NATCHITOCHES – Senior receiver Louis Hollier made touchdown catches of 37 and 39 yards Saturday to capture Most Valuable Player honors in Northwestern State's 24th Annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring football game won 21-7 by the Purple, capping the Demons' first spring workouts under new coach Jay Thomas.
 
Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Hazlewood hit Hollier three times for 87 yards while completing 11 of 16 overall for 137 yards. White team quarterback Grant Chiasson passed for 212 yards, including a 49-yard score to fellow sophomore Ed Eagan, and completed 15 of 25 passes.
 
There was only one turnover, coming on the game's eighth play, when junior cornerback Fred Thomas intercepted a pass on the sideline and dashed 79 yards to push the Purple ahead 7-0. Only two five-yard penalties were marked off in the 90-minute game before about 1,000 supporters at Turpin Stadium.
 
“It was clean, and that goes back to last weekend's scrimmage. The players did a tremendous job of cleaning up what we needed to address,” said Thomas. “Very few penalties today, the running backs handled the ball well, and we overcame some dropped passes early on, and some bad snaps. The defense made some plays, and we hit some deep balls when we caught the defense in mismatches. Overall it was a good way to finish up spring.”
 
Hollier's play-making ability was unsurprising, said Thomas.
 
“Louis comes to work every day and practices hard. He makes catches like that every time he's out here. He's done it through his career,” said Thomas. “We are counting him in a big way this fall.”
 
He ran a deep post for his first score, getting behind coverage, and broke free on a skinny post route early in the third quarter five plays after the White had closed within 14-7.
 
The outcome made a winner out of Purple guest head coach Norm Hicks, an avid Demon fan dating back to the 1970s, while former NSU receiver Rudy Hines (1975-78) was the guest coach of the White squad.
 
“I've seen a bunch of spring games, and played in a few back in the day,” Hines told the entire team afterward. “This one was as well played as any of them.”
 
Linebacker Paxton Cook topped the Purple with seven tackes and a pass breakup. Defensive end Justin Evans had six tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss for the White.
 
Kicker Andy Wickman missed a 52-yard field goal for the White when the ball banged off the crossbar.
 
24th Annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring game
4-20-13, Turpin Stadium
 
Scoring:
Purple – Fred Thomas 79 interception return (Izzy DePlaza kick), 7:08 1st, 7-0
Purple – Louis Hollier 37 pass from Daniel Hazlewood (DePlaza kick), 0:42 2nd, 14-0
White – Ed Eagan 49 pass from Grant Chiasson (Andy Wickman kick), 9:48 3rd, 14-7
Purple – Hollier 39 pass from Hazlewood (DePlaza kick), 6:07 3rd, 21-7
 
Rushing:
Purple – Daniel Hazlewood 3-14, Rumeal Morris 5-10, Rob Walker 3-8, Daniel Taylor 2-4, Demard Llorens 1-3, Matthew Flores 1-0, Keenon Gibson 1-minus 7.
 
White – Derek Williams 5-11, Rakheem Mitchell 1-9, Fisher Romar 7-5, Grant Chiasson 11-minus 8.
 
Passing:
Purple – Daniel Hazlewood 11-16, 137, 2 TDs; Keenon Gibson 0-2.
 
White – Grant Chiasson 15-25-1, 212 yards, 1 TD
 
Receiving:
Purple – Louis Hollier 3-87, 2 TDs; Sheldon McClain 2-24, Casey Toussand 2-20, Demard Llorens 1-8, Rod Davis 1-6, Rob Walker 1-3, Daniel Taylor 1-minus 5.
 
White – Ed Eagan 3-81, 1 TD; Kenderick Johnson 3-51, Tremaine Freeman 4-37, Brandon Monrose 1-22, Ethan Legarde 1-8, Rondarious Morris 1-8, Gary Roberson 1-4, Derek Williams 1-0.
 
Defensive statistics:
Paxton Cook- 7 tackles, PBU; Justin Evans- 6 tackles, Sack, TFL; JeMarcus Marshall- 5 tackles 2 Sacks; Tyler Roussel- 5 tackles; Keland Johnson- 5 tackles, sack; Deon Simon- 5 tackles, TFL, sack;  Imoan Claiborne- 4 tackles, TFL; Rico Albert- 4 tackles, PBU; Jacob Merriman- 4 tackles, PBU; Andrew Bletsch 4 tackles; Leroy Armstrong- 4 tackles, TFL; Fred Turner- 4 tackles, INT, TD (73); Adam Jones – 3 tackles; Bert White- 3 tackles; Ryan Sorrell- 3 tackles, sack; Sylvester Grimble- 3 tackles; Damon Medcafe- 3 tackles, TFL, PBU; Russell Owens- 2 tackles;  Ragan Robichaux- 2 tackles; Beau Brodhead- tackle, TFL; Darius Poullard- tackle; Luke Turner- tackle; Robert Fabrizio- tackle; Lesley Deamer- tackle, QBH; Brain Joseph- tackle; Chris Cryer- PBU.
 
Punting:
Purple - Chase Tassin 5-35.6 average, White – Andy Wickman 5-34.2
 
Field goals:
Wickman, missed 52-yarder.
 
MVP – Louis Hollier, WR, Purple