NATCHITOCHES – When the Northwestern State football team heads out Thursday evening onto the turf at Turpin Stadium, the Demons will be wearing white uniforms in front of the home crowd for the first time since 1968.
 
It's a focal point of NSU's first "White Out Game" sponsored by Midsouth Bank, with fans encouraged to wear white, preferably white Demon gear, supporting the home team in the 6 p.m. season opener against Missouri State.
 
A 1982 NCAA rule mandated that home teams wear dark-colored jerseys. Driven by LSU, a 1995 amendment to the rule provided the option for the home team to wear white or light-colored jerseys if the visiting team agreed.
 
The "White Out Game" promotion, the first of its kind for NSU football, will be the first time the Demons have taken advantage of the amendment that former Tigers' coach Gerry DiNardo pushed through.
 
Northwestern last wore white jerseys for home games consistently in 1967, before second-year coach Glenn Gossett sent out the 1968 Demons in purple tops at old Demon Stadium. In those days, the  home team made the decision on what jerseys to wear.
 
The Demon players are all for wearing white Thursday night, even though they were 1-5 in those jerseys a year ago while going 5-1 in purple at home in Turpin Stadium.
 
"Playing at home, playing in Turpin Stadium in front of our fans, the students, the band, that's got everything to do with it," said senior defensive tackle Deon Simon. "What we wear isn't a big deal. Having the home crowd, that's a big deal. We'll be hyped up for the White Out and so will our fans. It's going to be fun."
 
The Demons are 29-7 in their home openers in 36 seasons at Turpin Stadium, where they've won 64 percent of their games since it was dedicated in the opening game of the 1977 season. They've never worn white jerseys for a game in Turpin Stadium.
 
The NSU sideline won't be all white-clad Thursday night, said head coach Jay Thomas.
 
"Hey, I've got to apologize, but the coaches will be in our purple gear," he said, "so our guys on the field can see us right away and not have to find us."
 
Demons equipment man Dan Matthiesen and his staff will need to be extra sharp. After the players turn in their white jerseys following Thursday's game, they'll be put back to work for the next four games as NSU will visit Baylor, Southern, Louisiana Tech and Southeastern Louisiana before returning home for the Oct. 11 game against new Southland Conference member Incarnate Word on a date appropriately designated as homecoming for NSU.
 
"Hey, if we do great in white, who knows what we may wear then," said Thomas, chuckling.