 TD's to 10 INT's while rushing for one score and having 103 net rush yards.

 
McKnight played two years at NE Oklahoma A & M before spending the spring of 2016 at D2-member Henderson (Ark.) State. Last week at Northwest, he had five catches for 136 yards and three TD's. McKnight also had three TD's in the win over Lindenwood and 140 yards at Pitt.
 
Also, redshirt freshman Rashawn Eubanks (5-10, 175 lbs.) has four TD's among 13 receptions with redshirt freshman C.J. Shavers (5-10, 180 lbs.) averaging a team-best 32 yards per week on the ground. The 'Hawks line features two true freshmen in left guard Caleb Hash (6-2, 300 lbs.) and right guard Darmarii Tyron (6-2, 290 lbs.).
 
A defensive unit with four senior starters is allowing 44 points and 480 yards per week. NSU has forced 14 turnovers but given up 19 rushing TD's, second highest in the MIAA.
 
Senior strong safety Steffon Herd (6-3, 210 lbs.), a two-time All-MIAA pick, has a team-best 64 tackles (49 solo), one INT and three PBU's. Next, junior linebacker La'More Wise (6-0, 235 lbs.) and senior linebacker Kenneth Davis (6-1, 230 lbs.) both have over 40 tackles, including 4.0 TFL's apiece. Davis also has three PBU's and an INT return of 21 yards.
 
Three sophomores start up front, including end T'Nheous Smith (6-0, 230 lbs.). He has a team-best 6.5 TFL's, including an NSU-leading 2.5 sacks.
 
McKnight (20.8 avg. on punt) and Eubanks (24.0 on kick) are dangerous returners with senior Eddie Garcia having  made 4 of 7 field goals, including a long of 43 yards in the opener against Washburn. He also is 18 of 21 on PAT's.
 
Junior Toshi Hayashi (5-8, 150 lbs.) kicks off and has one touchback among 26 attempts. Four of his kicks have also landed out of bounds. Next, junior Forrest Ascarrunz is averaging a healthy 41.8 yards an attempt with five punts going over 50 yards. He has had two punts blocked.
 
UNK's special teams continues to be led by senior long snapper Jacob Runge (Lincoln S.E.), senior punter Payton Fluckey (Springfield) and junior Brendan Wentling (Grand Island).
 
Fluckey leads the MIAA in fair caught punts (22) and is tied for second in punts landing inside the 20-yard line (13). He's also had three boots travel at least 50 yards with his career attempts recently going over 100 (112).
 
Next, Wentling has the two longest field goals in the MIAA this fall. He had a 52-yarder at Central Missouri and a 51-yarder last Saturday vs. Central Oklahoma. In his last 12 games, the former Islander has made 10 of 14 field goals, including 5 of 8 from 40 yards plus.
 

Wentling also kicks off and had five touchbacks last week, pushing his season total to 10. The Loper kick cover team is allowing just 19.7 yards a return with the long covering only 40 yards. Finally, Runge joins Tyke Kozeal as UNK's four-year starters. 
 
NSU will certainly have an eye on Loper junior receiver Malcolm Moore. The Minnesota native and Iowa Western C.C. transfer leads UNK in catches (32), receiving yards (380) and receiving touchdowns (four). Most of that production has come over the past four weeks.
 
Moore and UNK will glad to get back true freshman Kentrez Bell this week. The Kansas City native had 10 catches over the first four games before being sidelined. Graduate student D'Andre Hood (Hot Springs, Ark.) is the next Loper receiver about to come off the DL; he last played September 17th at Northwest Missouri.
 
On the ground, the Lopers have six rushing scores and average 103.0 yards per week. Back Luke Quinn (369) and quarterback Steve Worthing (222) have accounted for most of the production with Quinn reaching the end zone three times.
 
Knee brace and all, Worthing has the longest run by a Loper in 2016, a 38-yard scamper at Central Missouri. Quinn, meanwhile, has the two longest catches by a UNK player (65 and 72 yards) to date. Both resulted in TD's.
 
Defensively, another week, another milestone for Kozeal (Sargent). With six more tackles, he'll move past former Division III standout Kyle McGivney (Luther College, Ia.) into second place on the NCAA All-Division career tackles list.
 
The current standings are Lindenwood's Connar Harris (596), McGivney (546) and Kozeal (541). As luck would have it, Harris and Kozeal will meet at Cope Stadium on October 22nd.
 
Third-year starting safety George Brown (University City, Mo.) has the next most career stops on the Lopers. The two-time All-MIAA pick has 116 tackles as well as four INT's.One of those picks came last week in the UNK end zone and prevented a UCO score.

Later in that game, the Loper defense registered its 40th pick since joining the MIAA in 2012 when Kozeal returned his fifth career INT 16 yards for a score. Overall, the Lopers' 40 MIAA picks have resulted in 11 TD's and an average return of 23 yards.

 The Lindenwood Lions (1-6) battle to-ranked Northwest this week. The game next Saturday will also kick at 2:00 p.m.