Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney football team hosts the Northeastern State RiverHawks Saturday night at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium/Foster Field.

The game kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be the Lopers second and last night game of the season. The game can be viewed on The MIAA Network, The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM and via live stats.

UNK and NSU both dropped their season openers, the Blue & Gold falling at Central Oklahoma, 24-21, and the Green & White losing at home to Fort Hays State, 56-0. 

The Lopers have won five in a row over the 'Hawks to grab an 8-4 all-time series lead. The 12 games include a 1980 NAIA Playoff semifinal battle in Tahlequah. NSU wo, 14-0, and then lost the national championship to Elon (N.C.).  Fourteen years later, the 'Hawks won the 1994 Division I natty thanks to a 14-13 decision over Arkansas-Pine Bluffs.

Current NSU head coach J.J. Eckert was a part of that squad as well as the 1995 national runners up. He had won 89 games in his head coaching career which includes stops at Kilgore (Texas) and Garden City (Kan.).

Last November in the season finale for both teams, UNK tallied 35 second half points to win by a 42-0 margin. The Lopers racked up 481 yards and also had a pick six in the fourth quarter. Quarterback TJ Davis (Colorado Springs) was one of two Lopers to reach the Century mark and he needed only eight carries to do so. He and Sean Johnson Jr. (Orlando) combined for nine completions in the air with three going for scores.

NSU used three QB's last weekend with junior veteran Ben Ward (#7) likely to get the start Saturday night. He threw for 650 yards and seven TD's in 2022 including a 9 of 19 effort for 94 yards vs. UNK.

Newcomer Blake May (#32) ran for 46 yards last week with 6-4 tight end Tre Currin (#80) and 6-4 receiver Avery Payne (#15) on the outside. The line doesn't have a senior so junior left guard Caleb Davis is the leader.

Free safety Johnny Jean (#3) and tackle Chris Lee (#99) both earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors last fall. Jean forced four turnovers with Lee at 5.0 tackles for loss. He leads a talented line that includes end Blake Corn (#44) and fellow tackle Antonion Johnson (#10). Finally, Nebraska transfer and punter/kicker Tyler Crawford (#81) is one of the league's top specialists.

After last Thursday's result, UNK has been involved in five games decided by eight points or less since the start of 20022. The Lopers are 2-3 in those contests after going 4-0 in such games during the 2021 playoff run.

Davis threw for 185 yards and two scores vs. the Bronchos as well as having team-highs in carries (11) and yards (61). He needs just 24 more passing yards to be the fourth UNK QB to reach the 5,000-yard mark while 65 rushing yards will allow him to past Rustin Dring (3,789/'11) into second place on the all-time list.

Of the eight players who caught a pass in Edmond, five were new in receivers Reggie Anderson (Gaithersburg, Md.), Gavin Beerup (Camarillo, Calif.), Cole Brown (Dallas, Ga.), Severyn Foster (Lincoln SE) and back Kevin Brown (East St. Louis). Brown had a scoring grab and a team-high 84 yards with Anderson at a team-high four grabs.

Brown and DeMareus Hosey (Justin, Texas) were the new ball carriers with Millard West grad James Kent Jr. returning to the o-line after being a defender last fall.

Defensively, UNK shut out UCO in the second half but the 'Chos did eat up 38 minutes off the clock. The Lopers held the 'Chos to a 54% completion rate, had 6.0 TFL's and three pass breakups. Not surprisingly, returning All-MIAA players Tre O'Guinn (Peoria, Ariz.), Zach Schlager (McCook) and Tell Spies (Mullen) combined for 26 tackles with newcomers Joko Willis (LaGrange, Ga.) and Quillan Felton (Lithonia, Ga.) having big second half to the tune of 12 combined stops.

The Lopers host Missouri Southern State (1-1) next Saturday at noon. The Lions won at Washburn, 30-23, Thursday night after suffering a season-opening loss at home to Northwest Missouri, 31-24.
 

UNK Release/Depth Chart & Roster

NSU Information