By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – As one of eight seniors on the Northwestern State football roster, Scotty Roblow was honored alongside his classmates a week ago ahead of the home finale against McNeese.
As the most senior Demon – one who has been part of the program since the 2019 season – Roblow’s career has been a near-perfect illustration of what most student-athletes’ careers are.
“It hasn’t been the smoothest of journeys for me,” said Roblow, who will play his final career game as a Demon at Houston Christian at 2 p.m. Saturday in Houston.
Roblow, a product of C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport, came to Northwestern after handling punting, place kicking and kickoff duties for the Yellow Jackets.
He has handled all three at some point in his Demon career, but like a well-placed punt, getting from point A to point B has not always been linear for Roblow.
Those twists and turns have not always been because of what Roblow has or has not done.
As a true freshman in 2019, Roblow opened the season as the Demons’ kicker before an injury cut his season short. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Roblow stood out in a six-game spring season, earning Freshman All-American honors from Hero Sports as a punter.
“Being a Freshman All-American gave me a boost to further pursue trying to get better at the position and try to improve how I hit the ball or how far I can get the ball down the field, my hangtime,” Roblow said. “It made me want to work harder.”
Roblow’s 2022 season saw him post similar numbers, including a career-long, 71-yard punt. He also dropped a career-high 11 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line that season and appeared ready to again take a step forward in 2023.
That step never occurred because of an injured hip that led to surgery and affected Roblow’s standing with both coaching staffs he has had during his Northwestern career.
“He didn’t really come on for us until later this year because he was overcoming that injury,” first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “In the spring and summer, we didn’t get to see what he was. I know he was frustrated. Those things are head, especially for a kicker where what you do is so specialized. Once he felt comfortable and was healthy enough, he’s been great for our program and has really helped us a lot. Hopefully, he’ll have a big finish for us this week. I’m really, really proud of Scotty’s toughness and perseverance and what he’s done.”
Roblow made his season debut against Weber State on Sept. 21, marking the first time he had seen game action since Nov. 19, 2022, against UIW.
In Northwestern’s two games following its Nov. 2 bye week, Roblow has flashed his freshman All-American form.
Three of his five punts at Southeastern on Nov. 9 were 50 or more yards, averaging 48.2 yards per punt – the second-highest single-game mark of his career, trailing the 50.5 average he posted against Sam Houston in April 2021. He added another 50-plus yarder against McNeese, giving him four such kicks in his last nine.
Also included in those nine kicks have been three fair catches, limiting the opposition’s chances to improve field position. In five punts against Weber State and Southeast Missouri State, Roblow’s longest punt was 39 yards and he forced only one fair catch.
That late surge has put Roblow in position to finish his career as the school’s all-time leader in punting average. Entering Saturday’s game, Roblow has averaged 40.4 yards on his 174 career punts, which would place him ahead of Leo Clement’s mark of 40.3 yards per punt from 1980-82.
As Roblow prepares for his final game in a Northwestern uniform, he finds himself in position to cap his college career on a high note.
“Coach McCorkle and coach J-Will (special teams coordinator Justin Williamson) allowed me to come back to my position (earlier this season) and gave me a little test run to see how I’d do,” Roblow said. “I didn’t make the most of it. They gave me the opportunity to keep playing and do kickoffs, and I’ve been alright at that. They gave me another shot to punt again, and I can’t thank them enough for giving me that opportunity in my senior season.”