HAMMOND – The Northwestern State football team went back in time during its bye week.
 
It was not a long trip back, but it was enough for first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle to term the week ahead of Saturday's 12 p.m. ESPN+ Southland Conference matchup at Southeastern as "preseason."
 
"It really was a week for us to get back to basics, create a new identity for our team and find out exactly who we are and figure out where we're going," McCorkle said. "It's been a rough stretch so far, and I don't think anybody's surprised by that. I don't think anybody expected a whole lot more than that with where we are all things considered. That doesn't mean we're going to accept that or rest on that, and we have to get back to work and get better.
 
"(The bye week) was an opportunity for us to evaluate our young guys. We let our young guys scrimmage a bit, and that was fun to see – see what the future looks like and see some guys step up. At the same time, it gave us a chance to rest some guys and let them get their bodies right for this last three-game stretch."
 
It is a closing stretch that begins in Hammond against a Southeastern (5-5, 4-1) team that McCorkle broke down very succinctly and directly.
 
"Hands down, no question the best team we'll play in the Southland Conference this year," he said. "The way our schedule sets up, we don't play UIW. UIW's probably got this thing locked up. They had a heck of a football game when they played Southeastern a couple of weeks ago. (The Lions) are talented. They're big. They're athletic. They're extremely well-coached. What (head) coach (Frank) Scelfo and their staff does is fun to watch. They're really, really simple on defense. They just line up and beat you. On offense, they do a lot with trades and shifts and formations that make you communicate, play well with your eyes and make sure everybody on defense is on the same page. They're a fun team to watch, and a hard team to get ready for."
 
To that end, Northwestern (0-9, 0-4) will try to recapture some of the magic it has conjured on the road this season.
 
Twice this season the Demons have limited their opponent to 20 or fewer points. Both of those games – against then-No. 13 Southeast Missouri State and against Nicholls – came on the road. Adding to the similarities, both of those games were daytime kickoffs, which Saturday's game will be after the threat of Hurricane Rafael moved the start time up six hours.
 
"On the defensive side of the ball, we have the mentality of we're going to be physical and play hard the whole time no matter what the scoreboard says," junior safety Christian Williams said. "Our guys don't want to leave the field. We love playing football, and we love playing with one another."
 
And, it appears, that mentality travels.
 
"I don't think that's uncommon, especially at our level and some of the lower levels, that you are going to play better on the road, because the hotel is real," McCorkle said. "You leave your meetings at night, and you stay in a good bed. You're together, and you're focused on the game a little bit more than you are at home. A lot of coaches will tell you their teams tend to play better on the road. Sometimes, when you're on the road, it's easier to lock in, focus and eliminate some distractions."