MSSU football to play Northeastern State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern will look for win number two this weekend when the Lions head to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on the Northeastern State RiverHawks. 

Game Information
Team Records: MSSU - 1-5, 1-5 MIAA | NSU - 1-5, 1-5 MIAAA
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
Kick-Off: 1:00 p.m., CT
Location: Tahlequah, Okla.
Site: Doc Wadley Stadium (8,500)
Series Record: NSU leads the series 10-8
Coaches: Denver Johnson (1-5 at MSSU, 70-71 overall) | Rob Robinson (1-17 overall/at NSU)

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: FM 99.7 Real American Country - Mike McClure, Play-by-Play, Scott Boudreaux, Color
Video Webcast: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/mssu/
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/mssu/football
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mosofootball

The Coaches:

Denver Johnson was named the 13th head coach in Missouri Southern history on April 1, 2015. He comes to Southern after serving four seasons at the University of Tulsa as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. In his four seasons at Tulsa, four of his offensive linemen earned first-team all-league accolades, including Stetson Burnett (2013), Brian DeShane and Jared Grigg (2012) and Clint Anderson (2011). Tyler Holmes was an honorable mention performer in 2011 and spent the 2012 season with the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson coached an offensive line that helped pave the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in two of his final three seasons at Tulsa. In 2012, Tulsa's offense ranked fourth nationally for fewest sacks allowed, ninth for rushing offense, 21st for fewest tackles for lost yardage allowed and 28th for total offense. Johnson has spent a total of 30 years coaching college football. In the summer of 2012, Johnson was awarded the Merv Johnson Integrity in College Coaching Award by the Jim Thorpe Association. Johnson has been the head coach at two Division I institutions garnering a 69-66 overall record in 12 seasons at Murray State and Illinois State. An All-Missouri Valley Conference offensive lineman as a senior for Tulsa, Johnson was an eighth round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1981. He spent two years (1981-82) with the Bucs and three seasons in the USFL, playing two years (1983-84) with the Los Angeles Express and the 1985 season with the Houston Gamblers. Johnson's USFL tenure included playing stints with NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Steve Young. Johnson earned his bachelor's degree in business management from Tulsa in 1981. He and his wife, Danita Kay, have two daughters: Taylor and Kelsey.

Rob Robinson is in his second season at the helm of the RiverHawks. He 1-17 in two seasons at NSU. Robinson spent the previous 12 years under Craig Schurig as a member of the Washburn coaching staff, serving as the offensive coordinator for the last four seasons. He also directed the running backs from 2007-13 and coached the wide receivers from 2002-06. He served as the recruiting coordinator from 2002-10 and was the academic coordinator from 2010-13. Robinson was an integral member of a Washburn staff that completely turned around the Ichabod program. Washburn averaged 3.3 wins from 1989-03 and had just one winning season, but the Ichabods averaged 7.9 wins from 2004-13 and posted 10 straight winning campaigns.

The Series: This will be the 20th meeting in the series between the two schools. Northeastern State leads the series 10-8, but the Lions have won eight of the last 12 games between the two teams. Northeastern State was the Lions' first-ever opponent as a four-year school as NSU downed Southern 45-0 in 1968. The Riverhawks dominated the series early on, winning the first seven games in a row, but it has been mostly Southern over the last nine outings. The Lions are 4-5 in Tahlequah, while holding an 4-5 mark in Joplin with one game being vacated by the Lions in 1997.

The Dish On The RiverHawks: Northeastern State is coming off its first win of the season this past week as the RiverHawks won at Nebraska-Kearney. It was actually the first win in the last two seasons for the RiverHawks and the first win since the last game of the 2013 season when NSU defeated Central Oklahoma in the season finale. The RiverHawks are led by their quarterback Kevin Pantastico. Pantastico has gone 73-162 for 927 yards and five touchdowns. He has also thrown five interceptions, however. Joel Rockmore leads the team with 482 yards on 89 carries on the season. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and has four scores on the ground. Cody Busby has 144 yards on 36 carries, while Brandon English has 16 carries for 51 yards. Through the air, Pantastico has hit Garrett Powell for 25 receptions and 321 yards, including 12.8 per catch and one touchdown. Matthew Butler has 11 catches for 255 yards and one score, while Jamari Pope has caught 11 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Irving Steele leads the team with 68 tackles, 35 solo and 5.5 for a loss and four sacks. Steffon Herd has 58 stops with 37 solo, 5.5 for a loss and three sacks, while Kenneth Davis is one of three NSU defenders with one interception and he has added five tackles for a loss. The RiverHawks will be back in action next week when NSU heads to Central Missouri for a 1:30 pm kickoff.

