December 6th, 2025 4:00pm
From Northeastern State sports information:
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Dec. 6, 2025) – Northeastern State stated its case as one NCAA Division II football's best teams, using a record-setting offensive performance to steamroll in-state rival East Central 56-21 on Saturday afternoon in the inaugural First Americans Bowl on Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium.
Led by a 405-yard, five-touchdown passing performance from quarterback Donnie Smith, the RiverHawks recorded their first postseason win since a 1999 NCAA Division II quarterfinal decision over California-Davis. NSU (9-3), the nation's only Division II football independent, will carry a seven-game winning streak into the 2026 season.
NSU rolled up 651 yards of offense on 70 plays, surpassing the former program record of 626 yards, set against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 21, 1970. Smith, who completed 19 of 24 passes, posted the third-best single-game passing-yardage total in program history, and he became only the sixth NSU quarterback – and the first since 2016 – to throw at least five touchdown passes in a game.
Smith finished the season with 3,044 passing yards, breaking the former program record of 2,767, set by Dom McKinzy in 2016. Smith also broke McKinzy's NSU season record for total offense. Smith's 23 passing touchdowns this season ranked third on NSU's single-season list. For the season, he completed 231 of 325 passes and that 71.1 completion percentage set another program record.