2019 Northwestern State Demons football team

2019 Northwestern State Demons football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	3–9 (3–6 Southland)
Head coach	Brad Laird (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Brad Smiley (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Mike Lucas (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium

2019 Southland Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 Nicholls +^		7	–	2					8	–	4
No. 11 Central Arkansas +^		7	–	2					9	–	3
No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana ^		6	–	3					8	–	5
Sam Houston State		6	–	3					7	–	5
McNeese State		5	–	4					7	–	5
Incarnate Word		4	–	5					5	–	7
Abilene Christian		4	–	5					5	–	7
Northwestern State		3	–	6					3	–	9
Stephen F. Austin		3	–	6					3	–	9
Houston Baptist		2	–	6					5	–	7
Lamar		2	–	7					4	–	8
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS poll

The 2019 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons compiled an overall record of 3–9 with a mark of 3–6 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Preseason

Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 18, 2019. The Demons were picked to finish in tenth place.

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Nicholls	200 (20)
2	Central Arkansas	154
3	Incarnate Word	150 (1)
4	Sam Houston State	146
5	Lamar	123
6	McNeese State	114
7	Abilene Christian	112 (1)
8	Southeastern Louisiana	71
9	Stephen F. Austin	63
10	Northwestern State	56
11	Houston Baptist	21

Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Demons placed four players on the preseason all–Southland teams.

Offense

2nd team

Chris Zirkle – OL

Defense

1st team

Hayden Bourgeois – DB

2nd team

O'Shea Jackson – DL

Myles Ward – KR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	6:30 p.m.	at UT Martin*	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+	L 20–42	3,008
September 7	6:00 p.m.	Midwestern State*	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	DemonTV	L 7–33	7,010
September 14	6:30 p.m.	at No. 4 (FBS) LSU*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	L 14–65	100,334
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at Houston Baptist	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN3	L 21–48	1,941
September 28	6:00 p.m.	No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	CST/ESPN+	L 27–44	7,584
October 12	3:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Nicholls	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge)	CST/ESPN+	L 35–45	8,103
October 19	6:00 p.m.	No. 13 Central Arkansas	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 30–31	7,584
October 26	4:00 p.m.	at Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	UIWtv	W 44–41 OT	3,373
November 2	4:00 p.m.	at McNeese State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	CST/ESPN+	L 20–30	9,295
November 9	6:00 p.m.	Lamar	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	CST/ESPN+	W 34–13	5,122
November 16	2:00 p.m.	at Sam Houston State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+	W 31–28	4,280
November 21	6:00 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (Chief Caddo)	DemonTV	L 20–32	5,822
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

At UT Martin

See also: 2019 UT Martin Skyhawks football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	UT Martin
First downs	28	17
Total yards	483	309
Rushing yards	96	179
Passing yards	387	130
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	35:53	24:07

Northwestern State at Tennessee–Martin – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	7	13	0	0	20
Skyhawks	14	0	14	14	42

at Graham Stadium, Martin, TN

• Date: August 29
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 3,008
• Referee: Drew Myers
• TV: ESPN+
• [1] [2] [3]

Game information

First quarter (09:53) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 14-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Scotty Roblow kick Northwestern State 7–0; Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:07 (06:02) UTM TD – Colton Dowell 39-yard pass from John Bachus III, Ryan Courtright kick Tied 7–7; Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:46 (02:17) UTM TD – Jaylon Moore 43-yard pass from John Bachus III, Ryan Courtright kick Tennessee–Martin 14–7; Drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 2:11 Second quarter (11:11) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 7-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Scotty Roblow kick Tied 14–14; Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:06 (06:35) NSU TD – Corey Smallwood 26-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Scotty Roblow PAT failed Northwestern State 20–14; Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:02 Third quarter (04:22) UTM TD – Payton Logan 21-yard rush, Ryan Courtright kick Tennessee–Martin 21–20; Drive: 2 plays, 25 yards, 0:42 (02:13) UTM TD – Terry Williams 55-yard punt returned, Ryan Courtright kick Tennessee–Martin 28–20; Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 2:04 Fourth quarter (05:06) UTM TD – Wanya Moton 78-yard interception returned, Ryan Courtright kick Tennessee–Martin 35–20; Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 2:18 (02:53) UTM TD – Payton Logan 53-yard rush, Ryan Courtright kick Tennessee–Martin 42–20; Drive: 2 plays, 53 yards, 0:54 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 43/62, 387 yards, 3 TD, INT UTM – John Bachus III – 8/20, 130 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 9 carries, 45 yards UTM – Payton Logan – 13 carries, 149 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NSU – Quan Shorts – 12 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD UTM – Jaylon Moore – 1 reception, 43 yards, TD

