2021 Northwestern State Demons football team

2021 Northwestern State Demons football
2021 Northwestern State Demons football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	3–8 (3–5 Southland)
Head coach	Brad Laird (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Brad Smiley (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Mike Lucas (5th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southland Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^	6	–	2	9	–	4
Nicholls	5	–	3	6	–	5
McNeese State *	3	–	5	4	–	7
Northwestern State	3	–	5	3	–	8
Houston Baptist	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fourth 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 in July 2021. The Demons were picked to finish fifth in the conference.^[1] In addition, nine Demons were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Southeastern Louisiana	48 (8)
2	Nicholls	43 (4)
3	Incarnate Word	32
4	McNeese State	26
5	Northwestern State	21
6	Houston Baptist	10

Preseason All–Southland Teams

Offense

1st Team

Scooter Adams – Running Back, JR

2nd Team

Khalil Corbett-Canada – Offensive Lineman, SR
Jakob Sell – Offensive Lineman, JR
Scotty Roblow – Punter, RS-SO

Defense

1st Team

Jomard Valsin – Linebacker, JR

2nd Team

Ja'Quay Pough – Linebacker, SR
P. J. Herrington – Defensive Back, JR
William Hooper – Defensive Back, JR
Donovan Duvernay – Kick Returner, SR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	6:30 p.m.	at North Texas*	Apogee Stadium Denton, TX	ESPN3	L 14–44	18,716
September 11	6:00 p.m.	at Alcorn State*	Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS		L 10–13	0
September 18	6:00 p.m.	UT Martin*	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+	L 10–35	9,146
October 2	6:00 p.m.	No. 24 Incarnate Word	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+	L 27–38	6,125
October 9	6:00 p.m.	at Houston Baptist	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 21–17	1,987
October 16	3:00 p.m.	McNeese State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	CST	L 17–35	7,413
October 23	3:00 p.m.	No. 9 Southeastern Louisiana	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 14–51	6,523
October 30	12:00 p.m.	at Nicholls	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge)	CST	L 21–42	7,328
November 6	3:00 p.m.	Houston Baptist	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+	W 28–24	3,621
November 13^[a]	6:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN+	L 28–56	4,137
November 20	12:00 p.m.	at McNeese State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 24–20	8,412
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[4]^[5]

^ Northwestern State's away game against Southeastern Louisiana was originally scheduled to be played on September 25, but the game was moved on November 13, 2021, due to safety concerns related to Hurricane Ida.^[3]

Game summaries

At North Texas

Northwestern State at North Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	14	0	0	14
• Mean Green	7	17	17	3	44

Date: September 4, 2021
Location: Apogee Stadium
Denton, TX
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance: 18,716
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3): Jake Rose (play-by-play), Jeremy Kellem (analyst) & Sara Cardona (sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	North Texas
First downs	21	29
Total yards	418	527
Rushing yards	261	345
Passing yards	157	182
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	32:49	27:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing	Kaleb Fletcher	13/22, 134 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Scooter Adams	12 rushes, 92 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kendrick Price	1 reception, 65 yards, TD
North Texas	Passing	Jace Rudder	10/21, 131 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	DeAndre Torrey	25 rushes, 244 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Roderic Burns	6 receptions, 114 yards, TD

At Alcorn State

Northwestern State at Alcorn State

	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Braves			0

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Casem-Spinks Stadium
Lorman, MS
Game start: TBD CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	Alcorn State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

UT Martin

Tennessee–Martin at Northwestern State

	1	2	Total
Skyhawks			0
Demons			0

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	UT Martin	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Martin	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 24 Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at Northwestern State

	1	2	Total
No. 24 Cardinals			0
Demons			0

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Incarnate Word	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Houston Baptist

Northwestern State at Houston Baptist

	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Huskies			0

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: Husky Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

McNeese State

McNeese State at Northwestern State

	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Demons			0

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (CST):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 9 Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at Northwestern State

	1	2	Total
Lions			0
Demons			0

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Southeastern Louisiana	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Nicholls

Northwestern State at Nicholls

	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Colonels			0

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium
Thibodaux, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (CST):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	Nicholls
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Houston Baptist

Houston Baptist at Northwestern State

	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
Demons			0

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Houston Baptist	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana

Northwestern State at Southeastern Louisiana

	1	2	Total
Demons			0
No. 16 Lions			0

Date: November 13, 2021^[3]
Location: Strawberry Stadium
Hammond, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	Southeastern Louisiana
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At McNeese State

