2016 Northwestern State Demons football team

2016 Northwestern State Demons football
Conference	Southland Conference
2016 record	1–10 (0–9 Southland)
Head coach	Jay Thomas (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ben Norton (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Daryl Daye (2nd season)
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium (Capacity: 15,971)
Seasons ← 2015 2017 →

2016 Southland Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Sam Houston State $^		9	–	0					12	–	1
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^		8	–	1					10	–	3
SE Louisiana		7	–	2					7	–	4
McNeese State		5	–	4					6	–	5
Nicholls State		5	–	4					5	–	6
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	5					5	–	6
Houston Baptist		3	–	5					4	–	7
Incarnate Word *		3	–	6					3	–	8
Lamar		3	–	6					3	–	8
Abilene Christian *		2	–	7					2	–	9
Northwestern State		0	–	9					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll

The 2016 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Demons were led fourth-year head coach Jay Thomas and played their home games at Harry Turpin Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 1–10, 0–9 in Southland play to finish in last place.

Previous season[]

The Demons finished the season 4–7, 4–5 in Southland play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place.

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	6:30 pm	at No. 23 (FBS) Baylor	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FSN	L 7–55	44,849
September 8	6:00 pm	Incarnate Word	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ASN	L 18–21	9,120
September 17	6:00 pm	at Central Arkansas	Estes Stadium Conway, AR	BNN	L 10–24	8,047
September 24	6:00 pm	at Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	CST	L 24–34	6,406
October 8	6:00 pm	Kentucky Wesleyan*	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	DTV	W 49–7	8,189
October 15	6:00 pm	at Lamar	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN3	L 31–32	7,159
October 22	6:00 pm	McNeese State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (Rivalry)	DTV	L 27–48	10,159
October 29	6:00 pm	Nicholls State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (NSU Challenge)	WHNO	L 14–31	5,825
November 5	6:00 pm	at Abilene Christian	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	ACUSports	L 22–25	3,957
November 12	6:00 pm	No. 1 Sam Houston State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN3	L 16–48	6,421
November 19	3:00 pm	at Stephen F. Austin	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (Chief Caddo)	ESPN3	L 31–45	7,539
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries[]

@ Baylor[]

Northwestern State at Baylor

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 0 7 0 7 • #23 (FBS) Bears 24 24 7 0 55 Date: September 3 Location: McLane Stadium Waco, TX Game start: 6:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:21 Game attendance: 44,849 Game weather: 86°F • N 8 • Sunny Referee: Brad Van Vark Television network: FSN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 10:46 Baylor Terence Williams 13 yard run (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 1:59 0–7 1 6:52 Baylor Chris Callahan 23 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:37 0–10 1 4:26 Baylor Sam Tecklenburg 4 yard pass from Seth Russell (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 1:24 0–17 1 1:02 Baylor K.D. Cannon 6 yard pass from Seth Russell (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:20 0–24 2 10:19 Baylor Chris Callahan 33 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 2:35 0–27 2 8:03 Baylor Jordan Feuerbacher 5 yard pass from Seth Russell (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 0:31 0–34 2 5:00 Baylor Pooh Stricklin 10 yard pass from Seth Russell (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 0:50 0–41 2 1:07 Baylor Terence Williams 1 yard run (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 1:41 0–48 3 11:13 Baylor Blake Lynch 12 yard pass from Zach Smith (Chris Callahan kick), Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 3:47 0–55 3 0:51 Northwestern State Brooks Haack 3 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 4:12 7–55

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Incarnate Word[]

Incarnate Word at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cardinals 7 7 7 0 21 Demons 3 3 5 7 18 Date: September 8 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 9,120 Game weather: 96°F • N 6 • Hot and humid Referee: Dan Lewis Television network: ASN Sources: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 10:23 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 38 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:27 3–0 1 4:03 Incarnate Word Junior Sessions 2 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:20 3–7 2 4:07 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 10 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:08 3–14 2 2:09 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 47 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 1:58 6–14 3 10:41 Northwestern State Team Safety, Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:37 8–14 3 5:08 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 34 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 5:26 11–14 3 4:03 Incarnate Word Broderick Reeves 11 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 0:58 11–21 4 11:25 Northwestern State Chris Jones 3 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:30 18–21

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@ Central Arkansas[]

Northwestern State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 7 0 3 10 • Bears 0 14 10 0 24 Date: September 17 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 8,047 Referee: S. Baron Television network: BNN Sources:

