2015 Northwestern State Demons football team

2015 Northwestern State Demons football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	4–7 (4–5 Southland)
Head coach	Jay Thomas (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Ben Norton (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Daryl Daye (1st season)
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 McNeese State $^		9	–	0					10	–	1
No. 3 Sam Houston State ^		7	–	2					11	–	4
Central Arkansas		7	–	2					7	–	4
Incarnate Word *		5	–	4					6	–	5
Lamar		4	–	5					5	–	6
Northwestern State		4	–	5					4	–	7
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	5					4	–	7
SE Louisiana		3	–	6					4	–	7
Abilene Christian *		3	–	6					3	–	8
Nicholls State		3	–	6					3	–	8
Houston Baptist		0	–	8					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll

The 2015 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Jay Thomas, the Demons compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 4–5 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fifth in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 pm	No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	ASN	L 20–34	10,621
September 12	6:00 pm	at Louisiana–Lafayette*	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA	ESPN3	L 17–44	26,824
September 19	3:00 pm	at Mississippi State*	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	L 13–62	61,574
September 26	6:00 pm	Central Arkansas	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN3	L 21–49	10,725
October 3	6:00 pm	at Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	UIWtv	L 31–45	3,012
October 17	6:00 pm	Lamar	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	DemonTV	W 48–35	9,133
October 24	6:00 pm	at No. 12 McNeese State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	CST	L 27–47	9,806
October 31	3:00 pm	at Nicholls State	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge)	SLDN	W 37–21	5,066
November 7	6:00 pm	Abilene Christian	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA		W 39–22	5,377
November 14	2:30 pm	at No. 13 Sam Houston State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	SLDN	L 21–59	7,408
November 21	3:00 pm	Stephen F. Austin	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (Chief Caddo)	SLDN	W 33–17	6,147
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • #19 Lions 6 7 13 8 34 Demons 3 3 7 7 20 Date: September 3 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:32 Game attendance: 10,621 Game weather: 93 °F (34 °C) • Wind: 1 N • Humid and sticky Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ASN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:01 Northwestern State Chris Moore 37 yd field goal 3–0 1 1:42 Southeastern Louisiana Xavier Roberson run for 1 yd for a TD, Jonathon Tatum extra point failed 3–6 2 12:26 Northwestern State Chris Moore 46 yd field goal 6–6 2 0:43 Southeastern Louisiana Jeff Smiley run for 12 yds for a TD, Jonathon Tatum kick good 6–13 3 9:58 Southeastern Louisiana Kody Sutton run for 2 yds for a TD, Jonathon Tatum extra point failed 6–19 3 6:03 Southeastern Louisiana D'Shaie Landor run for 81 yds for a TD, Jonathon Tatum kick good 6–26 3 3:16 Northwestern State Daniel Taylor run for 27 yds for a TD, Chris Moore kick good 13–26 4 8:53 Northwestern State Joel Blumenthal pass complete to Shakeir Ryan for 44 yds for a TD, Chris Moore kick good 20–26 4 1:01 Southeastern Louisiana Kody Sutton run for 3 yds for a TD, D'Shaie Landor pass to Jeff Smiley for Two-Point Conversion 20–34

@ Louisiana–Lafayette

Northwestern State at Louisiana–Lafayette

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 10 7 0 17 • Ragin' Cajuns 14 13 7 10 44 Date: September 12 Location: Cajun Field Lafayette, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 26,824 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NNE 14 • Mostly Sunny Referee: Jeff Hilyer Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:01 Louisiana–Lafayette Elijah McGuire run for 7 yds for a TD, (Stevie Artigue KICK), 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:59 0–7 1 9:07 Louisiana–Lafayette Elijah McGuire run for 88 yds for a TD, (Stevie Artigue KICK), 1 play, 88 yards, 0:13 0–14 2 10:17 Northwestern State Chris Jones run for 41 yds for a TD, (Chris Moore KICK), 7 plays, 76 yards, 4:31 7–14 2 3:55 Louisiana–Lafayette Elijah McGuire run for 3 yds for a TD, (Stevie Artigue PAT MISSED), 11 plays, 69 yards, 6:22 7–20 2 1:16 Louisiana–Lafayette Elijah McGuire run for 24 yds for a TD, (Stevie Artigue KICK), 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:06 7–27 2 0:07 Northwestern State Chris Moore 21 yd FG GOOD, 7 plays, 65 yards, 1:09 10–27 3 6:16 Louisiana–Lafayette Elijah McGuire run for 1 yd for a TD, (Stevie Artigue KICK), 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:17 10–34 3 2:30 Northwestern State J.D. Almond pass complete to Cody Jones for 14 yds for a TD, (Chris Moore KICK), 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:46 17–34 4 14:56 Louisiana–Lafayette Torrey Pierce run for 1 yd for a TD, (Stevie Artigue KICK), 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:34 17–41 4 7:33 Louisiana–Lafayette Stevie Artigue 26 Yd Field Goal, 8 plays, 58 yards, 4:04 17–44

