The toughest part of the season is set to start for Northeastern State University football.
Saturday, Sept. 19, the RiverHawks travel to Northern Colorado to take on their first of three Division 1 teams. This is the first of three games and the first in a span of three out of four opponents being D1.
Coming into the game, the RiverHawks are fresh off an overtime win over Truman State that moved the team to 3-0 for the first time since 1991 and their winning streak to 10 overall.
"We've beaten some good teams the first three weeks of the season," NSU head coach Darrin Chiaverini said on the Pat Jones Show. "We're going to get our guys ready to showcase our brand on a national level."
The hot start has been led by senior quarterback Donnie Smith . In three games, Smith has totaled 947 yards, nine touchdowns and a 70% completion percentage.
Smith has found his two favorite receivers early, with Cam Jackson and Deuce Roberson getting the lion's share of passes. Jackson has 278 yards and three touchdowns, while Roberson has 277 yards and two touchdowns.
"Donnie is playing at a very high level," Chiaverini said. "He is one of the top D2 quarterbacks in the country right now. He's proved that and he's playing himself into elite status."
Defensively, the RiverHawks are going to be challenged vs. Northern Colorado. After giving up seven points in the first two games, NSU gave up 24 points vs. TSU.
Led by players like Marvelous Owens, Slim Kilapatrick and Kale Charboneau, the defense has been a solid unit through the first three games of the year.
Off the three straight wins to start the season, the Tigers are ranked in the top 20 in the two major D2 polls. In the D2Football.com poll, the RiverHawks have the 13th ranking and 15th in the American Football Coaches Association after week three.
Northern Colorado has an 0-3 record. The Bears hold losses to Weber State, No. 11 South Dakota and Wyoming . NSU is the first non-D1 school NCU will face.
The RiverHawks and Bears kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. The game will be aired on ESPN+.