Midwestern State

See also: Midwestern State Mustangs football

Statistics	Midwestern State	Northwestern State
First downs	22	14
Total yards	425	243
Rushing yards	102	58
Passing yards	323	185
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	33:35	26:25

Midwestern State at Northwestern State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 (DII) Mustangs	13	13	0	7	33
Demons	0	7	0	0	7

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 102 °F (39 °C); hot
• Game attendance: 7,010
• Referee: Mike Cuttone
• [4] [5] [6]

Game information

First quarter (05:50) MID TD – Tyrique Edwards 38-yard pass from Zach Purceli, Jacob Rowland PAT blocked Midwestern State 6–0; Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:15 (01:03) MID TD – Kylan Harrison 25-yard pass from Zach Purceli, Jacob Rowland kick Midwestern State 13–0; Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:01 Second quarter (08:25) MID FG – Jaron Imbriani 28-yard field goal Midwestern State 16–0; Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 5:45 (05:35) MID FG – Jaron Imbriani 25-yard field goal Midwestern State 19–0; Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 1:53 (01:07) NSU TD – Jared West 10-yard rush, Scotty Roblow kick Midwestern State 19–7; Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:28 (00:00) MID TD – Juwan Johnson 32-yard pass from Zach Purceli, Jaron Imbriani kick Midwestern State 26–7; Drive: 3 plays, 32 yards, 0:13 Fourth quarter (11:05) MID TD – Zach Purceli 7-yard rush, Jaron Imbriani kick Midwestern State 33–7; Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:18 Top passers MID – Zach Purceli – 26/40, 323 yards, 3 TD NSU – Shelton Eppler – 28/42, 177 yards, INT Top rushers MID – Lazarus Fisher – 15 carries, 69 yards NSU – Jared West – 10 carries, 27 yards, TD Top receivers MID – Tyrique Edwards – 5 receptions, 76 yards, TD NSU – Quan Shorts – 8 receptions, 60 yards

At LSU

See also: 2019 LSU Tigers football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	LSU
First downs	15	31
Total yards	278	610
Rushing yards	46	122
Passing yards	232	488
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	33:38	26:22

Northwestern State at Louisiana State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	7	7	0	0	14
No. 4 (FBS) Tigers	3	21	27	14	65

at Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 100,334
• Referee: Lee Hedrick
• TV: SEC Network
• [7] [8] [9]

Game information

First quarter (05:30) LSU FG – Cade York 26-yard field goal LSU 3–0; Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:19 (00:16) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 17-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Scotty Roblow kick Northwestern State 7–3; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 5:14 Second quarter (12:38) LSU TD – Clyde Edwards-Helaire 4-yard rush, Cade York kick LSU 10–7; Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 2:38 (08:50) LSU TD – Terrace Marshall Jr. 14-yard pass from Joe Burrow, Cade York kick LSU 17–7; Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:44 (05:38) NSU TD – David Fitzwater 26-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Scotty Roblow kick LSU 17–14; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:12 (03:27) LSU TD – Clyde Edwards-Helaire 3-yard rush, Cade York kick LSU 24–14; Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:11 Third quarter (13:19) LSU TD – Joe Burrow 5-yard rush, Cade York PAT failed LSU 30–14; Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 1:41 (09:36) LSU TD – Terrace Marshall Jr. 6-yard pass from Joe Burrow, Cade York kick LSU 37–14; Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 2:28 (06:26) LSU TD – John Emery Jr. 4-yard rush, Cade York kick LSU 44–14; Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 1:32 (02:16) LSU TD – Tyrion Davis-Price 1-yard rush, Cade York kick LSU 51–14; Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 2:38 Fourth quarter (07:22) LSU TD – Trey Palmer 54-yard punt returned, Cade York kick LSU 58–14; Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 2:33 (02:12) LSU TD – Tyrion Davis-Price 2-yard rush, Cade York kick LSU 65–14; Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:23 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 21/38, 225 yards, 2 TD LSU – Joe Burrow – 21/24, 373 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NSU – Stadford Anderson – 9 carries, 40 yards LSU – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 13 carries, 50 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NSU – David Fitzwater – 3 receptions, 68 yards, TD LSU – Justin Jefferson – 5 receptions, 124 yards