@ Mississippi State

Northwestern at Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 6 7 0 13 • Bulldogs 20 14 14 14 62 Date: September 19 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 61,574 Game weather: 95 °F (35 °C) • Light Wind • Clear Skies Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (Play-by-Play), Matt Stinchcomb (Color), Kayce Smith (Sideline Reporter) Source: Northwestern State vs Mississippi State

Scoring summary 1 13:21 Mississippi State Gabe Myles 49-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Logan Cooke pass failed 0–6 1 3:42 Mississippi State Ashton Shumpert 17-yard touchdown run, Westin Graves kick good 0–13 1 0:07 Mississippi State Aeris Williams 1-yard touchdown run, Westin Graves kick good 0–20 2 10:09 Northwestern State Chris Moore 52-yard kick good 3–20 2 8:39 Mississippi State Gabe Myles 6-yard touchdown run, Westin Graves kick good 3–27 2 2:27 Northwestern State Chris Moore 26-yard kick good 6–27 2 0:56 Mississippi State Brandon Holloway 6-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Westin Graves kick good 6–34 3 6:59 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 10-yard touchdown run, Chris Moore kick good 13–34 3 4:02 Mississippi State Nick Fitzgerald 4-yard touchdown run, Westin Graves kick good 13–41 3 0:26 Mississippi State Joe Morrow 37-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Staley, Westin Graves kick good 13–48 4 12:12 Mississippi State Donald Gray 49-yard touchdown pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Devon Bell kick good 13–55 4 1:48 Mississippi State Nick Fitzgerald 3-yard touchdown run, Devon Bell kick good 13–62

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 18 10 14 7 49 Demons 0 7 7 7 21 Date: September 26 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 10,725 Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C) • Wind: NNE 7 • Mostly Sunny Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 10:17 Central Arkansas Alex Deason 47 Yd Field Goal, 12 plays, 44 yards, 4:43 0–3 1 6:32 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 16 Yd pass from Taylor Reed (Scott Matiaha Run for Two-Point Conversion), 3 plays, 27 yards, 1:01 0–11 1 2:47 Central Arkansas Blake Veasley 1 Yd Run (Jace Denker Kick), 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:32 0–18 2 10:12 Central Arkansas Blake Veasley 3 Yd Run (Jace Denker Kick), 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:43 0–25 2 4:31 Central Arkansas Jace Denker 22 Yd Field Goal, 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:54 0–28 2 1:28 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 6 Yd pass from J.D. Almond (Chris Moore Kick), 8 plays, 83 yards, 2:57 7–28 3 10:05 Central Arkansas Jacquez McMillian 45 Yd pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Jace Denker Kick), 9 plays, 83 yards, 3:19 7–35 4 8:12 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 4 Yd Run (Chris Moore Kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:53 14–35 4 5:17 Central Arkansas Jatavious Wilson 42 Yd pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Jace Denker Kick), 1 play, 42 yards, 0:08 14–42 4 12:19 Central Arkansas Blake Gardner 22 Yd pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Jace Denker Kick), 7 plays, 86 yards, 3:14 14–49 4 8:35 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 28 Yd pass from J.D. Almond (Chris Moore Kick), 10 plays, 73 yards, 3:38 21–49

