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Know Your Opponent: Northwestern State Demons - GopherHole.com
Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers’ upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective. I asked Patrick Netherton, who does play-by-play for the Northwestern State Demons on ESPN. Northwestern State travels to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers on...
Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers' upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective.
I asked Patrick Netherton, who does play-by-play for the Northwestern State Demons on ESPN.
Northwestern State travels to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers on September 6th. The game will take place at 11:00 am local time on the Big Ten Network. This is the first meeting between the two programs.
Huge thanks to Patrick for sharing his thoughts with us!
1. The Northwestern State Demons from Natchitoches, Louisiana, entered the 2025 season with a 20-game losing streak. But it is now year two under head coach Blaine McCorkle, and he seems to be the right man for the job. Before Northwestern State, McCorkle spent five years at Division III Belhaven. McCorkle took over a program in rough shape, with the Demons struggling to win games, and on top of that, a handful of games had to be cancelled in 2023 due to the shooting death of a player. What is the atmosphere around campus with McCorkle at the helm? What were the expectations of this team in Blaine’s second year as head coach?
There was a lot of optimism around Blaine McCorkle going into year two because he was very upfront about how he was going to rebuild the program, from the bottom up. Last year, there were multiple games at the end of the season where there were more underclassmen dressed out than upperclassmen. The team was the youngest in the nation, and the coaching staff was very careful to make sure they could redshirt as many of those freshmen as they could. So coming into this year, there are 49 combined freshmen and redshirt freshmen, and 70 total underclassmen when you add in sophomores. Since being so upfront about how he was planning to rebuild the program for the long term and not with quick fixes in the portal, the fanbase has been willing to be patient. The atmosphere within the program is a lot different, with a strong mentality toward a new culture of the players holding themselves as accountable as the coaching staff does.
2. The Demons’ 2025 season started on a high note as they snapped a 20-game losing streak against Alcorn State last week. What went right for the Demons in their victory? Were there any areas that caused concern moving forward?
The first quarter went right for NSU. They had an explosive run on the second play, followed by a TD pass to open 6-0. Then, they took advantage of a bad snap on a punt to scoop and score, and a 13-0 lead. The hour-long lightning delay seemed to help Alcorn a ton as they started moving the ball well, but threw two picks in the end zone. NSU then dropped a sure TD that would have likely ended the game, but two plays later, a pick six followed by a fumble and a FG made it 13-10. NSU had a tremendous drive their next time with the ball, 12 plays, 68 yds that took 6:17 and ended in a TD, which ostensibly ended the game. Responding to two turnovers in a row with their best drive of the McCorkle era is a great sign of mental toughness that this team has been looking to cultivate when they could have easily folded at that point. The areas of concern are that there were a couple of big plays that were there for Alcorn in the passing game that they couldn’t complete. Also, taking advantage of opportunities that are there to potentially increase a lead or take the heart out of the opponent (like that last TD drive, but could have been accomplished earlier). And the most obvious concern is youth, inexperience, and physical strength (they’ve gotten a lot bigger and stronger, but still a lot of freshmen and sophomores)
3. Like the Gophers, the Demons are starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback in Abram Johnston. He was productive both in the air and on the ground last week against Alcorn State. Can you give Gopher’s fans a quick scouting report on him?
Abram Johnston’s major strengths are his mind and his heart. He is a fierce competitor and very bright. One of those kids you don’t have to coach the same thing twice. He has solid running ability and athleticism, but is exceptionally tough. The coaches have raved about how good he was in the summer and even better during fall camp, saying he was as close to error-free as they could want from a redshirt freshman.
4. When the Gophers are on defense, what should they expect of the Demons’ offense? Outside of Johnston, who else would you consider to be impact players on the Northwestern State offense?
The Demons are somewhat of an old-school offense. They have multiple fullbacks on the roster who play (one scored a TD vs Alcorn) and multiple tight ends who get time. They would prefer to be more of a ball control offense and skew a little more toward the run game (they had over 20 mins TOP in the second half). Offensive playmakers are sort of a mixed bag right now. Kody Finley and Ty Moore both flashed in the passing game, but there are a few other WRs they are really high on. There are 3-4 tight ends they love and a stable of backs who will get carries, led by Furman transfer Myion Hicks, who had the 51-yard run on the second play of the game vs Alcorn. The offensive line is very young (3 underclassmen start), but they like how much bigger and stronger they’ve gotten up front.
5. The Demons’ defense allowed 270 total yards last week and forced two turnovers. What players on the Northwestern State defense should the Gophers know about when Minnesota has the ball? What would you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Demons’ football?
The Demons went a little heavier in the portal on defense, especially up front on the line. DT Preston Hickey (LSU) and EDGE Clinton Anokwuru (Coastal Carolina) both flashed vs Alcorn. The strength coming into the season was corner, with Caesar Magee III and Antonio Hall both bringing longer frames and solid cover skills. Magee is a fascinating story: he started his career at NSU as a WR named Jaheim Walters and was very solid. But to honor his late father, he changed his name to Caesar Magee III and switched to corner, where he is considered one of the best in the league. The LB core is solid with the coaches being incredibly high on Fernando Washington, a Juco transfer, who is all over the field making plays (and was the Southland Defensive Player of the Week this week). Also, Kaden Mackey on the back end is a sophomore; they wanted to redshirt him, but couldn’t keep him off the field. He always seems to be around the ball (had an incredible INT in the end zone last week)
6. The Demons travel to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers on Saturday, September 6th. This is the first matchup between the two programs. Both teams enter the game with a 1-0 record and are looking to stay undefeated on the season. If the Demons were to upset the Gophers, what needs to happen for Northwestern State?
For the Demons to win, obviously, almost everything would need to go right. Most importantly, the Gophers would need to be sloppy, multiple turnovers, and special teams miscues to lead to short fields or even non-offensive touchdowns. Minnesota would need to do its share to help NSU, especially because the Demons are so young. In two years, this would likely be a much different matchup, but as it stands now, NSU is still the youngest team in the nation. I will decline to predict the outcome of the game other than to say you will absolutely see the Demons play their hearts out. That is the culture and buy-in that Blaine McCorkle has created, and his team will follow suit.
