By Brad Welborn, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – The path forward for Northwestern State is built on the lessons of the past few weeks, with the Demons looking to turn those lessons into results as they return home Saturday.
After consecutive one-possession losses to McNeese and Nicholls showed the progress the Demons (0-9, 0-6) had made, a difficult afternoon at UIW provided another reminder of how much the details matter. With two straight games at Turpin Stadium, NSU has an opportunity to reset and show its resilience.
Northwestern State (0-9, 0-6) welcomes UTRGV (4-5, 2-4) to Natchitoches for the first meeting between the programs. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday as part of the Demons’ Military Appreciation game. The contest will air on ESPN+ and locally on 100.7 FM KZBL.
For head coach Blaine McCorkle, the lessons of a football season extend beyond the scoreboard, providing opportunities for growth that he hopes his team carries into the final stretch.
“Anybody who coaches for the right reasons, coaches to grow these men into good husbands, fathers and citizens,” McCorkle said. “I like to think that we do that here. So when you have those bad days, there’s lessons to be learned. There’s so many life lessons that happen on that field and through the weekly grind of the game. We want to learn those lessons winning, but every time it’s either you lose or you learn. I think last week was a great learning opportunity for us and hopefully we don’t let that go to waste.”
The Demons are looking to recapture the level of play they showed against McNeese and Nicholls, beginning with attention to detail and trusting each player to handle his assignment.
That approach extends to every phase, including the kicking operation. Kicker Cooper Evans said the coordination between himself, long snapper Luke Carter and holder Luke Delafield comes down to timing and trust.
“For me I focus on taking the correct steps and trusting that both Lukes (Carter and Delafield) will have the ball where it needs to be so we can operate as a team,” he said. “The focus for all three of us is to focus on our operation time and how fast we can get the ball up. So when we’re flowing and getting it up in a good time everything goes smoothly.”
The offensive line is also adjusting after Logan Brady moved from left tackle to center last week following an injury to captain and three-year starter Caleb Billiot. Brady said the focus on improving began immediately after the loss at UIW.
“I think the focus started right after last week’s game,” Brady said. “What can we do to get better throughout this whole week to win this game on Saturday? Every preparation from film on Sunday to treatment is going to impact us to winning this game. We have to do every little thing right to give ourselves the best chance to win this football game.”
UTRGV presents a challenge on both sides of the ball. The Vaqueros rank third in the Southland in passing offense, averaging 243.3 yards per game, and have been particularly effective at creating turnovers.
UTRGV has intercepted 12 passes, the second-most in the Southland and third-most nationally. Four Vaqueros have at least two interceptions, led by safety TJ Neal with three.
It’s a secondary that will face off with NSU’s varied and dynamic group of receiving options at the disposal of quarterback Zach Wilcke.
With his 37-yard performance a week ago, local product Camryn Davis became the sixth Demon receiver to surpass 200 receiving yards on the season, tied with UIW for the most on any team in the Southland.
Wilcke has thrown a touchdown pass in six consecutive games, extending the streak with a 17-yard scoring strike to Davis against UIW. It is the longest such streak by a Demon quarterback since Zachary Clement threw a touchdown in each of the final nine games of the 2022 season.
The Vaqueros also feature one of the league’s top receiving threats in Kyran Lee, who leads the Southland with 572 receiving yards and averages 63.6 yards per game. His five touchdown catches rank third in the conference, although he was held without a reception against Lamar last week.
UTRGV ranks among the conference’s top three teams in both total offense (341.9 yards per game) and total defense (390.9 yards allowed per game). Linebackers Jaiden Haygood and Rich Spencer lead the Southland in total tackles, with both surpassing 90 stops.
Northwestern State will counter with a defense that has continued to find playmakers. Linebacker KB Anderson-Dale has recorded at least one tackle for loss in each of the past three games, including two sack-fumbles against UIW. His 7.5 tackles for loss rank eighth in the Southland.
Graduate linebacker Danny Sears leads the Demons with 58 tackles, a career high that ranks 13th in the conference.
With injuries creating opportunities for new contributors and two home games remaining, McCorkle said the focus is on preparing the players available and taking the season one day at a time.
“This feels like a repeat of how we started the second half of the season a few weeks ago,” McCorkle said. “So it’s taking the lessons we learned from that McNeese game and that Nicholls game and how do we apply them this week and next. We’ve got a lot of people banged up just like everybody else does this time of the year, so it’s a chance for some new guys to show what they’ve got in some new spots.
“So with that it’s about us and making sure we can be the best version of us on Saturday. Getting ourselves ready and not getting wrapped up in who we’re playing or how many weeks are left or any of that. Take it one day at a time and if we do that I think it’ll pay off well for us.”
For the Demons, the challenge is turning those lessons into a complete performance and making the most of another opportunity at home.