@ Incarnate Word

Northwestern State at Incarnate Word

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 14 7 3 7 31 • Cardinals 0 14 14 17 45 Date: October 3 Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 3,012 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: ENE 6 • Sunny Referee: Michael VanderVelde Television network: UIWtv Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:05 Northwestern State Chris Jones 10 Yd Run, Chris Moore Kick; 9 plays, 72 yards, 2:43 7–0 1 1:08 Northwestern State Daniel Taylor 1 Yd run, Chris Moore Kick; 7 plays, 40 yards, 2:23 14–0 2 14:54 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 32 Yd Pass from Trent Brittain, Cody Seidel Kick; 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:14 14–7 2 9:41 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 1 Yd Run, Chris Moore Kick; 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:13 21–7 2 0:26 Incarnate Word Trent Brittain 2 Yd Run, Cody Seidel Kick; 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:22 14–21 3 10:40 Incarnate Word Broderick Reeves 23 Yd Run, Cody Seidel Kick; 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:07 21–21 3 6:27 Northwestern State Chris Moore 32 Yd Field Goal; 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:13 24–21 3 0:23 Incarnate Word Trent Brittain 1 Yd Run, Cody Seidel Kick; 13 plays, 66 yards, 5:57 24–28 4 13:11 Incarnate Word Trent Brittain 47 Yd Run, Cody Seidel Kick; 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:43 24–35 4 9:53 Incarnate Word John Oglesby 7 Yd Pass from Trent Brittain, Cody Seidel Kick; 4 plays, 34 yards, 1:23 24–42 4 8:26 Northwestern State Daniel Taylor 51 Yd Run, Chris Moore Kick; 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:17 31–42 4 2:54 Incarnate Word Cody Seidel 37 Yd Field Goal; 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:32 31–45

Lamar

Lamar at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 14 7 14 35 • Demons 14 17 3 14 48 Date: October 17 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:31 Game attendance: 9,133 Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • NE 9 • Sunny and mild Referee: Scott Campbell Sources:[2]

Scoring summary 1 12:43 Northwestern State Daniel Taylor 12 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 4 plays, 67 yards, TOP 2:17 7–0 1 03:47 Northwestern State De'Mar Llorens 53 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 4 plays, 64 yards, TOP 1:20 14–0 2 14:26 Northwestern State Chris Moore 26 yard field goal 9 plays, 58 yards, TOP 3:31 17–0 2 14:13 Lamar Kad Harrington 79 yard run (Alex Ball kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:13 17–7 2 9:31 Northwestern State Shakeir Ryan 22 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 5 plays, 60 yards, TOP 1:45 24–7 2 8:13 Lamar Kad Harrington 5 yard run (Alex Ball kick), 3 plays, 59 yards, TOP 1:10 24–14 2 00:13 Northwestern State Zach White 2 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 3:27 31–14 3 12:35 Lamar Kad Harrington 2 yard run (Alex Ball kick), 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:25 31–21 3 02:54 Northwestern State Chris Moore 28 yard field goal, 11 plays, 55 yards, TOP 5:50 34–21 4 14:17 Northwestern State Adam Jones 95 yard fumble recovery (Chris Moore kick) 41–21 4 11:36 Lamar Kad Harrington 3 yard run (Alex Ball kick), 7 plays, 42 yards, TOP 2:36 41–28 4 08:16 Northwestern State De'Mar Llorens 1 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:19 48–28 4 05:41 Lamar Kad Harrington 2 yard run (Alex Ball kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:35 48–35

@ McNeese State

Northwestern State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 7 3 10 7 27 • #12 Cowboys 7 7 13 20 47 Date: October 24 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 9,806 Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • NE 8 • Cloudy/40% rain Referee: Kevin Hassell Sources:

Scoring summary 1 14:47 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 97 yard kickoff return (Chris Moore kick) 7–0 1 4:22 McNeese State Daniel Sams 1 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:22 7–7 2 14:56 McNeese State Tavarious Battiste 29 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel kick), 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:19 7–14 2 7:45 Northwestern State Chris Moore 20 yard field goal, 16 plays, 74 yards, 7:11 10–14 3 14:40 McNeese State Kent Shelby 73 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux kick), 1 play, 73 yards, 0:20 10–21 3 14:24 Northwestern State Joel Blumenthal 62 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 1 play, 62 yards, 0:29 17–21 3 5:45 Northwestern State Chris Moore 44 yard field goal, 11 plays, 44 yards, 4:33 20–21 3 2:17 McNeese State Ryan Ross 2 yard run (Jean Breaux PAT failed), 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:28 20–27 4 14:53 Northwestern State Tuff McClain 42 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 5 plays, 73 yards, 2:24 27–27 4 12:42 McNeese State Daniel Sams 52 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:11 27–34 4 5:25 McNeese State Austin Nelson 2 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux PAT blocked), 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:35 27–40 4 2:19 McNeese State Ryan Ross 1 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:51 27–47

