THIBODAUX – One of the Northwestern State football program's most challenging road slates ends on Saturday when the Demons take the trip down the bayou for the annual Battle of NSU.

When the Demons (1-9, 0-6) take on Nicholls (3-7, 3-3) at 3 p.m. on ESPN+ from Manning Field at Guidry Stadium, also available via 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches, they do so hoping the final eight minutes of a tough loss against UIW a week ago breeds something the young team needs a shot of – confidence.

A week ago, the continued growth of the mostly freshmen-led offense showed up in an eight-minute, 13-play drive to close the game. It didn't produce points, but it did produce something the Demons' staff has been trying to nurture all fall.

"That was a huge drive for us because it would have been easy for us to go out there and fumble around and get sloppy," head coach Blaine McCorkle said. "But that just kind of proves the point of what we've been saying, our kids are resilient and they see the big picture. One of the things last week and this week is just get better. On that drive I feel like they had that in mind.

"We didn't throw a pass on that drive. Kept being physical, clipping off some first downs with a lot of young guys in there. That was encouraging to see, and hopefully those things give those guys confidence, because that's the biggest thing they need, just a shot of confidence knowing we can do this and their time is coming."

Confidence is key at every position and been seen on special teams after some rocky moments early on. After having a kick blocked against Lamar, freshman kicker Grayson Lytton has connected on field goals in back-to-back weeks — a 33-yarder at McNeese and a 28-yarder last Saturday against UIW.

"Coach has been talking to us the past few weeks about just getting better every week and recognizing those positive results," Lytton said. "Our whole offense has the talent to move the ball. It's all about execution. I know we can get there with such a young team. I know it'll get better with time."

For Lytton, the mental reset required after each kick mirrors the growth process for a roster still learning on the job.

"You're on to the next kick right away, whether you make it or not," he said. "With kicking, it's 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. That mental side is easier with experience and maturing."

That next-play mentality will benefit the Demon defense, that has shown stretches of stout run play, as it faces one of its toughest challenges yet in a Nicholls ground game that has seemingly hit its stride.

The Colonels have piled up 641 rushing yards over their past three outings, including a 303-yard performance against McNeese — the third-highest total in a Southland Conference game this season.

They feature a two-headed backfield in Miequle Brock Jr. (469 yards) and Shane Lee (429 yards), a 225-pound bruiser from St. Rose, La.

"Defensively we have to avoid the big play," McCorkle said. "There were some moments last week, and moments in the past too, where we stop the run well and then give up the big hitter. We gave up 215 rushing last week, but 70 of that came on one play. If you take that out, it's not bad numbers, but that one play counts. So we've got to avoid giving up the big play, which is part of the consistency thing."

With an injury-plagued secondary, finding that consistency on the back end has been one of the biggest hurdles for the Demons.

Kolbe Cage is the only member of the season-opening starting group who has not missed time this year to do injury. Antonio Hall is one of six defensive backs to miss at least one game this season, including last week against UIW, but even through injury the desire for progress is prevalent.

"Everybody is still trying their best to do their job and keep the effort," Hall said. "That's what we can do, keep grinding and keep grinding. One of these days things are going to change for this team if we keep that up. I can't wait. I want to be a part of that success."

Hall has seen players push through pain on both sides of the ball to stay available on Saturdays.

"I think it shows the kind of heart we have," Hall said. "They can be in pain but they're still playing through it and that shows a lot of character and heart. They're doing whatever it takes to be on the field for the team."

Offensively, sustaining drives remains the Demons' clearest path to helping the defense shoulder less of the load.

"We need to sustain some drives and be better on first and second down," McCorkle said. "If we can get ourselves into a third-and-manageable and move the chains, that's obviously the goal, but it helps our defense out too. They've been playing too many snaps per game. If we can do that and keep it close late, we'll see what happens."