Opponent Preview: Northwestern State
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The final act of the 2015 season will play out Saturday in Natchitoches, Louisiana, as Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State renew their annual border rivalry. The yearly battle between the Lumberjacks and Demons will still have plenty of bragging rights as the two teams vie for Chief Caddo, the largest trophy in all of sports.
The two teams’ seasons have mirrored each other as both SFA and NSU stumbled out of the gates, losing the first five games of their respective seasons. Both have been able to find their footing in the second half of the season with the Lumberjacks winning four of the last five to sit at 4-6 on the year while the Demons have won three of five, sitting at 3-7 overall.
Saturday’s game at Turpin Stadium is the 72nd meeting between the two longtime rivals dating back to 1924 as Northwestern State holds the upper hand with a 43-25-3. The game will also be a milestone game in the series as it marks the 50th Battle for Chief Caddo, one of the most unique trophies in all of sports.
Standing 7-6 and weighing 320 pounds, the Chief has been a fixture in the series since 1961 when he was carved from a Nacogdoches black gum log following a Demon victory. The statue is named to honor the Caddos -- a Native American tribe indigenous to the area. As legend has it, a Caddo chief and his two sons are responsible for the settling of Nacogdoches and Natchitoches, La. -- home to Northwestern State -- each of which is recognized as the oldest settlement in its respective state.
The Chief has spent five of the last six seasons in his hometown of Nacogdoches as SFA has won six of the last 10 games against its border rival. The Demons hold the upper hand in the Chief Caddo series, boasting a 29-19-1 record since the Chief became a central figure of the rivalry.
While annual season finale already is full of emotion on both sides, it will take on an even bigger meaning in 2015 due to major losses on both campuses in the week leading up to the game. Former SFA football player and Board of Regents member Mike Wilhite passed away late last week, followed by the passing of former Northwestern State president Dr. Randall J. Webb on Wednesday.
The 50th Battle for Chief Caddo kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday, broadcast online for at DemonTV through NSUDemons.com for a fee. Rob Meyers will have the call of the game on the radio at Q107.7 FM as fans can listen online at Q1077.com. Live stats will be available through NSUDemons.com with in-game Twitter updates available @SFA_Football.
Head Coach Clint Conque Press Conference Transcript
On the season finale at Northwestern State:
“It’s an opportunity to finish the season on a high note. We’ve won four of our last five and this gives us an opportunity to win five of our last six, which shows improvement of the team from week one. Certainly it’s a huge game for both universities in regards to Battle for Chief Caddo, especially being the 50th year of that. We know what that means to both institutions, both cities, both football programs. We don’t have a shot at the NCAA playoffs, which last year in this game, both teams were in a position with a win to get into the playoffs. The things you focus on is sending your seniors off on a high note, carrying momentum from the second half of the season into the offseason and then into recruiting. We want to retain the largest traveling trophy in college football for another year. There’s a lot to play for and a lot of incentive to finish the season the right way. We’re just hoping to continue the momentum from the second half of our season, an upward trajectory and positive play.”
On the win over Houston Baptist:
“When you look at Houston Baptist, they’ve got length in their secondary, they’re big at linebacker, they’ve got a couple of edge players on defense and a couple of good backs. They’re struggling at some positions and searching for consistency, but they’re a very physical football team, very well coached and I thought we did some good things. We played 64 players (against HBU) where as the week before we played 43 against UCA. We were able to get some of our depth involved and they played well which was encouraging. We played three quarterbacks and every receiver on the roster, and we even had a tight end lined up end out there at one point because we’re still thin there. Jacolby Whitaker got some good reps in the second half to relieve Joshawa West and Loren Easly, so it was good to get him some extra work. We got to play a lot of young people which was invaluable experience for those guys. This week its all hands on deck. We’re sitting in a tie for fourth in the conference and though though we don’t have a NCAA bid on the line, which is always one of our goals, we’re in a program where commissioner points mean something, so we’re going to try and do our part to get us some points.”
On Northwestern State:
“They’re rebuilding the defense but they’ve found some rhythm on offense under Philip Rivers’ little brother, Stephen. He’s about 6-7, so Zach (Conque) won’t be the biggest quarterback out there. And then they bring in (Joel) Blumenthal, who is a change-of-pace guy that can throw a little bit but he can really run so you’ve got a duel-headed situation you have to deal with there. It starts with Ed Eagan at receiver, and he’s one of the most dynamic players we’ve seen in our league. He has really stepped up his game in the second half of the year and you need to have your head on a swivel to know where he is at all times. The running back (De’Mard) Llorens has put up some big numbers the past few weeks and has started to emerge as well. The offensive line is big and physical and what you would expect from Northwestern State. They are the best special teams unit that we’ve seen this year. Eagan returned a kickoff against us last year and he returned a punt against McNeese this year. Both their senior kicker and punter are very good and they can fake a punt anywhere on the field. Sam Houston was pretty good but I think these guys are better. They’ve got a lot of athletes as well as their kicker and punter who are exceptional, and it’s an area we haven’t been the best in this season, so that will be a point of emphasis.”
On Zach Conque being named SLC Offensive Player of the Week:
“Well first of all, we caught the ball better this week, so he had some extra help around him. I’m pleased that we finally got somebody (to earn SLC honors). We were close a few times this year but glad we finally broke through. I’m pleased with his performance as he was obviously very efficient. He had one loose throw on a slant but outside of that I thought he was very efficient and made great decisions all game. Certainly it gives us that extra dimension with his ability to run the football.”
On looking forward to the future:
“When you break it down, you can see why we’re excited. We have 100% of our passing game back. Fred Ford was our only senior rusher, so we have about 90% of our running back and about 90% of our pass receptions will be back, losing Aaron Thomas and Braxton Bearden. Defensively, we’ll take some hits losing Justin Owens and Demundre Freeman, but the majority of our top-20 tacklers will return. Up front will take the biggest hit, losing three offensive lineman and two starters on the defensive line. Also we lose a solid punter. But again, against HBU, it was really good to see some of those younger players play. Trevon Smith had an interception for a pick-six, as well as returning some kicks. Aaron Piper is starting to play with a lot of confidence and guys like John Franklin, De’Quann Ruffin, Marlon Walls are all settling in. We’d have loved to have Fred (Ford) all year, we’d loved to have Aaron (Thomas) all year, and we’d loved to have Hipolito Corporan all year. But what that’s done is opened the door for some of these younger players, ready or not, to have to push through those doors and they’re only going to get better.”
-SFA-
