WACO, Texas – A big-time college football stage isn't anything new for Northwestern State.
 
The Demons won't even be unfamiliar with Baylor's McLane Stadium for Friday's season-opener after NSU battled the Bears in 2014, but the 2016 squad will be looking for a much different result than the 70-6 loss suffered two seasons ago.
 
NSU's 6:36 p.m. contest at No. 21/23 Baylor will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus and can be heard on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches and carried by 710 AM KEEL in Shreveport, 105.5 FM KBKK in Alexandria and 103.1 KWLA in Many/Leesville. A free audio stream is available through NSUDemons.com.
 
Fourth-year head coach Jay Thomas isn't just looking to improve on the 2014 score, he wants his Demons to play for a win.
 
"Baylor presents a lot of problems for you, specifically the tempo of their offense," Thomas said. "We do have the advantage of playing them a couple years ago, but we don't know how much they've changed since the changing of the head coach (from Art Briles to Jim Grobe).
 
"I don't think it's going to be that much different. We think the ball is going to be snapped every 12 seconds, and we're trying to prepare for that."
 
NSU, an FCS member, closed the 2015 season strongly, winning four of its last six games to finish 4-7 after consecutive 6-6 marks in Thomas' first two seasons.
 
Baylor is attempting to move past is tumultuous offseason that resulted in the firing of former head coach Briles after the Bears finished 2015 with a 10-3 season and a Russell Athletic Bowl win against North Carolina.
 
The Demons are 0-4 against ranked FBS teams in the modern era (since the Division I-A and I-AA split in 1977) and 0-9 against the Big 12, but Grobe said earlier this week the Bears can't afford to overlook anyone.
 
"I read somewhere they have as many as 11 transfers, some junior college guys and a few from four-year schools, so that makes it interesting," Grobe said during his weekly media appearance. "You've got a little bit of an idea watching from last year's film about their talent, but we don't know exactly what we're up against with the addition of the transfers.
 
"I think Jay Thomas does a great job in watching the kids fly around and play hard, and they came on strong at the end of last season. The thing I've learned in 40 years of coaching is you better take everyone seriously and respect every opponent."
 
Starting quarterback Brooks Haack (from UL Lafayette) is one of those transfers from a four-year school.
 
Haack said his vast experience as a Ragin' Cajun starter helps him transition to new his location.
 
"That time gave me a ton of confidence and experience, and all those lessons I learned last year molded me into a better, all-around quarterback," Haack said. "We want to give them a mixture of different things, different personnel, to be able to move the ball.
 
"Baylor has a great defense and a great team, and it will be a tough challenge … They are going to be geared up to play after going through all that stuff, and I think they will want to show everybody what they've got on Friday. But we want to show what we have, too."
 
After Friday's contest, the Demons have a short turnaround to host Incarnate Word in the home opener Sept. 8 (Thursday). The 6 p.m. contest is marked by NSU's annual "White Out."