Northwestern State opens conference with a win

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Northwestern State Wins Southland Football Opener

NATCHITOCHES, La. – Northwestern State junior kicker Robert Weeks nailed a 35-yard field goal as time expired Saturday night, lifting the Demons to a 31-28 triumph over visiting Central Arkansas in the Southland Conference football opener for both teams.

The kick validated a comeback from a pair of 14-point first half deficits by the Demons, 2-0 for the first time since 2002. It raised Northwestern’s record in SLC openers to 16-5 while spoiling the first-ever Southland contest for UCA (0-2), which led 14-0 and 21-7 at halftime.

The Demons roared back with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 28-21 lead. The Bears tied it at 28-all with 7:40 left after a steady 10-play, 69-yard march, their first consistent offensive production since halftime.

Northwestern took the ensuing kickoff and drove inside the UCA 40, but the drive stalled with 3:30 left and Marshal Burton’s 37-yard punt was downed at the Bears’ 3. UCA had to punt back to NSU from the end zone and Jasper Edwards darted 13 yards to set up the Demons at the Bears’ 32 with 1:44 remaining.

Quarterback Germayne Edmond twisted for 12 yards on the first play and the Demons ran only once more before opting to allow the clock to run down to two seconds, bringing on Weeks, who ranked among national leaders last year in a school record-setting 18-of-24 performance on field goals.

He weathered a pair of timeouts by UCA before centering the game-winner between the uprights from the right hash mark, handing Northwestern its first last-play triumph since blocking a TCU field goal to post a 27-24 overtime win over the Horned Frogs in 2001.

"We felt good leaving the game to what Robert did," said sixth-year head coach Scott Stoker. "He’s made pressure kicks before. He is fighting through some adversity (missing a conversion kick in the first two games this season) but just like our team, he came through under pressure.

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