By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Another week, another fresh start for the Northwestern State football team.
A week ago, the Demons were coming off a soft reset following their lone open week of the 2023 season.
After two straight home games – and four consecutive non-conference games to open the season – Northwestern State kicks off its Southland Conference schedule Saturday afternoon at Lamar.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. The game will stream live on ESPN+ with free streaming audio available on www.NSUDemons.com and the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
“Whether you’re 4-0 or 0-4, you’re 0-0 going into this week, and that’s the one thing that will not change,” sixth-year head coach Brad Laird said. “We always talk about looking through the windshield and not the rear-view mirror, because the windshield is a lot bigger and the future is what matters. We continue to stand by that and understand the strides we did make (against Eastern Illinois).”
Northwestern State (0-4) is one of three Southland Conference teams that have not played a league game, joining UIW and Texas A&M-Commerce.
Lamar (2-3, 1-0) enters on a two-game win streak, having shut out Lincoln (Calif.) University, 38-0, on Sept. 23 before starting Southland play with a 21-19 win at HCU on Sept. 30.
A week earlier, HCU defeated defending Southland Conference champion Southeastern in Hammond.
“We say it year in and year out, this conference is wide open,” Laird said. “I don’t think it’s any different this year. Lamar is sitting at the top right now. Everything we want to get accomplished is in front of us, and our guys understand that.”
Though the Demons fell short against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 30, they took steps forward.
NSU limited the Panthers to 75 yards rushing, a week after EIU ripped off 271 rushing yards in a win against McNeese. Despite facing several short fields, the Demon defense limited the Panthers to a single touchdown in seven red-zone visits.
Northwestern State ranks second in the Southland Conference and fifth nationally in red-zone defense, allowing points on 63.2 percent of opponents’ red-zone drives.
“We’re ready for all the challenges when we get in the red zone,” said junior safety Kevin Davis Jr., who broke up a potential Eastern Illinois touchdown pass to force the Panthers to settle for a fourth-quarter field goal.
Despite the steps forward, the Demons know they still need to check the proverbial rear-view mirror to clean up a few facets of their performance.
If Northwestern State can do so, it would give the Demons their first set of wins in consecutive Southland openers since the 2017-18 seasons when NSU defeated Lamar in those games.
The 2018 win against Lamar in Beaumont was Laird’s first conference win as the head coach of his alma mater.
“We took a lot of steps from Week 3 to Week 4, the most we’ve taken all season,” said senior tight end Chance Newman, who scored the Demons’ lone touchdown against Eastern Illinois. “We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but the amount of improvement we made between SFA and Eastern Illinois is big-time for this team.
“If we keep stacking days, keep stacking weeks, and play a well-rounded game, we’re going to start winning. It’s going to start clicking soon.”