At Houston Baptist

See also: 2019 Houston Baptist Huskies football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	Houston Baptist
First downs	25	27
Total yards	447	532
Rushing yards	146	266
Passing yards	301	266
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	30:36	29:24

Northwestern State at Houston Baptist – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	0	14	7	21
Huskies	14	10	17	7	48

at Husky Stadium, Houston, TX

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C); sunny, some clouds
• Game attendance: 1,941
• Referee: Ed Bourgeois
• TV: ESPN3
• [10] [11] [12]

Game information

First quarter (13:05) HBU TD – Jerreth Sterns 12-yard pass from Bailey Zappe, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 7–0; Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:00 (08:28) HBU TD – Ean Beek 52-yard rush, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 14–0; Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:46 Second quarter (13:08) HBU TD – Dreshawn Minnieweather 4-yard pass from Bailey Zappe, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 21–0; Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 2:53 (00:48) HBU FG – Gino Garcia 33-yard field goal Houston Baptist 24–0; Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 3:31 Third quarter (11:58) HBU TD – Ben Ratzlaff 9-yard pass from Jerreth Sterns, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 31–0; Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 2:53 (08:36) NSU TD – Jared West 7-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion kick Houston Baptist 31–7; Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:22 (07:40) HBU TD – Ben Ratzlaff 66-yard pass from Bailey Zappe, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 38–7; Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:41 (05:20) NSU TD – Akile Davis 30-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Houston Baptist 38–14; Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 2:14 (01:15) HBU FG – Gino Garcia 51-yard field goal Houston Baptist 41–14; Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 4:05 Fourth quarter (14:06) NSU TD – Akile Davis 26-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Houston Baptist 41–21; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:09 (09:57) HBU TD – Coleman Robinson 2-yard pass from Bailey Zappe, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 48–21; Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:02 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 26/42, 287 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT HBU – Bailey Zappe – 22/37, 257 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers NSU – Jared West – 17 carries, 80 yards, TD HBU – Ean Beek – 17 carries, 131 yards, TD Top receivers NSU – Akile Davis – 3 receptions, 68 yards, 2 TD HBU – Ben Ratzlaff – 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD

Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2019 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team and Northwestern State–Southeastern Louisiana football rivalry

Statistics	Southeastern Louisiana	Northwestern State
First downs	26	27
Total yards	537	378
Rushing yards	143	45
Passing yards	394	333
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	30:30	29:30

Southeastern Louisiana at Northwestern State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Lions	10	7	20	7	44
Demons	7	10	3	7	27

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C); sunny and warm
• Game attendance: 7,584
• Referee: Ed Bourgeois
• TV: CST
• [13] [14] [15]

