NATCHITOCHES – A big part of Northwestern State's season-opening win against Alcorn State was stout defense and controlling field position. Those two things led to weekly conference honors for two first-year members of the Demon football team.
 
Linebacker Fernando Washington (defensive) and punter Cooper Evans (special teams) were named Southland Players of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.
 
Washington was a menace for the Demons against Alcorn State, making plays all over the field and on both sides of the line of scrimmage. 
 
He led the Demons with eight tackles, six of them solo stops, on the night and wreaked havoc behind the line with two tackles for loss and a sack for a total of 11 negative yards. Washington helped lead the Demon defense that did not allow a touchdown on the night, holding the Braves to only a 51-yard field goal, and force three turnovers. 
 
Washington broke up a pass on the third-down play that forced the long field goal attempt.
 
That defensive effort we a perfect complement to the work done by Evans with his left foot, forcing Alcorn into long fields throughout the night.
 
Evans averaged 44.7 yards per punt on the night blasting a pair of 50+ yard punts, including a long of 55, and placed three total kicks inside the 20-yard line. He placed one kick out of bound at the 11 and another at the 6-yard line during the game. 
 
Alcorn's average starting field position following an Evans punt was their own 24-yard line with none of the ensuing Braves' possessions resulting in any points.
 
Evans is the first Demon punter to earn Special Teams Player of the Week since Scotty Roblow in April 5, 2021.