Scoring summary 2 14:11 Central Arkansas Jatavious Wilson 49 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 2:36 0–7 2 5:52 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 5 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 5:45 0–14 2 4:46 Northwestern State Shakeir Ryan 25 yard pass from Joel Blumenthal (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:06 7–14 3 9:55 Central Arkansas Hayden Hildebrand 12 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 3:02 7–21 3 3:55 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 33 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 3:38 7–24 4 14:55 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 44 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 3:32 10–24

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@ Southeastern Louisiana[]

Northwestern State at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 6 0 15 3 24 • Lions 14 7 7 6 34 Date: September 24 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 6:07 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 6,406 Referee: Eddy Shelton Television network: CST Sources:

Scoring summary 1 12:00 Northwestern State Ronald Green 14 yard run (Eric Piccione kick blocked), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:00 6–0 1 8:40 Southeastern Louisiana Juwan Dickey 11 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:12 6–7 1 3:44 Southeastern Louisiana Julius Maracalin 1 yard run (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 6 plays, 84 yards, 2:37 6–14 2 0:12 Southeastern Louisiana Brandon Acker 13 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 6 plays, 89 yards, 1:40 6–21 3 8:10 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 34 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:08 13–21 3 2:32 Northwestern State Tuff McClain 20 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Brooks Haack pass to Lucas Morgan for two-point conv.), Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:27 21–21 3 0:12 Southeastern Louisiana Brandon Acker 27 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 2:14 21–28 4 13:28 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 45 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 1:36 24–28 4 8:54 Southeastern Louisiana Jonathon Tatum 30 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:29 24–31 4 2:13 Southeastern Louisiana Jonathon Tatum 40 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:20 24–34

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Kentucky Wesleyan[]

Kentucky Wesleyan at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 0 7 0 0 7 • Demons 14 7 14 14 49 Date: October 8 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 8,189 Game weather: 73°F • NE 7 • Clear skies Referee: Vidal Jones Television network: DTV Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:01 Northwestern State Ronald Green 2 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:20 7–0 1 5:04 Northwestern State William Mafi 31 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:17 14–0 2 13:06 Northwestern State Cameron Lazare 6 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:32 21–0 2 6:08 Kentucky Wesleyan Josiah Isreal 2 yard run (Cole Woodburn kick), Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:53 21–7 3 3:04 Northwestern State William Mafi 12 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 15 plays, 93 yards, 7:20 28–7 3 0:36 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 8 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:15 35–7 4 7:57 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 13 yard run (Benny Broadway kick), Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:02 42–7 4 4:06 Northwestern State Ronald Green 9 yard run (Benny Broadway kick), Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:41 49–7

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@ Lamar[]

Northwestern State at Lamar

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 3 14 7 7 31 • Cardinals 0 9 6 17 32 Date: October 15 Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 7,159 Game weather: 81°F • SSE 8 • Partly cloudy Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 6:58 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 45 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 2:32 3–0 2 14:57 Northwestern State De'Mar Llorens 1 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:23 10–0 2 8:44 Lamar Juan Carranco 22 yard field goal, Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 6:08 10–3 2 3:03 Northwestern State Charles Vaughn 1 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 4 plays, 34 yards, 1:26 17–3 2 0:12 Lamar Michael Handy 10 yard pass from Carson Earp (Juan Carranco kick blocked), Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 2:50 17–9 3 13:59 Northwestern State De'Mar Llorens 8 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 3 plays, 77 yards, 0:57 24–9 3 13:13 Lamar Dewan Thompson 86 yard pass from Carson Earp (Dewan Thompson two-point run conv. failed) Drive: 2 plays, 83 yards, 0:41 24–15 4 9:06 Lamar Juan Carranco 30 yard field goal, Drive: 15 plays, 68 yards, 5:09 24–18 4 6:44 Northwestern State Jared West 2 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:12 31–18 4 1:43 Lamar Marcus Daggs 36 yard pass from Carson Earp (Juan Carranco kick), Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:07 31–25 4 0:06 Lamar DeWan Thompson 22 yard pass from Carson Earp (Juan Carranco kick), Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 1:30 31–32

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McNeese State[]

McNeese State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 14 7 17 10 48 Demons 7 7 10 3 27 Date: October 22 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 10,159 Game weather: 71°F • ESE 3 • Clear and crisp Referee: Kevin Muir Television network: DTV Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:45 McNeese State Ryan Ross 4 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:10 0–7 1 8:13 Northwestern State Bobb Chan-Chan 7 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:25 7–7 1 0:10 McNeese State Dylan Long 3 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:12 7–14 2 6:48 McNeese State Kent Shelby 22 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:15 7–21 2 2:44 Northwestern State Ronald Green 28 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:59 14–21 3 12:43 Northwestern State Shakeir Ryan 26 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:10 21–21 3 9:02 McNeese State Gunnar Raborn 27 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:36 21–24 3 6:56 McNeese State Justin Pratt 47 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 2 plays, 56 yards, 0:58 21–31 3 4:04 McNeese State Kylon Highshaw 6 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:22 21–38 3 1:07 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 30 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 2:51 24–38 4 12:56 McNeese State Gunnar Raborn 25 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 3:05 24–41 4 7:29 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 30 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 1:46 27–41 4 1:25 McNeese State Jermai Antoine 70 yard interception return (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 1:30 27–48