Game information

First quarter (09:18) SELA FG – Bryce Broussard 34-yard field goal Southeastern Louisiana 3–0; Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:44 (07:16) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 26-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 7–3; Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 1:54 (03:49) SELA TD – Austin Mitchell 35-yard pass from Chason Virgil, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 10–7; Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:27 Second quarter (09:17) NSU TD – Kendrick Price 19-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 14–10; Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 0:47 (04:43) SELA TD – Cole Kelley 1-yard rush, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 17–14; Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:27 (00:00) NSU FG – Ryan Gremillion 24-yard field goal Tied 17–17; Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 4:37 Third quarter (09:12) NSU FG – Ryan Gremillion 25-yard field goal Northwestern State 20–17; Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:15 (07:07) SELA TD – Taron Jones 5-yard rush, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 24–20; Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:02 (05:59) SELA TD – CJ Turner 46-yard pass from Cole Kelley, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 31–20; Drive: 1 play, 42 yards, 0:07 (00:52) SELA TD – Kendall Collins Jr. 25-yard rush, Bryce Broussard PAT failed Southeastern Louisiana 37–20; Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 3:51 Fourth quarter (04:30) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 17-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Southeastern Louisiana 37–27; Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:13 (00:48) SELA TD – Taron Jones 2-yard rush, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 44–27; Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:42 Top passers SELA – Chason Virgil – 24/32, 344 yards, TD NSU – Shelton Eppler – 35/55, 333 yards, 3 TD Top rushers SELA – Taron Jones – 18 carries, 108 yards, 2 TD NSU – Jared West – 13 carries, 24 yards Top receivers SELA – CJ Turner – 7 receptions, 128 yards, TD NSU – Quan Shorts – 11 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TD

At Nicholls

See also: 2019 Nicholls Colonels football team and NSU Challenge

Statistics	Northwestern State	Nicholls
First downs	21	30
Total yards	428	537
Rushing yards	41	349
Passing yards	387	188
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	22:32	37:28

Northwestern State at Nicholls – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	7	14	14	35
No. 12 Colonels	14	10	7	14	45

at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); overcast
• Game attendance: 8,103
• Referee: Dan Lewis
• TV: CST
• [16] [17] [18]

Game information

First quarter (12:25) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 13-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 7–0; Drive: 4 plays, 32 yards, 1:50 (01:33) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 14–0; Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 6:43 Second quarter (14:56) NSU TD – Jared West 1-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 14–7; Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:37 (04:57) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 29-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 21–7; Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:15 (00:00) NICH FG – Gunnar Jones 20-yard field goal Nicholls 24–7; Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:21 Third quarter (11:27) NICH TD – Julien Gumms 10-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 31–7; Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 3:21 (10:13) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 23-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 31–14; Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:09 (03:12) NSU TD – Gavin Landry 6-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 31–21; Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:40 Fourth quarter (14:23) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 27-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 38–21; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:49 (10:09) NSU TD – Akile Davis 9-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 38–28; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:08 (02:31) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 3-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 45–28; Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:32 (00:32) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 1-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 45–35; Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 1:51 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 27/37, 387 yards, 4 TD NICH – Chase Fourcade – 20/29, 188 yards, TD, INT Top rushers NSU – Jared West – 10 carries, 33 yards, TD NICH – Chase Fourcade – 14 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NSU – Akile Davis – 7 receptions, 155 yards, TD NICH – Tahj Smith – 4 receptions, 70 yards

Central Arkansas

See also: 2019 Central Arkansas Bears football team

Statistics	Central Arkansas	Northwestern State
First downs	23	22
Total yards	388	406
Rushing yards	89	96
Passing yards	299	310
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	30:42	29:18

Central Arkansas at Northwestern State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Bears	7	7	10	7	31
Demons	14	10	0	6	30

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 7,584
• Referee: Christian Watso
• TV: CST
• [19] [20] [21]

Game information

First quarter (10:07) NSU TD – Jared West 2-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 7–0; Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 4:53 (08:26) NSU TD – Gavin Landry 54-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 14–0; Drive: 3 plays, 57 yards, 0:53 (04:59) UCA TD – Carlos Blackman 14-yard rush, Hayden Ray kick Northwestern State 14–7; Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:27 Second quarter (12:10) NSU TD – Jared West 12-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 21–7; Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 2:50 (07:32) UCA TD – Joshua Nix 2-yard pass from Breylin Smith, Hayden Ray kick Northwestern State 21–14; Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:24 (01:22) NSU FG – Ryan Gremillion 22-yard field goal Northwestern State 24–14; Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:02 Third quarter (11:21) UCA FG – Hayden Ray 28-yard field goal Northwestern State 24–17; Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 3:33 (10:24) UCA TD – Carlos Blackman 5-yard pass from Breylin Smith, Hayden Ray kick Tied 24–24; Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 0:56 Fourth quarter (13:20) UCA TD – Lujuan Winingham 25-yard pass from Breylin Smith, Hayden Ray kick Central Arkansas 31–24; Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 1:22 (01:30) NSU TD – Akile Davis 9-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, two-point pass conversion attempt failed Central Arkansas 31–30; Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 3:09 Top passers UCA – Breylin Smith – 30/43, 299 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT NSU – Shelton Eppler – 26/49, 310 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers UCA – Carlos Blackman – 11 carries, 44 yards, TD NSU – Jared West – 13 carries, 56 yards, TD Top receivers UCA – Lujuan Winningham – 9 receptions, 168 yards, TD NSU – Quan Shorts – 11 receptions, 106 yards

