By BRAD WELBORN, Northwestern State Athletic Communications
Northwestern State had Louisiana Christian on the ropes.
Then the Demons let go.
After building a 27-14 advantage late in the second quarter, the Demons had the opportunity to take complete control of its season opener Thursday night at Turpin Stadium. Instead, a pair of red-zone fumbles and a slew of penalties throughout the night opened the door for LCU, an NAIA power that stormed back in the second half to hand the Demons a 42-37 loss.
“We didn’t do what we needed to do,” Demons’ third-year coach Blaine McCorkle said. “In spurts early on it looked like the game went the way that a lot of people probably thought it would and for whatever reason we couldn’t hold onto it. We’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to figure out and some hard conversations to have.”
For a stretch in the second quarter, everything appeared to be going according to plan for the Demons, who raced to a quick 10-0 lead before LCU rallied to a 14-13 advantage.
Northwestern scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second period, with Abram Johnston punching in a one-yard option keeper before connecting with Jimmie Duncan on a 59-yard deep ball.
The back-to-back scores pushed NSU’s lead to 27-14.
The Demon defense forced three straight punts, including consecutive three-and-outs, giving the offense two more chances to add to the advantage before halftime.
Neither opportunity produced points.
Both drives ended with fumbles inside the Wildcat 10-yard line, keeping the LCU within striking distance and ultimately becoming a defining sequence of the game.
“We hold on to those two balls we may have 40 points on the board at the half,” McCorkle said. “We didn’t. We had two really good, trusted players that turned the ball over in the red zone and you can’t do that. The one drive they had in the first half we probably had 80 yards of penalties on us. You can’t do that against anybody.”
NSU outgained Louisiana Christian 218-25 in the period, with Johnston completing 11-of-13 passes for 179 yards. The Demons, however, managed just two touchdowns on four possessions.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the second half.
Touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter, sandwiched an interception return for another score, put LCU on top to stay. The 21-point outburst flipped the game and gave LCU a 35-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Demons had plenty of offensive firepower show up between the 20s, surpassing 500 yards of total offense for the first time since 2022, but three stalled drives that ended in field goals and two fumbles left several points off the board.
Following Louisiana Christian’s first touchdown of the second half, Zay Davis broke loose for a 60-yard run on the ensuing NSU possession, pushing him past the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career.
Davis finished with 124 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding to his total as an all-purpose threat with 28 receiving yards and 47 in on the opening kickoff return for 199 all-purpose yards. His performance made him the first 100-yard rusher for Northwestern since Kennieth Lacy at Houston Christian in October 2022.
Ten different players caught a pass in the game, led by Dylan Rhodes’ six grabs for 55 yards and a touchdown with 2:47 left, but an onside kick failed and LCU ran out the clock by running for a pair of first downs.
Johnston finished 30-for-42 for 319 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, his second career 300-yard passing performance.
“Other than the turnovers our offense looked like what it should in a game like this,” McCorkle said. “Zay Davis is a good player. I thought Abram played well. Our offensive line is better.
“I told the guys the most frustrating thing about this whole thing is going into our third year, there is no doubt in my mind this is the best football team we’ve had. Without question. No doubt this is the deepest team we’ve had. This is the best culture we’ve had in the locker room, not even close. When you know that those three things are true, that makes these things even more of a mystery.”
The Demons also got a strong showing from Natchitoches native and Colorado State transfer Payne Williams III.
Williams connected on field goals of 32, 47 and 39 yards, becoming the first Northwestern kicker to make three field goals in a game since Eddie Godina did so in 2021.
Northwestern committed 12 penalties for 111 yards, including costly, drive-extending infractions that led to Wildcat scores. It was the most penalties in a game in the McCorkle era.
Against a Louisiana Christian team that capitalized on every opening it was given, the combination of turnovers and penalties proved too much for the Demons to overcome.
“Give Louisiana Christian a lot of credit,” McCorkle said. “They are a really good football team. They’re going to win a lot of games. I think (head coach) Ben (McLaughlin) and his staff do a phenomenal job. They have the chance to win a lot of games.”
Contact Brad at welbornb@nsula.edu