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NATCHITOCHES – For nine months, Northwestern State football players and coaches prepare for nine games, the first one coming at home Thursday evening at 6 in Turpin Stadium.

Yes, NSU plays an 11-game schedule, but it's the nine Southland Conference contests that dictate how a team will be remembered. The Demons kick off the Southland season with a nationally-televised matchup against Incarnate Word in the annual White Out Game at Turpin, where NSU is 11-4 in the first three seasons under coach Jay Thomas.

Both teams dropped non-conference season openers last week, NSU falling at No. 21 Baylor 55-7 while UIW was dumped on its homefield, 31-22 by Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville. However, the Cardinals stung the Demons last year in San Antonio, outscoring them by three touchdowns after halftime in a 45-31 decision.

That outcome is still lingering with NSU players and coaches.

"We feel like we owe them one," said senior running back De'Mard Llorens. "They have a real good team and they deserved to win that game last year, but we do want to get some payback."
The Demons won four of their remaining six games in 2015, all Southland contests, after the second-half stumble at San Antonio.

"Our guys are excited about playing at home, and about playing in the Southland Conference," said Thomas. "It's what we spend so much time working toward. We've told our guys it's like playoff time, and it's a huge advantage to get out to a winning start."

The Cardinals had their best season as a Division I program in 2015, finishing 6-5, with a 5-4 Southland record for fourth place.

Junior quarterback Trent Brittain completed 19 of 33 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns last week, with two primary receivers, Kody Edwards (7 catches, 159 yards, 1 TD) and Jordan Hicks (5-115, 1 TD). Linebackers Joel Higgins (9 tackles) and Alex Jenkins (8 tackles, 3.5 for lost yards) were defensive leaders while two other key defenders, end Corey Lee and safety Adrian Norwood, did not play in the opening loss.

The Demons mustered only 78 total yards at Baylor. Senior running backs Llorens and Chris Jones, senior receivers Tuff McClain and Shakeir Ryan, and graduate transfer quarterback Brooks Haack are expected to be offensive catalysts for NSU. Both McClain and Ryan can top the 1,000-yard career receiving yardage mark Saturday, with McClain needing just six yards and Ryan only 16.

Defensively, junior linebacker Koby Welch topped NSU with 10 tackles, while senior linebacker Shawn Stephens made seven. Senior safety Adam Jones, junior linebacker Nick Pierotti and junior safety Austin Balthazar each posted six stops.

NSU played 33 newcomers at Baylor among the 70 Demons who got into action.

Game captains for the Demons will be McClain, Haack, Stephens and graduated senior defensive back Jahvez Barnes.

The game will be televised on the American Sports Network, with NSU alumnus Lyn Rollins handling the play by play duties. Rene Nadeau is the color analyst and KTBS TV sports anchor Tatum Everett is the sideline reporter.

The ASN broadcast can be seen nationally on DirecTV channels 640-1, 655-1 and 698, and Dish Network channel 438. It's also available in 16 states coast to coast on Cox Sports Television, which serves 56 cable systems in Louisiana, and on the KTBS TV 3.2 weather channel serving Shreveport and northwest Louisiana/east Texas/southwest Arkansas.

It's also able to be seen online at Southland.org/live or through the Southland Conference app for Apple and Android devices.

The Demon Sports Network radio broadcast booms out of 100.7 KZBL FM in Natchitoches, with affiliate stations News Radio 710 in Shreveport, 105.5 FM KBUCK of Alexandria and 103.1 FM KWLA serving Many and Leesville. Veteran announcer Patrick Netherton heads the crew handling the play by play, with sideline reporter Tony Taglavore and guest analyst Steve Graf alongside. Their broadcast starts at 5:30.