At Incarnate Word

See also: 2019 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	Incarnate Word
First downs	19	28
Total yards	358	422
Rushing yards	99	147
Passing yards	259	275
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	29:20	30:40

Northwestern State at Incarnate Word – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Demons	7	9	7	15	6	44
No. 20 Cardinals	7	10	14	7	3	41

at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 3,373
• Referee: Vidal Jones
• [22] [23] [24]

Game information

First quarter (08:49) NSU TD – Jared West 3-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion kick Northwestern State 7–0; Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 5:25 (04:40) UIW TD – Jon Copeland 4-yard rush, Carson Mohr kick Tied 7–7; Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 3:58 Second quarter (13:34) UIW FG – Carson Mohr 46-yard field goal Incarnate Word 10–7; Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards, 4:32 (11:33) UIW TD – Keyondrick Philio 3-yard rush, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 17–7; Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 1:56 (07:27) NSU TD – Jared West 2-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion PAT failed Incarnate Word 17–13; Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:01 (00:00) NSU FG – Daniel Justino 29-yard field goal Incarnate Word 17–16; Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 1:01 Third quarter (13:46) UIW TD – Jerick Pitre 32-yard interception returned, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 24–16; Drive: 3 plays, -2 yards, 1:14 (09:23) UIW TD – Mark Sullivan 39-yard pass from Jon Copeland, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 31–16; Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:44 (06:31) NSU TD – Stadford Anderson 2-yard rush, Daniel Justino kick Incarnate Word 31–23; Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:21 Fourth quarter (08:27) NSU TD – Jared West 5-yard rush, Daniel Justino kick Incarnate Word 31–30; Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 7:46 (02:42) UIW TD – Brady Rogers 8-yard pass from Jon Copeland, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 38–30; Drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 5:37 (00:19) NSU TD – Tanner Ash 19-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Shelton Eppler two-point conversion pass to Akile Davis Tied 38–38; Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 2:23 First overtime UIW FG – Carson Mohr 26-yard field goal Incarnate Word 41–38; Drive: 16 plays, 0 yards, 0:13 NSU TD – Quan Shorts 1-yard pass from Shelton Eppler Northwestern State 44–41; Drive: 16 plays, 0 yards, 0:13 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 30/40, 259 yards, 2 TD, INT UIW – Jon Copeland – 27/36, 275 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NSU – Stadford Anderson –13 carries, 60 yards, TD UIW – Kevin Brown – 21 carries, 116 yards Top receivers NSU – Quan Shorts – 11 receptions, 99 yards, TD UIW – CJ Hardy – 4 receptions, 84 yards

At McNeese State

See also: 2019 McNeese State Cowboys football team and McNeese State–Northwestern State football rivalry

Statistics	Northwestern State	McNeese State
First downs	18	14
Total yards	314	308
Rushing yards	20	117
Passing yards	294	191
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	27:19	32:41

Northwestern State at McNeese State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	10	7	3	0	20
Cowboys	6	3	8	13	30

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, LA

• Date: November 2
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); fair and cool
• Game attendance: 9,295
• Referee: Mike Defee
• TV: CST
• [25] [26] [27]

