Demons Upend Division I-A ULM Indians in Football Action
Sept. 1, 2005
PLANO, Texas -
Northwestern State's Purple Swarm defense came up big when called upon while quarterback Davon Vinson rallied his troops from a 23-0 halftime deficit with three second half touchdown passes as the Demons rallied for a 27-23 win over Louisiana-Monroe in the season opener for both teams here Thursday night. In other Southland action, Stephen F. Austin also came from behind for a 49-38 win over Henderson State and Sam Houston State had little trouble with Bacone in a 77-7 blowout.
"That was our preseason, our exhibition game," said NSU head coach Scott Stoker of the Demons' first half performance. "I told them (the team) at the half, that was the ugliest first half of football I had ever seen. I told them to just go out there in the second half and have fun and to finish it."
Finish it they did.
Vinson ended the night 15 for 23 for 230 yards to go along with his three td tosses while racking up 81 yards on the ground.
But the game was still in doubt late in the fourth quarter until NSU's defense, led by a pass interception by David Pittman in the endzone and a fumble recovery by Russ Washington with just over 1:30 to play, secured the win for the Demons.
"With the type of defense we run, you have the chance to make some plays, but we'll make some also," said Stoker.
ULM quarterback Steven Jyles finished 25 of 41 for 283 yards and a touchdown with his one mistake being the late game pick by Pittman.
Louisiana-Monroe finished with 411 total offensive yards with NSU totaling 353 to go along with four turnovers.
The Indians seemed to have taken control of the game in the first two quarters, rolling up 23 second quarter points en route to a 23-0 halftime lead.
Calvin Dawson gave ULM a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard run with 13:29 to play in the second quarter. The lead expanded to 9-0 after ULM recovered an NSU fumble by Anthony Holmes in the endzone for a safety with 12:23 to play.
Things kept getting worse for the Demons in the first half. With 9:52 to play in the quarter, ULM quarterback Steven Jyles' 45-yard touchdown pass to D. Quillen increased the lead to 16-0.
ULM put another dagger in the Demons' heart with 1:48 to play when Davon Vinson's pass was intercepted by Chaz Williams at the NSU 34-yard line and returned it for the touchdown to put the Indians up 23-0 at the half.
Then the bleeding stopped.
NSU staged a dramatic second half comeback that saw the Demons take a 27-23 lead with 6:46 to play when Vinson hit Dane Charpentier on a 37-yard touchdown strike.
The rally took time to develop, but when it did, it was worth the wait. With 1:55 to play in the third, Vinson connected with Toby Zeigler on an 85-yard td strike to close the gap to 23-7.
"I think that got us going," said Stoker of the first score. "Once Davon hit that (the pass), and Toby outran everyone, then we got the shot field on a good punt return. Everything started falling in place. It was a good overall effort."
A minute and 13 seconds after the long score, Vinson tossed his second scoring pass of the game when he met with tight end Brent Smith in the back of the endzone from nine yards out to make it 23-14.
"These guys aren't going to give up," said Stoker. "There are too many good football players on this team."
With 11:16 to play in the fourth quarter, Shelton Sampson plunged from two yards out to pull the Demons to within 23-21.
"We have an outstanding group of kids," said Stoker of his team. "Now we'll learn from the film and get better."
The Demons return to action on Sept. 10 in their home opener against North Dakota State.
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 49, HENDERSON STATE 38
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack football team overcame five turnovers to defeat Henderson State, 49-38, Thursday night at Homer Bryce Stadium. The victory propelled SFA to 1-0 to start the 2005 season.
The 'Jacks fell behind by 21 points as Henderson State capitalized on early SFA miscues. HSU opened the scoring when Jabrayl Ward recovered a fumble and returned it 11 yards for the score.
The Lumberjacks trailed by 14 points in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Danny Southall appeared to have the team on the move. Southall streaked across the middle of the field for 30 yards down to the HSU 14 before coughing up the ball to end the drive. HSU responded by driving the ball 84 yards for the score.
SFA seemed to steal a little of the momentum back when freshman running back Damian Perkins scored on a 3-yard run with 1:21 remaining in the half, but the 'Jacks left a little too much time on the clock. HSU quarterback Dane King orchestrated a six-play, 47-yard drive that culminated in a Bryan Woodward 45-yard field goal that put the Reddies up 24-7 heading into halftime.
First-year head coach Robert McFarland didn't let his team go down without a fight and SFA responded by scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half. Senior wide out Carl Price began the rally when he caught a 28-yard pass from classmate Zeke Dixon. It was one of three touchdown passes for Dixon on the night as he finished the game 27-of-45 for 338 yards. SFA was back on the attack less than five minutes later as Dixon hit fullback Michael Motte for a four-yard score.
Motte returned to pay dirt only 22 seconds later when SFA forced a fumble on the HSU 17. Motte's second touchdown covered 17 yards and put SFA up, 28-24. The Lumberjacks didn't surrender the lead over the final 17:37 of the game and tacked on 21 more points for the victory.
The 'Jacks racked up 517 yards of total offense in the victory, including 353 through the air. Dixon and Southall did a good job of spreading the wealth as eight different receivers caught a pass, including Chance Dennis, who finished the game with nine catches for 118 yards. Motte hauled in five receptions for 68 yards and two scores.
Perkins led the ground attack, finishing the night with 20 carries for 77 yards and two scores.
Sophomore Stephon Rhea had a huge night defensively for the 'Jacks finishing with five tackles (three solo stops), four pass deflections and two interceptions, one of which he returned 10 yards for a touchdown. Junior Keldrick Holman led the SFA defense with nine tackles, including one for a loss.
The 'Jacks return to action Saturday, Sept. 10, when they travel to Bozeman, Montana to take on Montana State. The game is slated to kick off at 2:05 p.m. and will be televised on CBS-19.
SAM HOUSTON STATE 77, BACONE 7
(From the Huntsville Item)
Alternating five quarterbacks throughout the game, Sam Houston State rolled up its third highest single game point total ever in a 77-7 victory over Bacone College in the Bearkats' season opener and the debut for new head football coach Todd Whitten.
Noah Allen, who alternated series throughout the first half with starter Wade Pate, completed seven of 11 passes for 110 yards including touchdowns of 26 and seven yards. Pate completed three of seven in the air for 49 yards.
Phil Daugherty quarterbacked in the third quarter, going five for five for 59 yards and a touchdown. Brett Hicks and Jordan Reever each quarterbacked in the fourth quarter but did not attempt a pass.
The Bearkats rolled up 533 yards total offense on 70 plays while allowing Bacone only 118 total yards on 54 carries.
The 77 points rank as the third highest single game scoring total by a Sam Houston State team. The top two scoring performances in SHSU history were 83-0 over Brooke Medical in 1949 and 78-0 over Blinn in 1916. The highest score previously posted by the Bearkats since moving up to the NCAA level was 68-13 against Mississippi State in 2001.
Andrew Audelin, playing in the fourth quarter, rushed 20 times for 144 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bearkats blocked a punt, intercepted one pass, and recovered three fumbles while committing only one turnover.