Southland Notebook: Demons’ record could be deceiving

Sports

Discussion

October 29, 2009

Northwestern State getting better despite 0-7 start

By Cody Stark The Huntsville Item Thu Oct 29, 2009, 11:40 PM CDT

Northwestern State decided it was time to go in a different direction with its football program at the end of last season. The Demons didn’t renew head coach Scott Stoker’s contract and hired former LSU co-defensive coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto to turn things around.

So far, it has been tough sledding for Northwestern State. The Demons are 0-3 in Southland Conference action and 0-7 overall.

Peveto’s bunch is struggling on both sides of the ball. The Demons’ are only averaging 13.9 points per game, while giving up 41.9.

But taking a closer look at Northwestern State’s schedule, the guys in Natchitoches, La., have been fighting an up hill battle.

The Demons played two solid Football Bowl Subdivision teams in Houston and Baylor. Well, the Bears had a promising season going until they lost star quarterback Robert Griffin for the season in the 68-13 win over Northwestern State.

The Cougars rolled past the Demons 55-7, but are ranked in the top 25 and have two impressive victories over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The only blemish on Houston’s schedule is a loss to UTEP.

So throw those two Northwestern State losses out the window.

The Demons other two nonconference games this season where against Football Championship Subdivision teams. Grambling, which is receiving votes in the top 25 poll, topped Northwestern State 38-7, while North Dakota held off a fourth-quarter rally to escape Natchitoches with a 27-20 win.

To start SLC action, the Demons played one of the hardest schedules in the league, just ask Sam Houston State. Northwestern State opened with Central Arkansas and McNeese State, which the Bearkats did the previous two seasons.

The Demons went 0-2 this year. Sam Houston State was 0-4 with the same schedule in 2007 and 2008.

Northwestern State lost to Texas State last week to drop to 0-7, but the Demons gave the Bobcats all they could handle.

Peveto decided to give true freshman quarterback Paul Harris a shot and the Demon offense had one of its best offensive games of the season. Harris threw for 117 yards and rushed for 118 more as Northwestern State racked up 402 yards of total offense.

The game wasn’t decided until Texas State stopped the Demons on fourth down at the Bobcat 39-yard line with 32 seconds left to preserve a 20-17 victory.

“Our guys were just devastated after the game,” Peveto said in a release. “It was an awesome effort. We didn’t always make the plays, but we always were busting it and we did give ourselves a chance to win. There wasn’t a man on the team who didn’t believe we weren’t going to win until they finally stopped us in the last minute on their side of the field.”

The Demons 0-7 record could be deceiving, so the Bearkats will need to be on top of their game Saturday night at Bowers Stadium. If not, Northwestern State could be celebrating its first win.

SLC cross country championships — Members of the Sam Houston State men’s and women’s cross country teams will head to Corpus Christi on Saturday to compete in the 45th annual Southland Conference cross country championships.

Clint Anders, Joey D’Eramo, Travis Kocurek, Patrick Krol, Julius Michael, Matt Stephenson, Ray Venegas and Blake Woolums will try to improve on the Bearkat men’s fifth-place showing in 2008.

Competing for the SHSU women, who placed eighth last year, will be Sara Collazos, Kelli Fitzgerald, Victoria Gemeny, Haley Peddy, Haliegh Pustka, Crystal Santos and Megan Williams.

The men will run a five-mile course starting Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The women will compete on a six kilometer course with the race to start at 9:15 a.m.

Punishment upheld — The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee announced Thursday that it will upheld the punishment handed down to the Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi volleyball and men’s tennis programs.

Back in March, the NCAA found the Islanders guilty of recruiting violations and using an ineligible student-athlete. The volleyball team and men’s tennis squad are banned from participating in the postseason for a year, will be placed on probation for four years and will have scholarship reductions.

The Islander men’s basketball program has also been punished with recruiting restrictions for making impermissible phone calls to recruits.

According to a story by the Associated Press, “the NCAA says A&M-Corpus; Christi let a volleyball player compete during her sixth year, a year beyond the five-year period allowed. The school also was accused of giving a men’s tennis player $1,500 in impermissible financial aid.”

Text Only

Sports

Big week ahead for Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs
To say that this is an important week for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball team would be a big understatement. With the regular season winding down, much is at stake for the New Waverly boys and girls.

February 6, 2012 2 Photos
Bulldog lifters gain experience at Shepherd meet
Looking back on his lifters’ performance at last Saturday’s meet in Shepherd, New Waverly powerlifting coach Mike Carolan lauded his team’s efforts. Senior Tucker Saxton won the 220-pound classification and freshman Dillon Silvis took fifth in the 114-pound division.

February 6, 2012
Running Shorts: First 50-miler in the books
February 6, 2012
Hornet powerlifters fare well at Shepherd meet
February 5, 2012 2 Photos
Huntsville’s Thompson cruises at Willis tennis tourney, wins singles title
Hard rain, blustery wind and a change of venue could not stop Huntsville senior Kyle Thompson last Friday. The Hornets’ top tennis player cruised to three consecutive victories and earned the championship trophy in boys singles at a dual match in Willis.

February 5, 2012
Who ya got, Pats or Giants?
February 4, 2012
Bearkats back on top
The Bearkats got caught playing down to Southeastern Louisiana’s level in the first half, but a lights-out second half led to a 67-46 victory over the Lions on Saturday.
Sam Houston State turned the ball over 10 times, which resulted in nine Southeastern points at the break. That’s why the Lions trailed by only three at halftime, though they only shot 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from the floor.
Southeastern played even worse in the final 20 minutes, but most of that had to do with Sam Houston’s raised intensity level, thanks to a firm halftime message that stuck.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Hornet wrestlers make marked improvements at district meet
Exhausted but still exhilarated, the young wrestlers on the Huntsville High School team are already talking about what they can accomplish next year.
Last-place finishers at the District 20-5A meet last winter, the Hornets made a major move in 2012, finishing fifth in the 13-team varsity boys field at the district meet Friday.
Huntsville’s girls finished sixth in the team standings and Lady Hornets freshman Marissa Dixon won a district championship in the girls 128-pound division.

February 4, 2012
Hornets fall in OT, must win three in row now
The Hornets had their chances in regulation and in overtime, but they couldn’t quite get a much-needed win at Kingwood Park on Friday night.
In a basketball game that was slowed to a crawl, Huntsville dropped a 51-46 decision to the Panthers in overtime.
The pressure’s now on Huntsville in the final week and a half in order to get into the postseason.

February 4, 2012
Whispering Pines golf pro Rowe recognized as one of country’s top 50 kids’ teachers
Whispering Pines golf professional Chris Rowe is among the class of the Top 50 Kids Teachers for 2011, as selected by U.S. Kids Golf.
Rowe has been a junior golf instructor for 22 years and is currently the head professional at Whispering Pines Golf Club near Trinity. This is the first time Rowe has been named a Top 50 Kids Teacher by U.S. Kids Golf.

February 4, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Southland Notebook: Demons’ record could be deceiving

Northwestern State getting better despite 0-7 start

Site Map

Contact Us