Northwestern State at McNeese State

	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Cowboys			0

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Personnel

2021 Northwestern State Demons football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`0`	Gavin Landry	Sr
WR	`1`	Kendrick Price Jr.	Sr
QB	`2`	Kaleb Fletcher	Sr
WR	`3`	LC Greenwood	Sr
WR	`4`	Javon Antonio	Sr
QB	`5`	Mark Salazar	Sr
WR	`6`	Robbie Williams	So
QB	`7`	Kareame Cotton Jr.	Fr
WR	`9`	Andy Pierre-Antoine	Sr
WR	`10`	Marquise Bridges	Sr
WR	`11`	Jaheim Walters	Fr
QB	`13`	Zachary Clement	So
WR	`14`	Coby McGee	Sr
RB	`15`	Kevin Perkins	Sr
QB	`16`	Jacob Barrett	Fr
QB	`16`	Judd Barton	Fr
TE	`17`	David Fitzwater	Sr
WR	`18`	Jay Griffin IV	Sr
RB	`19`	Curtis Williams	Jr
RB	`20`	Trevor Morgan	Sr
RB	`24`	Aubrey Scott	So
RB	`25`	Scooter Adams	Sr
RB	`27`	Bryce Dealey	Fr
WR	`28`	Jauron Reid Jr.	Fr
RB	`30`	Deus Desire	Fr
RB	`35`	Sirmichael Veasley	Fr
TE	`40`	Jacob Logan	Sr
RB	`42`	Jay Sturgis	Fr
TE	`43`	Jaylon Glosson	Fr
OL	`50`	Chase Underwood	Fr
OL	`52`	Cole Jeansonne	Fr
OL	`53`	Landon Blubaugh	Fr
OL	`57`	Riley Birdwell	Fr
OL	`58`	Coby James	Fr
OL	`60`	Logan Canerdy	Sr
OL	`61`	Spencer Cody	So
OL	`63`	Alyzcha Ulufale-Hentz	Jr
OL	`64`	Brody Heard	Fr
OL	`65`	Brayden Staggs	So
OL	`66`	D'Andre Richard	So
OL	`67`	Jordan Cooper	So
OL	`69`	Jakob Sell	Sr
OL	`70`	Cooper Smith	Jr
OL	`71`	Stevie Ballard	So
OL	`72`	Khalil Corbett-Canada	Sr
OL	`73`	Canaan Quinn	Fr
OL	`75`	Jordan McClaine	Fr
TE	`78`	Cody Coleman	So
TE	`81`	Javonis Isaac	Sr
TE	`82`	Monte Johnson	Fr
WR	`83`	Josh Carver	So
TE	`84`	Dylan Fluellen	Fr
WR	`85`	Gabriel Ernest	So
TE	`85`	Dane Wallace	Fr
WR	`86`	Patrick Head	Jr
WR	`87`	Caleb LaBoy	Sr
WR	`88`	Stanley King	Jr
WR		Jamarion Lilly	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`0`	Jomard Valsin	Sr
S	`1`	Tobias Williams	Jr
S	`2`	PJ Herrington	Sr
CB	`3`	Shemar Bartholomew	Sr
CB	`4`	Cedric Anderson	Jr
LB	`5`	Josh Clarke	Sr
CB	`6`	Frederick Lee Jr.	Jr
CB	`7`	William Hooper	Sr
S	`8`	Donovan Duvernay	Sr
LB	`10`	Ja'Quay Pough	Sr
S	`11`	Jacob Washington	Jr
CB	`13`	AJ Burns	Fr
CB	`13`	Waylon Washington	Jr
S	`14`	Cadillac Rhone	Fr
S	`15`	Tay Coleman	So
CB	`18`	Dante Thomas	So
LB	`19`	Kwame Sarkodie	Jr
LB	`20`	Brandon Floyd	Sr
LB	`21`	Jared Pedraza	So
LB	`22`	Adrion Robertson	Sr
S	`23`	Keenan Leachman	Jr
S	`25`	Isaiah Robinson	Fr
S	`26`	Kevin Davis Jr.	So
S	`29`	Trey Williams	Sr
DL	`30`	Keshawn Jackson	Jr
LB	`31`	Junior Brown	Fr
S	`32`	Ara Rauls III	Fr
DL	`33`	Isaiah Longino	Sr
LB	`35`	Kyle Moore	Sr
CB	`36`	Xa'Vion Mandigo	Fr
S	`38`	Malik Carey	So
LB	`39`	Chandler Moncrief	Jr
LB	`40`	Princeton Malbrue	So
LB	`42`	Jaeden Ward	So
LB	`45`	Malik Williams	Jr
CB	`46`	Ray Johnson	So
LB	`47`	Riley Bond	Fr
DE	`48`	John Daigle	So
LB	`49`	Race Moser	Sr
DL	`51`	Nathalohn Nanai	Sr
DL	`59`	Maurice Campbell II	Jr
DL	`68`	Kendal Harmon	Fr
DL	`90`	Steve Conerly	Jr
DL	`92`	Donovan Green	So
DE	`93`	Ty Cormier	Jr
DL	`94`	Theron Bellard	So
DL	`95`	Johnny Mitchell	So
DL	`96`	Jabralen Yarber	Jr
DL	`98`	Tyrell Lockett	Fr
DE	`99`	Darius Whitfield	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K, P	`9`	Eddie Godina	Sr
K, P	`46`	Scotty Roblow	So
K	`50`	Jesus Bravo	Fr
LS	`55`	Evan Gibson	Jr
P	`88`	Mark Green	Fr

Head coach

Brad Laird (Northwestern State)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Brad Smiley (Northwestern State)
Offensive coordinator/te
Mike Lucas (Liberty)
Defensive coordinator/ilb
Rashad Jackson (East Central)
Special teams coordinator/wr
De'Von Lockett (Bethel)
Defensive backs
Kevon Beckwith (Louisiana)
Defensive line
J Pond (Texas A&M)
Offensive line
Josh Jones (Arkansas Tech)
Safeties
Joey Fitzgerald (Mississippi State)
Quarterbacks

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 6 August 2021

References

^ "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Northwestern-SLU postponed". The Bogalusa Daily News. September 9, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
^ "2021 Northwestern State Demons Football Schedule".
^ "2021 Northwestern State Demons Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.

[4] Northwestern State's away game against Southeastern Louisiana was originally scheduled to be played on September 25, but the game was moved on November 13, 2021, due to safety concerns related to Hurricane Ida.^[3]

[1] "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[2] "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[slu-3] "Northwestern-SLU postponed". The Bogalusa Daily News. September 9, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2024.

[5] "2021 Northwestern State Demons Football Schedule".

[6] "2021 Northwestern State Demons Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.

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[2]

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[5]

[3]

v t e Northwestern State Demons football
Venues	Harry Turpin Stadium (1976–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Louisiana–Monroe Louisiana Tech McNeese Nicholls: NSU Challenge Southeastern Louisiana Stephen F. Austin: Chief Caddo
Culture & lore	Vic the Demon Spirit of Northwestern Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024