By Brad Welborn, Northwestern State Assistant Sports Information Director; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State struggled to overcome an early deficit and a series of costly turnovers Saturday as UTRGV turned three interceptions into a pair of defensive touchdowns on its way to a 52-7 victory at Turpin Stadium.
The Vaqueros (5-5, 3-4) entered the game ranked third nationally with 12 interceptions and added three more against the Demons (0-10, 0-7), returning two for touchdowns. UTRGV scored 24 points off Northwestern State turnovers, using the takeaways to maintain control throughout the afternoon.
“It was a bad day at the office,” head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “We came out flat and I didn’t have us ready to play. That’s on me. Gave up too many big plays early, got in a big hole fast and that hole was too big to get out of even when we did start to recover a little bit. Turnovers for the second time in four weeks have really killed us.”
The Vaqueros needed just two plays to take the lead. Safety TJ Neal intercepted a pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown less than a minute into the game, giving UTRGV an early 7-0 advantage.
NSU held the ball for more than six minutes on its ensuing possession but managed just 37 yards before punting. The Demons’ next two drives also ended in punts as UTRGV added three consecutive offensive touchdowns to build a 28-0 lead just 12 seconds into the second quarter.
The second interception proved especially costly. After moving into UTRGV territory, a deflected Zach Wilcke pass landed in the hands of safety Alijah Prosser, who returned it 90 yards for another defensive touchdown.
The Demons answered with their biggest play of the game on the ensuing kickoff.
Antonio Hall returned the kick 93 yards for a touchdown, giving Northwestern State its first points of the afternoon and its first kickoff return for a score since Myles Ward accomplished the feat in 2018.
“He’s a talented athlete and capable of making those plays,” McCorkle said. “He’s been out of the lineup for a few weeks with injuries and he’s finally getting his body back and ready to go. When he’s healthy he’s fully capable of that, so that wasn’t a surprise to any of us at all.”
The NSU defense forced a punt on UTRGV’s next possession, but another interception halted the Demons’ following drive. The Vaqueros turned the takeaway into a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, taking a 38-7 lead into the break.
Northwestern State’s defense opened the second half with two stops, keeping UTRGV off the scoreboard in the third quarter. The Demons also put together one of their longest drives of the afternoon, moving 88 yards on 12 plays before an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the possession at the Vaqueros’ 3-yard line.
An errant snap on the next NSU possession resulted in the Demons’ fourth turnover of the game and another opportunity for UTRGV to capitalize.
Five Demon drives lasted at least 10 plays, including three in the first half and two after halftime. Two ended with interceptions and two more ended on failed fourth-down attempts, leaving NSU without points on any of those possessions.
Despite the difficult afternoon, McCorkle said he continues to see growth in his players beyond the results on the field.
“Our guys are disciplined and they’re growing up and they’re becoming men,” McCorkle said. “At the end of the day that’s what we want to do. Everybody wants to hear ‘you’ve got to win,’ and you do. My job is to win football games. The guys know that. We’re not right now, but we’re getting a lot of things done other places that will help us win football games eventually.”
Northwestern State closes its regular-season home schedule next Saturday when it hosts HCU at 1 p.m. at Turpin Stadium.