August 28th, 2025 7:15pm
From Northeastern State sports information:
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. (Aug. 28, 2025) – The long ride home from Northeastern State football's first trip to Michigan will be a pleasant one.
Ramon McKinney Jr. scored on a 3-yard run with 3:22 left to cap a 15-play, 99-yard drive and Sim Kilpatrick intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:08 left to seal a 28-21 win for the RiverHawks over Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) on Thursday at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium.
In his NSU debut, receiver La'Vontae Shenault caught 11 passes for 162 yards, along with a 2-point conversion pass in the fourth quarter to tie the game, while quarterback Donnie Smith completed 26 of 41 passes for 306 yards.
The road win was the first for NSU in coach Darrin Chiaverini's two seasons with the program. The win also snapped a lot of streaks for the RiverHawks – it was their first road win since Oct. 7, 2023, over Lincoln (Mo.) and their first season-opening win since beating Bacone 43-0 in 2011. The last road win in a season opener came in 2010, when NSU won 31-23 at Tarleton State (Texas).
"So proud of our team, proud of our coaches," an emotional Chiaverini said. "Man, what a win, what a win. To be down to a very good Saginaw team, for us to fight back in the third and fourth quarter. I'm so proud of these guys."
The trip to Michigan was the program's longest since 1980. NSU is in its second season as an independent NCAA Division II football program and Saginaw Valley State -- which was coming off a 7-4 season -- was the first of what will be seven first-time opponents for the RiverHawks.