A Victory vs. NSU Would: be the fourth win in a row for the Lions over NSU. It would also be the sixth win in the last seven tries and would be the third win in a row against NSU in Tahlequah.

NFL Representation: The Lions will have two different starters on NFL rosters to start the season. Brandon Williams is a starter on the defensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, while Allen Barbre will start on the offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles.

NCAA Stat Leaders: The Lions rank 25th in fewest penalties per game, while ranking 28th in turnovers forced. Southern ranks 31st in fewest penalties overall, while ranking 46th in fewest penalty yards and fewest penalty yards per game. The team also ranks 37th in blocked kicks allowed, while ranking 38th in fumbles recovered. The team also ranks 44th in turnover margins.

MIAA Stat Leaders: The Lions rank second in turnovers gained and blocked kicks allowed. The team ranks third in 4th down defense, fewest penalties and fewest penalties per game, as well as fumbles recovered and interceptions. The team also ranks fourth in fewest penalty yards and fewest penalty yards per game, while ranking fourth in turnover margin.

Individual National Leaders: Ricky Green ranks ninth in interceptions, while ranking 34th nationally in passes defended. Johnquavious McBride ranks 26th in interceptions, while Kyjuan Tate ranks 34th in total tackles. Brock Renkenranks 51st in field goal percentage, while Stetson Broce ranks 49th in punting.

MIAA Individual Leaders: Green ranks second in interceptions, while McBride ranks third and EJ McKenzie ranks sixth. Green ranks fifth in passes defended, while Tate is sixth in total tackles. Broce is third in punting, while Renken ranks sixth in field goal percentage.

Lions On Radio: The Lions can be heard on the air every game live on KBTN 99.7 FM. Mike McClure is back for his third season covering the Lions, while Scott Boudreaux will provide color commentary.

Tough League/Region: The MIAA has three teams in the coaches top 25 this week. Northwest Missouri is third, while Emporia State is 13th and Pittsburg State is 22nd. The Super Region Three, which the Lions are a part of, has nine teams in the top 25. There are 15 teams total that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll from the region.

Lions On TV: Missouri Southern will be on regional and national TV twice this season. The Lions' homecoming game against Lindenwood will be part of the MIAA's TV Game of the Week, while the game at Pittsburg State will be the NCAA Division II Game of the Week, airing on ESPN3.

Lions On The Web: All of MSSU's football games are carried live online as part of the MIAA's streaming contract with Stretch Internet. Fans can view games live by clicking on the link on www.mssulions.com.

Wide Receivers Have A Game: The MSSU wide receiving corps had a good game this past week as Jordan Morrison picked up 111 yards through the air to lead the group. Terrell Crawfordand Chad Nolan had 82 yards each, as well.

Interceptions 'R Us: EJ McKenzie and Ricky Green both have multiple interception games this season. The Lions, as a team, have nine interceptions this year.

NSU Rivalry: Missouri Southern and NSU have played each other 19 times over the history of the two schools. NSU was the first-ever game the Lions played in 1968. The Lions have won eight of the last 12 games between the two schools. The teams played regularly in the past, but had breaks between 1988-1996, as well as 2003-2012.

Welcome Back Kenny: Defensive Coordinator Kenny Evans is back in green and gold for MSSU. Evans spent nine seasons on the late John Lantz's staff at Missouri Southern from 1989-97 where he helped guide the program into the ranks of NCAA Division II and help MSSU go 51-35 during that stretch.

Opponent Coming Off First Win: Last week and this week, MSSU is playing a team coming off its first win. Coincidently, both teams got their win against Nebraska-Kearney. In fact, five of UNK's six losses have been its opponent's first win of the season.

Welcome Back Kenny II : Missouri Southern Defensive Coordinator Kenny Evans will be back in Tahlequah for the first time since he was head coach of the RiverHawks. Evans roamed the NSU sidelines for six years.

Weather Report: The weather report for the Tahlequah area on Saturday calls for a high of 72 degrees with partly cloudy conditions and a zero percent chance of rain.

Up Next: The Lions will head back home next week as Southern plays host to Lindenwood for Homecoming. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is slated for 2:30 pm and will be the MIAA TV Game of the Week.