CHADRON, Neb. - Chadron State Head Football Coach Bill O'Boyle said it won't be necessary to give his team a pep talk before the Eagles take the field at Kearney tonight. By now, everyone on the Chadron State team, including those from out of state, know this is "the big game" of the year for the Eagles.

The Chadron State-Nebraska-Kearney rivalry dates back to 1921. While the Antelopes own a whopping 46-19-1 lead in the all-time series, the Eagles have won eight of the last 11 contests, including last year's game, a 31-12 verdict in Chadron.

All of the Eagles' first five victories in the recent string were by no more than six points. The same is true of Chadron State's 28-22 win in 2003. Before the Eagles' won the 1995 game 22-19, Kearney had won 31 of 32 games with the Eagles over a 47-year span. The exception was the 1978 contest that ended 10-10.

This year's game will be televised nationally on CSTV and also carried by both Altitude Sports, Channel 29 on the Chadron cable system, and Nebraska Educational Television 2, or Channel 18 in Chadron.

Kickoff will be 6:05 p.m. MDT. It will be the first time the Eagles have been on national television or been featured on Nebraska ETV.

While it remains to be seen whether this year's Chadron State team, which is 7-0, is better than the 2006 model that finished at 12-1 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs, it seems certain that the Antelopes have improved, especially on offense.

After going 6-4 last season, Coach Darrell Morris's team is 4-2 and is ripping off 38.7 points and 437.8 yards a game, compared to 20.2 points and 268.1 yards a year ago.

"No doubt about it, Kearney has lots of weapons this year," defensive coordinator Todd Auer said. "They've got three outstanding receivers, two good running backs, an athletic quarterback and they are big and pretty good up front."

"We'll have to play hard and make plays," Auer added. "It will be a big test for us. We'll just have to stay focused."

A new quarterback, junior college transfer Dennis Havrilla, is a major reason for the Antelopes' improvement on offense. He has completed 80-of-147 passes for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has been intercepted seven times. He also likes to tuck the ball and run. He has carried the ball 66 times for 249 yards.

By comparison, Chadron State's masterful quarterback, Joe McLain, has completed 94-of-154 tosses for 1,284 yards and seven touchdowns in one more game. McLain, who is 22-2 as a starter, has been intercepted three times this fall, and is agile enough and received strong enough protection to be sacked just eight times in seven games.

Havrilla's targets include junior Eric Myrick, who has 27 catches for 440 yards and six touchdowns, and senior Cory Sleeth, who has 21 for 335 yards and three TDs.

The Lopers' rushing leader is senior Jake Richards, who has carried 92 times for 548 yards and five TDs, to rank second to Chadron State's Danny Woodhead on the RMAC rushing charts. Former McCook standout Brendan Leiss has 57 carries for 319 yards and three TD's. Leiss also has caught 12 passes for 139 yards.

Kearney is full of trick plays. Since Russ Martin, a former Chadron State linebacker and father of CSC graduate assistant coach Ben Martin, became the UNK offensive coordinator in 2004, about a dozen players have thrown passes for the Blue and Gold.