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Nicholls[]

Nicholls at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Colonels 0 14 14 3 31 Demons 7 7 0 0 14 Date: October 29 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 5,825 Game weather: 82°F • SSE 4 • Sunny and warm Referee: Kevin Boitmann Television network: WHNO Sources:

Scoring summary 1 8:29 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 34 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:20 7–0 2 14:16 Nicholls C.J. Bates 24 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:33 7–7 2 4:00 Nicholls Chase Fourcade 1 yard run (David McKey kick), Drive: 20 plays, 80 yards, 7:52 7–14 2 2:16 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 56 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 4 plays, 76 yards, 1:43 14–14 3 10:50 Nicholls C.J. Bates 2 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 4:04 14–21 3 7:27 Nicholls C.J. Bates 74 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:03 14–28 4 12:16 Nicholls David McKey 31 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 5:02 14–31

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@ Abilene Christian[]

Northwestern State at Abilene Christian

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 13 0 6 3 22 • Wildcats 2 3 9 11 25 Date: November 5 Location: Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 3,957 Game weather: 68°F • ESE 11 • Cloudy Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ACUSports Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:02 Northwestern State Ronald Green 41 yard run (Eric Piccione kick blocked), Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:48 6–0 1 11:02 Abilene Christian Keith Barnett defensive kick conv., Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:48 6–2 1 6:12 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 36 yard pass from J.D. Almond (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:21 13–2 2 6:55 Abilene Christian Nik Grau 42 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 3:59 13–5 3 9:15 Abilene Christian Nik Grau 30 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 2:43 13–8 3 4:33 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 1 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 4:34 19–8 3 1:20 Abilene Christian Tracy James 5 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 3:06 19–14 4 12:16 Abilene Christian Nik Grau 41 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 2:36 19–17 4 8:36 Abilene Christian Dallas Sealey 1 yard run (De'Andre Brown pass to Trevor Crain for two-point conv.), Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 1:39 19–25 4 4:31 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 40 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 43 yards, 4:05 22–25

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Sam Houston State[]

Sam Houston State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Bearkats 20 21 0 7 48 Demons 13 0 3 0 16 Date: November 12 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 6,421 Game weather: 71°F • SSE 7 • Calm and cool Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:09 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 5 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:30 0–7 1 10:06 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 79 yard pass from J.D. Almond (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 3 plays, 85 yards, 0:56 7–7 1 7:52 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 14 yard run (Eric Piccione kick blocked), Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:01 13–7 1 4:38 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 10 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 3:08 13–14 1 0:37 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 4 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick failed), Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 1:33 13–20 2 12:29 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 33 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 0:59 13–27 2 9:53 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:17 13–34 2 3:22 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 3:33 13–41 3 3:41 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 39 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:03 16–41 4 14:25 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 3 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 1:06 16–48

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@ Stephen F. Austin[]

Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 7 14 0 10 31 • Lumberjacks 20 10 7 8 45 Date: November 19 Location: Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX Game start: 3:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:42 Game attendance: 7,539 Referee: Marvel July Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:28 Stephen F. Austin Storm Ruiz 24 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:20 0–3 1 10:28 Stephen F. Austin Tamrick Pace 27 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:01 0–10 1 8:40 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 72 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 1:43 7–10 1 7:17 Stephen F. Austin Cody Williams 20 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:18 7–17 1 0:03 Stephen F. Austin Storm Ruiz 31 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 4:07 7–20 2 13:03 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 22 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:00 14–20 2 5:08 Stephen F. Austin Storm Ruiz 24 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 2:19 14–23 2 1:59 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 3 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:03 21–23 2 0:09 Stephen F. Austin Kiki Hill 7 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 1:43 21–30 3 12:50 Stephen F. Austin Loren Easly 13 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:06 21–37 4 14:51 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 47 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 24 yards, 3:22 24–37 4 11:50 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 6 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:36 31–37 4 3:35 Stephen F. Austin Loren Easly 11 yard run (Cody Williams pass to Zach Conque for two-point conv.), Drive: 16 plays, 90 yards, 8:07 31–45

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References[]