MINNEAPOLIS – A new chapter in Northwestern State football history will be written Saturday morning.
 
The Demons, fresh off a season-opening victory against Alcorn State, will square off with a member of the Big Ten Conference for the first time in program history when they tangle with Minnesota at 11 a.m. Saturday. The game will air on Big Ten Network with audio available through 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and through www.NSUDemons.com.
 
"Minnesota could care less (about the Demons' season-opening win)," second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. "What it will be is an example of toughness. It's going to take some mental toughness to put those things behind you. We can't be patting ourselves on the back. Minnesota's not worried about that."
 
What the Golden Gophers (1-0) are is a bit of a mirror image of what McCorkle wants his 1-0 Demons to continue to be.
 
"You talk about tough, the Big Ten is tough, hard-nosed physical football, and I'm loving watching their film," McCorkle said. "As an old offensive line coach, that's what you live for – Big Ten football. Being an SEC homer – I'm that my whole life – but offensive lines in the Big Ten are real. They are big, and they can move, and they're angry when they do it. They're fun to watch. We have our work cut out for us.
 
"We've got to prepare to win a game like we would any other game. It will take some mental toughness and fortitude to do that."
 
Northwestern showed plenty of those characteristics in its 20-10 season-opening win against Alcorn State on Aug. 28 – doing so in all three phases of the game.
 
A quick start gave the Demons a 13-0 first-quarter lead before a lightning delay paused the game for more than an hour. McCorkle told Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian during the delay the second-year coach felt his team had won the game in that moment.
 
Part of that McCorkle said was owed to his team's character and maturity – which belies its standing as the youngest roster in the country.
 
"It all comes down to the preparation within the week, studying film, knowing our opponent better than we know ourselves" said safety Christian Williams, whose tipped-ball interception in the end zone was the No. 6 play on SportsCenter's Top 10. "Throughout the delay, we knew as a leadership council we had to keep them focused and not joke around. We knew we were going to get back out there and handle business."
 
Williams' pick was one of two end-zone interceptions the Demons turned in, extending a run that began late in the 2024 season. Four of Northwestern's past five interceptions have come in their opponent's end zone.
 
While the Northwestern defense did its best bend-but-don't-break impression, the Demon offense rode a roller coaster first 60 minutes of the season.
 
After a three-play, 66-yard march led to an opening-drive score, Northwestern did not gain more than 29 yards on its final five possessions of the first half and the first of the second half.
 
That changed with two third-quarter drives that saw the Demons stay on the field for 25 total plays, gaining 128 yards. The dagger was a 12-play, 68-yard sojourn that ended with a 1-yard Ryan Tyler touchdown that provided the final points of the game.
 
"As an O-line, it starts with us," junior guard Isaiah Ybarra said. "We knew that going into the game, and that showed in the beginning. We faded once we got that delay, but we came back out and put that drive together. Before we got out there, we were saying, 'It starts with us. We have to get our minds right, so everyone else's minds are right.' We just came back out with the mentality we started with. Now, we need to maintain it through the whole game."
 
Doing so would give the Demons their best chance against a power-conference foe in Minnesota, which defeated Buffalo 23-10 on Aug. 28 in its season opener.
 
The mentality McCorkle said he wants from his team is permeating the roster as the Demons prepare for their first of back-to-back, power-conference foes. Following Saturday's game, Northwestern will face Cincinnati on Sept. 13.
 
"We're just trying to go there and win," Williams said. "We're not going there just for a trip, just to have fun and see the nice stadium. We're going there to win."