@ Nicholls

Northwestern State at Nicholls

1 2 3 4 Total • Demons 14 7 16 0 37 Colonels 7 7 7 0 21 Date: October 31 Location: John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 5,066 Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • S 12 mph • Rainy Referee: Kevin Mar Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:25 Nicholls Michael Henry 19 yard pass from Tuskani Figaro (Francisco Condado kick), 7 plays, 60 yards, 2:35 0–7 1 6:24 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 1 yard run (Chris Moore kick) 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:55 7–7 1 3:10 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 24 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 5 plays, 53 yards, 1:43 14–7 2 10:43 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 13 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 12 plays, 88 yards, 4:58 21–7 2 1:49 Nicholls Michael Henry 1 yard run (Francisco Condado kick), 11 plays, 74 yards, 4:40 21–14 3 11:33 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 2 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:23 28–14 3 10:14 Northwestern State JeMarcus Marshall Safety, 3 plays, −13 yards, 1:13 30–14 3 8:12 Northwestern State Daniel Taylor 38 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 4 plays, 50 yards, 2:02 37–14 3 2:29 Nicholls Tuskani Figaro 39 yard run (Francisco Condado kick), 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:54 37–21

Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 7 0 0 15 22 • Demons 6 17 16 0 39 Date: November 7 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 5,377 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • NNE 3 • Chilly and Rainy Referee: Ross Smith Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:43 Northwestern State Cody Jones 3 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore PAT failed), 3 plays, 27 yards, 1:17 6–0 1 3:24 Abilene Christian Dallas Sealey 11 yard run (Zach Lehr kick), 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:03 6–7 2 11:42 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 4 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:35 13–7 2 3:54 Northwestern State Chris Moore 52 yard field goal, 8 plays, 42 yards, 4:05 16–7 2 0:23 Northwestern State Shakeir Ryan 2 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:06 23–7 3 7:48 Northwestern State Chris Moore 31 yard field goal, 10 plays, 62 yards, 5:28 26–7 3 5:42 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 65 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 1 play, 65 yards, 0:10 33–7 3 0:56 Northwestern State Chris Jones 37 yard run (Chris Moore PAT blocked), 1 play, 32 yards, 0:20 39–7 4 14:49 Abilene Christian Herschel Sims 68 yard run (Zach Lehr kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:03 39–14 4 7:21 Abilene Christian Cody Ennis 2 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Dallas Sealey pass to Monte Green-Avery for two-point conv.), 15 plays, 79 yards, 5:38 39–22

@ Sam Houston State

Northwestern State at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 7 7 7 0 21 • #13 Bearkats 14 21 10 14 59 Date: November 14 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 7,408 Referee: Cal McNeill Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:29 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 24 yard pass from Jared Johnson (Tre Honshtein kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:31 0–7 1 3:51 Northwestern State Chris Jones 19 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:04 7–7 1 1:10 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 24 yard pass from Jared Johnson (Tre Honshtein kick), 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:32 7–14 2 11:42 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 27 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:32 7–21 2 7:06 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 9 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), 11 plays, 77 yards, 2:59 7–28 2 5:27 Sam Houston State Gerald Thomas 15 yard pass from Jared Johnson (Tre Honshtein kick), 3 plays, 20 yards, 0:56 7–35 2 2:03 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 22 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:22 14–35 3 12:01 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 15 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:53 21–35 3 9:52 Sam Houston State Jalen Overstreet 8 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), 8 plays, 65 yards, 2:09 21–42 3 5:23 Sam Houston State Tre Honshtein 31 yard field goal, 7 plays, 49 yards, 1:51 21–45 4 12:54 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 78 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), 3 plays, 88 yards, 1:10 21–52 4 2:23 Sam Houston State Ridgeway Frank 11 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:20 21–59

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total Lumberjacks 7 7 3 0 17 • Demons 0 17 10 6 33 Date: November 21 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 3:00 PM CST Game attendance: 6,147 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 –

References