By Brad Welborn, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director; featured photo by Brad Welborn
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State doesn’t need to reinvent itself Saturday. It simply needs to continue what it started last week.
After settling in following a difficult opening five minutes at Weber State, the Demons (0-4, 0-1) return home and to Southland Conference play Saturday when they host Southeastern Louisiana (2-2, 0-1) at Turpin Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+ or heard locally in Natchitoches on 100.7 FM KZBL.
NSU showed plenty of encouraging signs during the final three quarters of last week’s 49-20 loss at Weber State, producing 389 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers.
The 389 yards were the most the Demons have produced against an FCS opponent under head coach Blaine McCorkle and the second-most in their past 29 games against FCS competition.
“We moved the ball well on offense we just have to eliminate mental errors and costly mistakes,” quarterback Zach Wilcke said. “I think it gave the guys a lot of confidence. Just getting in the receiver room and watching film with those guys and seeing what we can exploit each week is going to be big the rest of the way.”
Wilcke’s first start in a Demon uniform produced a career performance. He threw three touchdown passes, becoming the first Northwestern State quarterback to do so since Zachary Clement in 2022.
The Demons also spread the ball around effectively, with four receivers gaining at least 50 yards for the first time since 2018. Eight different players caught passes against Weber State, including Zay Davis, who has scored a touchdown in three of the four games this season.
Davis has caught a touchdown pass in each of the past two games and was one of four Demons to gain at least 50 receiving yards against the Wildcats.
While the offense continues to find its rhythm, the defense has created a spark of its own.
They have forced two turnovers in each of its past two games, marking the first time since 2023 the Demons have recorded at least two takeaways in consecutive games.
Three of those four turnovers have been turned into touchdowns.
“I think we’re proving every week that we have the ability to make plays,” safety Diego Sanchez, who got his first interception as a Demon this past week, said. “It starts with the defensive line. Them making it rough for the quarterback makes our job easier on the backend.”
That complementary football has been a point of emphasis for the Demons throughout the season.
“Always talk about and always will talk about complementary football and that is exactly it,” McCorkle said. “When you have those kinds of plays you have to capitalize on them and we did that this past week. When you do those things it makes both sides of the ball want to play for each other. You feed off of each other and that’s really important.”
Southeastern brings its own share of momentum into Natchitoches.
The Lions are coming off a 38-35 win at ULM, their first victory over an FBS opponent in program history. Southeastern used three takeaways, turning two into touchdowns, while dynamic receiver Dkhai Joseph added a punt return touchdown to help the Lions stun the Warhawks.
“They’re a good football team and have been for a while,” McCorkle said. “They’re physical. They’re sound. They know what they want to do and they’re good at it. They’ve got great personnel and extremely well coached. We’ve got our work cut out for us. I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach (Frank) Scelfo and the way he runs his program. He’s been there for nine years and that shows.”
The Lions present a balanced offensive challenge led by quarterback Kyle Lowe.
The dual-threat signal caller leads the Southland with nine touchdown passes through four games and has thrown at least two touchdown passes in every game this season. Lowe has completed 61.8 percent of his passes with just three interceptions.
He also adds another dimension to a Southeastern rushing attack that averages 138.8 yards per game. The Lions have four primary rushers whose carries and yardage totals are nearly identical, with Lowe’s production on the ground adding to the balance.
“They all can run the football,” McCorkle said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that can do it.”
Southeastern’s offensive line, which averages 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, will provide another challenge for an NSU defense looking to continue generating pressure and creating turnovers.
“I think we’re going to step up to the task and do whatever we need to,” Sanchez said. “He can make good throws so we’re going to have a tough task but I think we’re ready to handle it.”
For the Demons, the key on the other side of the ball is turning its improved offensive production into points.
The ability to move the football at Weber State was encouraging, but Wilcke knows the next step is making the most of those opportunities.
“I think it’s all about us,” Wilcke said. “They (Southeastern) are going to do what they do on defense and won’t mix it up a whole lot. So we just have to focus on us and like Coach (Carson) Stewart says, our antennae’s have to go up in the red zone. That has to happen this week. Mental awareness has to go up. Football I.Q. has to go up and we just have to make plays when we’re in scoring position.”