Game information

First quarter (11:22) NSU TD – Jared West 9-yard rush, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 7–0; Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 2:41 (11:09) MCNS TD – D'Andre Hicks 96-yard kickoff returned, Bailey Raborn PAT blocked Northwestern State 7–6; Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00 (06:59) NSU FG – Daniel Justino 37-yard field goal Northwestern State 10–6; Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 4:05 Second quarter (14:14) MCNS FG – Bailey Raborn 23-yard field goal Northwestern State 10–9; Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 2:46 (10:27) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 22-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 17–9; Drive: 2 plays, 22 yards, 0:12 Third quarter (10:34) NSU FG – Daniel Justino 21-yard field goal Northwestern State 20–9; Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 4:26 (02:45) MCNS TD – Trevor Begue 27-yard pass from Cody Orgeron, Cody Orgeron two-point conversion pass to J'Uan Gross Northwestern State 20–17; Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards, 1:21 Fourth quarter (14:57) MCNS TD – Trevor Begue 3-yard pass from Cody Orgeron, Bailey Raborn kick McNeese State 24–20; Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:41 (08:14) MCNS FG – Bailey Raborn 20-yard field goal McNeese State 27–20; Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:52 (01:06) MCNS FG – Bailey Raborn 29-yard field goal McNeese State 30–20; Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 0:58 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 28/53, 294 yards, TD, 2 INT MCNS – Cody Orgeron – 16/18, 191 yards, 2 TD Top rushers NSU – Jared West – 8 carries, 31 yards, TD MCNS – Justin Pratt – 29 carries, 87 yards Top receivers NSU – Akile Davis – 4 receptions, 73 yards MCNS – Cyron Sutton – 7 receptions, 71 yards

Lamar

See also: 2019 Lamar Cardinals football team

Statistics	Lamar	Northwestern State
First downs	12	22
Total yards	200	466
Rushing yards	93	177
Passing yards	107	289
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	26:44	33:16

Lamar at Northwestern State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	3	7	3	0	13
Demons	7	7	7	13	34

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C); clear and calm
• Game attendance: 5,122
• Referee: Cooper Castlebe
• TV: CST
• [28] [29] [30]

Game information

First quarter (07:22) LAMR FG – Bailey Giffen 37-yard field goal Lamar 3–0; Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:28 (04:35) NSU TD – Miles Ward 39-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 7–3; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:47 Second quarter (08:25) NSU TD – Kendrick Price 4-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 14–3; Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 3:20 (03:34) LAMR TD – Michael Lawson 15-yard interception returned, Bailey Giffen kick Northwestern State 14–10; Drive: 2 plays, 3 yards, 0:35 Third quarter (08:29) LAMR FG – Bailey Giffen 25-yard field goal Northwestern State 14–13; Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:13 (01:09) NSU TD – Tanner Ash 2-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 21–13; Drive: 3 plays, 1 yards, 1:14 Fourth quarter (12:00) NSU TD – Kendrick Price 12-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 28–13; Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:30 (06:10) NSU TD – Stadford Anderson 40-yard rush, Daniel Justino PAT failed Northwestern State 34–13; Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 3:52 Top passers LAMR – Marcellus Johnson – 5/20, 107 yards, INT NSU – Shelton Eppler – 24/35, 289 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT Top rushers LAMR – Marcellus Johnson – 15 carries, 57 yards NSU – Stadford Anderson – 13 carries, 84 yards, TD Top receivers LAMR – Kirkland Banks – 1 reception, 43 yards NSU – Kendrick Price – 6 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TD

At Sam Houston State

See also: 2019 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

Statistics	Northwestern State	Sam Houston State
First downs	21	19
Total yards	380	359
Rushing yards	74	135
Passing yards	306	224
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	34:17	25:43

Northwestern State at Sam Houston State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	7	17	7	0	31
Bearkats	21	0	7	0	28

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C); sunny and clear
• Game attendance: 4,280
• Referee: Dan Lewis
• TV: ESPN+
• [31] [32] [33]

