By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Gary Hardamon, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Saturday’s annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring game will be, in some ways, no different than the other 14 days of spring practice for the Northwestern State football team.
Yes, there will be referees, and, yes, a score will be kept, but the bottom line remains the same.
“You’re getting better or you’re getting worse,” second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “One thing I’m really proud of our team for this spring is, we talk about constant, continual improvement, and that’s something we’ve done since Day 1 this spring. We started spring really well with a good attitude, and we’ve improved and there hasn’t been that lull. There has been a little bit of hesitation when we’ve gone live. It’s been kind of, ‘Can we go? Is it time to play football? It is.’ We’ve got to learn to make us pull you back, not the other way around, but that’s part of the maturation process of a really young football team.”
Saturday’s 36th annual Delaney Bowl will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be structured similarly to McCorkle’s first spring game a year ago.
The scoring system will be a traditional one for the offense while a modified scoring system will reward the Demon defense will be awarded points for various achievements – turnovers, third-down stops, etc.
There will be a quality-over-quantity setup to the game as well.
“We won’t go a whole lot of plays,” McCorkle said. “Anyone who’s coming and wants to see someone, you better take you picture fast, because we’re going to get in and get our work done. When you get to the spring game, the work’s done, and it’s truly a celebratory day. We’ll get some good work in. We’ll see who wants to show up and compete in front of a little bit of a crowd. At the end of the day, we’ll get in, get out, wrap up and move on to the next phase.”
That does not mean whatever number of plays the Demons fit into Saturday’s spring game is not important.
Northwestern has built momentum throughout its first 13 spring workouts – the Demons have a short walkthrough scheduled for Friday – something that has caught McCorkle’s eye.
“We’ve been through a full cycle as a staff with these players, and we’ve matured as a program even though we are brutally, brutally young,” he said. “Guys know the expectations. I’ve joked with the staff that I haven’t lost my mind at practice this spring, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing. Last year, I think I lost my mind at practice very day. That’s a function of guys knowing our expectations, showing up with a good mind-set and trying to do what they’re supposed to do. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. It does mean I’m pleased with their attitude and their desire to get better.”
That extends to understanding the importance of what has led up to Saturday’s final moments of spring practice.
“You can’t waste a rep, because you’re not guaranteed another one, especially in a spring practice when you’re competing for a position,” McCorkle said. “Every one of them counts. Every one of them is on film. They’re all of value. You can’t waste one. You’re never getting it back. It’s something we talk about all the time — leaving nothing to chance. Anything you hold back, you’ve lost it forever. You never get a chance to take that rep again. Saturday will be a good chance for guys who are on the bubble to compete and put something good on film.”