Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press

Weber State football needs a game where it sees everything click. Is Northwestern State that opportunity?

The Wildcats (1-2) can move the ball but struggle to score, averaging 185 yards of offense per touchdown scored. Northwestern State (0-3) is coming off an 87-10 loss to FBS South Alabama in which it gave up 620 yards, including 363 rushing yards.

The Demons also lost 37-31 at home to Prairie View A&M, a team ranked No. 111 in FCS by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

But with all of Weber State’s miscues last week at Lamar, the Wildcats can’t afford to consider any of that as they travel to Natchitoches, Louisiana, for another hot affair in the south.

“They’ve got a few great athletes on film,” WSU head coach Mickey Mental said. “I think their coach is also trying to find their identity. They played two FBS opponents and Prairie View, on our level, they played well. We can’t take anybody lightly. They’re going to be excited to get back home and play, and they’re going to play hard.”

Finding an identity is perhaps more real for Northwestern State than other programs. On Oct. 12 last year, Demons safety Ronnie Caldwell Jr. was shot and killed at his apartment complex.

Two weeks after the tragedy, Northwestern State canceled its season, Caldwell’s family filed a lawsuit against the coach, the state’s university system and the apartment complex, and sixth-year head coach Brad Laird resigned.

“Due to the loss of Ronnie and the emotional burden it has caused me, I don’t feel I can give my all to these players or this program,” Laird said in a news release. “Any coach will tell you that their players become like family, so the loss of Ronnie was like losing a son. I love this program and this university and I know it will persevere and move forward with the competitive spirit that is at the core of our DNA.”

On Nov. 28, 2023, the Demons announced the hire of Blaine McCorkle as head coach; he spent three seasons as a Division III head coach in Mississippi and was previously an offensive line coach at six different FCS schools.

Northwestern State went 4-2 in the Southland Conference in 2022 but did not win any of its six games in 2023; the Demons are on an 11-game losing streak.

MEET THE DEMONS

At quarterback, 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman JT Fayard (No. 14) has all three starts for Northwestern State this season. He’s thrown for 132 yards per game on 38% completion, tossing two touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior backup Quaterius Hawkins (No. 8) is 4 for 6 for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Junior running back Kennieth Lacy (No. 2) runs for 52 yards per game on a great 6 yards per carry, and has two of his team’s three rushing touchdowns. Junior receiver Myles Kitt-Denton (No. 3) averages 65 receiving yards per game but is a big-play threat, averaging 28 yards per reception.

The Demons like to strike big early. Lacy (75-yard rushing touchdown at Tulsa) and Kitt-Denton (71-yard receiving touchdown vs. Prairie View A&M) gave Northwestern State big-play touchdowns on their first possessions in each of the first two games.

Kitt Denton (seven receptions) and senior Twon Hines (No. 1, six receptions) have been the top passing targets.

Junior linebacker Black Gotcher (No. 5) is the hitter in the middle; he’s claimed a Southland defensive player of the week nod with 23 tackles in Week 2 and has 38 tackles with two sacks so far this season. Those are the Demons’ only sacks this season.

Safety Christian Williams (No. 22) has 19 tackles, and Cadillac Rhone (No. 14) and Emanuel Brown (No. 19) each have one interception.

On special teams, the Demons average 16 yards per kickoff return while allowing 31.4 yards per return. Senior Reed Honshtein has punting and place-kicking duties for Northwestern State; he’s 2 for 2 on field goals (both in the 30-39 range) and punts eight times per game at 39.8 yards per punt. The Demons allowed one punt return of 60-plus yards against both Tulsa and South Alabama.

TEAM VS. TEAM METRICS

Through three games, Weber State has scored 20.7 points per game, averaging 373 yards on 5.4 yards per play. Defensively, WSU has allowed an average of 22.7 points on 369 yards per game, with an average of 5.6 per play.

The Wildcats have three defensive takeaways (one fumble, two interceptions) and one turnover on offense (one lost fumble) for a plus-two turnover margin.

In three games for Northwestern State, the Demons have averaged 23 points per game on 246 yards per game and 4.4 yards per play. Defensively, Northwestern State has allowed 62 points on 569 yards per game, with an average of 8.2 yards per play.

The Demons have a minus-one turnover margin, having turned it over five times (four interceptions, one fumble) while forcing four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles).

ODDS & PREDICTIONS

Jeff Sagarin ranks Weber State at No. 137 (down eight from last week) in all of Division I (FBS and FCS, 263 total teams). Northwestern State is No. 259. Accounting for home-field advantage, his formula favors Weber State by 21 points.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranks Weber State at No. 23 (down five) in FCS (129 teams) and Northwestern State at No. 124. His formula predicts a Weber State win 39-11.

D Ratings predicts a Weber State victory of 41-16 at 94% probability.

WEATHER

Almost identical to last week’s trip to Beaumont, Texas, which is to say: hot and humid.

Saturday brings a high of 95 degrees to Natchitoches, Louisiana, with 62% humidity. The temperature at the 6 p.m. local kickoff (5 p.m. MDT) is 91 degrees. The sun sets at 7:09 p.m. local time, which will come just before halftime. By game’s end, it should be about 79 degrees with 76% humidity.

TV & RADIO

The game’s video broadcast will appear on the ESPN+ subscription service, available on the ESPN app or at WatchESPN.com, with Patrick Netherton and Gary Reasons on the call for the Northwestern State-produced broadcast.

Carl Arky and Jerry Graybeal have the WSU radio call on 103.1 FM over the air in Utah and online at 1031thewave.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES

This is the first meeting between the two schools. The game is at Harry Turpin Stadium, capacity 15,971. Northwestern State is slated to return the trip to Ogden in 2026.