Game information

First quarter (12:06) SHSU TD – Donovan Williams 12-yard rush, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 7–0; Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2:54 (09:48) NSU TD – Kendrick Price 67-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Tied 7–7; Drive: 6 plays, 89 yards, 2:14 (06:38) SHSU TD – Donovan Williams 1-yard rush, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 14–7; Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:03 (06:02) SHSU TD – Dwayne Williams 23-yard interception returned, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 21–7; Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards, 0:36 Second quarter (07:27) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 1-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Sam Houston State 21–14; Drive: 14 plays, 78 yards, 5:52 (02:52) NSU FG – Daniel Justino 43-yard field goal Sam Houston State 21–17; Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:59 (00:19) NSU TD – Shemar Bartholomew 96-yard interception returned, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 24–21; Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 2:28 Third quarter (09:57) SHSU TD – Donovan Williams 10-yard rush, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 28–24; Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:38 (08:03) NSU TD – Shelton Eppler 5-yard rush, Daniel Justino kick Northwestern State 31–28; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:54 Top passers NSU – Shelton Eppler – 26/42 306 yards, 2 TD, INT SHSU – Ty Brock – 10/20, 146 yards, 3 INT Top rushers NSU – Stadford Anderson – 15 carries, 62 yards SHSU – Donovan Williams – 23 carries, 152 yards, 3 TD Top receivers NSU – Kendrick Price – 4 receptions, 114 yards, TD SHSU – Chandler Harvin – 4 receptions, 108 yards

Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2019 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

Statistics	Stephen F. Austin	Northwestern State
First downs	21	20
Total yards	418	389
Rushing yards	232	56
Passing yards	186	333
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	36:37	23:23

Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Lumberjacks	13	14	5	0	32
Demons	0	7	7	6	20

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, LA

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C); cloudy and calm
• Game attendance: 5,822
• Referee: Vidal Jones
• [34] [35] [36]

Game information

First quarter (08:07) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 54-yard field goal Stephen F. Austin 3–0; Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 2:17 (05:38) SFA TD – Thomas Hutchings 7-yard rush, Storm Ruiz kick Stephen F. Austin 10–0; Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:10 (00:28) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 41-yard field goal Stephen F. Austin 13–0; Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 2:57 Second quarter (10:47) SFA TD – Josh McGowen 20-yard rush, Storm Ruiz kick Stephen F. Austin 20–0; Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:19 (10:39) SFA TD – Xavier Gipson 55-yard pass from Trae Self, Storm Ruiz kick Stephen F. Austin 27–0; Drive: 1 play, 55 yards, 0:08 (02:24) NSU TD – Kendrick Price 15-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Stephen F. Austin 27–7; Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 1:06 Third quarter (11:09) SFA SF – Team Safety Stephen F. Austin 29–7; Drive: 1 play, -2 yards, 0:09 (08:48) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 44-yard field goal Stephen F. Austin 32–7; Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:21 (00:27) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 15-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Daniel Justino kick Stephen F. Austin 32–14; Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 3:15 Fourth quarter (09:22) NSU TD – Jared West 10-yard rush, two-point pass conversion attempt failed Stephen F. Austin 32–20; Drive: 5 plays, 90 yards, 1:38 Top passers SFA – Trae Self – 15/29, 177 yards, TD, 2 INT NSU – Shelton Eppler – 27/50, 333 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers SFA – Josh McGowen – 22 carries, 158 yards, TD NSU – Stadford Anderson – 6 carries, 35 yards Top receivers SFA – Xavier Gipson – 7 receptions, 98 yards, TD NSU – Quan Shorts – 9 receptions, 132 yards, TD

