By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations
SAN ANTONIO – Belief – a simple word that carries a much larger impact, especially for the Northwestern State football team.
That concept – and an atmosphere of excitement – permeated the Demons’ time at Monday’s Southland Conference Opening Drive event at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
“I wouldn’t say it came quickly,” junior linebacker Cadillac Rhone said. “We grew that belief through spring ball and the offseason, going to work each and every day, being around each other each and every day. That belief started to grow, and you started to see more and more confidence in each of the players.”
That confidence will be paramount for a Demon team that first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle pointed out has gone “625 days as of today” between victories.
“They’ve been through as much as any college football player should ever have to go through,” McCorkle said. “They’re still reeling and hurting from missed opportunities last year. One of the best things these guys can do is go out and play some football. That’s the best medicine for them.”
Northwestern State was chosen ninth in the nine-team preseason poll, but that talking point was simply that.
“That’s exactly where we belong,” McCorkle said. “We haven’t done anything to be in any other position with the history of the last few years and the unknown of players coming back. To be picked anywhere other than last would be a shocker. It helps us realize how far we have to go to earn respect, and the best way to do that is by putting wins on the scoreboard. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
As much as the Demons’ trio who attended the two-day affair put on by the Southland Conference talked about belief, they shared also enjoyed a shared sense of excitement for a season that is less than six weeks away from the Aug. 29 kickoff game at Tulsa.
Senior athlete Chance Newman joined Rhone and McCorkle in San Antonio, part of the byproduct of the premature end of the 2023 season, which extended the senior’s college career by a season.
Like his teammate and his new head coach, Newman spent the two days soaking up the excitement of the upcoming season and trading good-natured meetings with the players he and the Demons will see on the field in 2024 – all of which served to whet his appetite for NSU’s 12-game schedule that quickly is drawing near.
“Going through the day to days we’ve gone through and will go through with fall camp, getting one percent better every day is the goal,” he said. “Two seasons ago, we were 4-0 in conference and if we win either of our last two games, we’re co-champions or outright champions depending on who beat. Tulsa is our main focus, but the ultimate goal is to win a conference championship by going through the process with (strength and conditioning) coach (Jason) Smelser in the offseason and the summer.
“You see the leaders of some of the other teams and meet the coaching staffs. It’s a great experience, and Cadillac and I are grateful to be here. It means the seasons right around the corner.”