Roster

2019 Northwestern State Demons football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Quan Shorts Sr QB 2 Kaleb Fletcher So RB 3 Stadford Anderson Jr WR 4 Benaiah Franklin Jr QB 5 Shelton Eppler Sr WR 6 Robbie Wiliams III Fr QB 7 Bryce Waters So WR 8 Levar Gumms So WR 9 Akile Davis Sr WR 10 Myles Ward So WR 11 Tanner Ash So QB 13 Zachary Clement Fr WR 14 Coby McGee So WR 15 Jalen Willis  Fr TE 17 David Fitzwater  Jr WR 18 Kendrick Price Jr WR 19 Curtis Williams  Fr RB 20 Trevor Morgan So RB 21 Jared West Sr RB 25 JaQuan Jackson  Fr RB 27 Erik Hart Fr WR 35 T. K. Hamilton Fr RB 42 Matthew Nelson  Fr OL 56 Kenny Sheldon So OL 57 Brody Griffin  Jr OL 59 Jalen Haydel Jr OL 60 Tyler Rapp Sr OL 61 Spencer Cody Fr OL 62 Jake Gore So OL 63 Alyzcha Ulufale-Hentz  Fr OL 64 Reggie Young  Fr OL 67 Jordan Cooper Fr OL 69 Jakob Sell So OL 70 Jonathan Hubbard Sr OL 72 Khalil Corbett-Canada  So OL 74 Chris Zirkle Sr OL 75 Dustin Burns Sr OL 76 Christian Mobley Fr OL 77 Parker Fink So OL 78 Cody Coleman So OL 79 Clay Cotten Fr TE 82 Aaron Howell  Fr WR 83 Jacob Sylvia Fr WR 84 Gavin Landry Jr WR 85 Gabriel Enrest  Fr WR 86 Patrick Heard Fr TE 88 Tyler O'Donoghue Sr WR 89 McKane Kinchen So	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Tobias Williams  Fr CB 2 D'Ronne Littleton Sr CB 3 Shemar Bartholomew So S 4 Cedric Anderson  Fr ILB 5 Jalen Angelle  Fr CB 6 Kunta Hester Fr S 7 Kevin Ratliff Sr S 8 Ryan Reed Sr LB 10 Ja'Quay Pough Jr OLB 11 Jomard Valsin Jr. So S 14 Isaiah Armstrong Sr CB 15 William Hooper So CB 16 Fredrick Lee Jr.  Fr S 18 Ronald Malbrough Sr OLB 19 Tevyn Johnson Jr CB 20 Malik Sonnier Jr ILB 21 Jared Pedraza Fr ILB 22 Adrion Robertson Jr S 23 Nicholas Forde Sr S 24 Ian Edwards Sr S 25 Hayden Bourgeois Jr CB 26 Keldrick Ward So CB 28 Dylan Wilson Sr CB 29 Trey Williams So ILB 30 Bishop Breaux  Fr CB 31 Jalen Garrison  Fr OLB 32 Landon King So ILB 33 Isaiah Longino Jr OLB 35 Kyle Moore Jr ILB 36 Corban James Jr OLB 38 Quindarrius Whitley Sr OLB 39 Chandler Moncrief Fr S 40 TK Evans  Fr ILB 43 Blake Stephenson Sr CB 45 Tyson Ford Fr CB 46 Ray Johnson Fr OLB 47 Rashuad Powell So DE 48 Johnathan Daigle Fr S 49 Keenan Leachman  Fr ILB 50 Ricky Chatman Jr DT 51 Nathalohn Nanai So DE 52 Desmond Prejean Sr ILB 53 Brice Borgeson Sr OLB 54 Matthew Pajinag Fr DT 55 O'Shea Jackson Sr OLB 57 Jackson Matthews So DT 58 Myles Mitchell So NT 70 Khalil Sumlin Jr DL 71 Devin Gabriel Fr DE 90 Darius Whitfield Jr DE 91 Jarviar Wade Fr DE 93 Ty Cormier  Fr DT 94 Ja'Quez Jackson Fr NT 95 Joey McNeely  Fr DT 96 Jabralen Yarber Fr DE 97 John-Alex Perkins So DT 98 Tyrus Butler Jr NT 99 Damian Thompson Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 9 Parker Pastorello Sr K 37 Daniel Justino Jr K, P 43 Scotty Roblow Fr LS 55 Evan Gibson  Fr K 94 Ryan Gremillion Fr	Head coach Brad Laird (Northwestern State) Coordinators/assistant coaches Brad Smiley (Baylor) Offensive coordinator, tight ends Mike Lucas (William & Mary) Defensive coordinator, inside linebackers De'Von Lockett (Northwestern State) Defensive backs Gerald Howse (Georgia) Running backs Ledell Love (Northwestern State) Defensive line Jake Olsen (Valley City State) Safeties, recruiting coordinator J Pond (Texas A&M) Offensive line Anthony Scelfo (Tulane) Quarterbacks Alvin Slaughter (Clarion) Wide receivers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 5, 2020