Good news, bad news for NFL Demons

Great news Tuesday for former Demon All-America offensive tackle Demetrius Bell.

There's no coaching change this season in Buffalo. The coaching staff that believes in him so strongly that they kept him on the 53-man roster all year, not the practice squad where other teams could have signed him, is coming back next year.

That's huge for him. No new system to learn, no new coaches to impress, after making the team as a seventh-round NFL Draft pick last spring.

Bad news across the country with the rather surprising firing of Mike Shanahan as the Denver Broncos coach. He apparently would not fire his defensive coordinator.

That certainly puts former Demon offensive lineman Bill Johnson in a high risk of losing his post as the Broncos' defensive line coach.

But there may be an opening for that position in New Orleans. Demon legend Bobby Hebert believes his lifelong friend and NSU teammate Ed Orgeron will leave the Saints and move to LSU to be the D-line coach with a title like assistant head coach.

Expect those dominos to begin to tumble Friday.

National pub for Coach Peve

By the way, it's pronounced PEA-vit-toe.

In case you didn't know.

To say we've been busy is like saying Joe Delaney was a good athlete.

The announcement of Coach Bradley Dale Peveto's return to NSU as our head football coach has generated tremendous interest -- and media exposure around the country.

The Peveto hire was one of the stories on this morning's ESPNRadio SportsCenter reports given every 20 minutes during the simulcast of the "Mike and Mike" show based in a New York City radio station, syndicated around the country on ESPN Radio (which, along with being on satellite services XM and Sirius, is carried as the primary programming by stations in many places nationally).

The news was also used on a "crawl" at the bottom of the screen last night and throughout this morning on ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN2 and ESPNU (and I presume ESPN Deportes!), reporting that LSU defensive coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto had been hired by us, and that he was our DC and linebackers coach from 1996-98.

I had friends in Boise who saw it and called me last night very impressed with the hire.

Give credit to associate SID Matt Bonnette for calling ESPN last night before he went home at 9:30 to be sure they were aware -- they already were tracking it from the New Orleans Times Picayune website, but the personal contact once again proved beneficial.

The story also ran on ESPN.com and in many newspapers and other sports websites around the country.

Obviously that level of coverage is quite rare for an FCS coaching hire; in fact, the crawl was twice as extensive as some FBS coaching hire announcements, and only BCS-level coaching hires typically get used on ESPNradio SportsCenter reports from my experience.

There's been tremendous coverage in all the major newspapers around the state today. The story ran on Page 1 of the Alexandria Town Talk - not only page 1 of the sports section, but page 1 of the paper.

Be sure to surf around and enjoy! See you Monday at 5 at the press conference introducing Coach Peve!

Doug Ireland, SID

Colby still crushing it in England

How well is Demon great Colby Bargeman doing in the English Basketball League with the Worthing Thunder?

When a sportswriter refers to an athlete as "awesome" that's a pretty fair indicator.

"The awesome Bargeman broke the game open with a three-pointer..." was part of the account of his 26-point performance in an upset of the Leicester Riders, 90-89.

Demon basketball supporter and former NSU pitcher Ronald Roy passed along the latest update on Colby across the pond.

The Cradle of Coaches

You've heard about Miami (Ohio) being "The Cradle of Coaches."

You may recall some of the names. It is simply amazing to walk through their Hall of Honor in the lobby of Millett Hall, as I did last night, and look at the photos and the names.

Some we know: Paul Dietzel and Bill Arnsparger, former LSU football coaches and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members.

Many more we've heard about: Bo Schembechler, the iconic Michigan coach ... his mentor and rival, Woody Hayes of Ohio State ... the Buckeye's current coach, Jim Tressel ... Ara Parseghian of Notre Dame ... Weeb Ewbank of the Joe Namath-led Super Bowl champion New York Jets (Namath is a native of New Castle, PA, BTW) ... Paul Brown, father of Ohio's two NFL franchises and namesake of one ... Sid Gillman, the innovative NFL coach, and a couple I didn't know about, Walter Alston, longtime manager of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, and Randy Ayres, former Ohio State basketball coach ... not to forget the current Miami coach, alumnus Charlie Coles.

Consider this: in 1959, Miami graduates Dietzel (LSU) and Parseghian (Notre Dame) were coaching the Nos. 1 and 2-ranked major college teams in the country, and Brown, Gillman and Ewbank were among the leading coaches in pro football.

There is a page in the media guide full of current coaches and adminstrators from Miami, including Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Now, back to basketball!

Snow and old home memories

Nearing tip time today for the 500th game (odd how that number comes up again, huh?) at storied Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio ... outside it is snowing. Has been since before dawn, but there's just a light carpet across yards and as of yet, it's not a factor for driving.

That's good since we are rolling out after the game for Indianapolis, stopping for a meal in Richmond, Indiana. So you won't have a quick postgame account here this afternoon; we'll get to that early this evening.

Oxford is the consummate college town. The campus is right next to downtown, and this is quintessential middle America. The main street downtown is brick paved, so it had a little Natchitoches feel to it when we were there last night eating dinner, choosing between an array of small shops. There was even the chance to take horse-drawn carriage rides through the downtown area -- but the lights, while nice, aren't the display we have in Natchitoches.

Coach McConathy has family in the stands today. Connie McConathy's parents graduated from Miami in 1947. Her mom, Alice Hermann, lives in Ruston, where her dad was head of the geology department at Louisiana Tech. Her aunt and uncle are here today and enjoyed hugs with grand-nephews Michael and Logan and visiting with Mike.

Also here today - our good friend Kyle Whelliston of ESPN.com and basketballstate.com ... the nation's premier authority on mid-major basketball. K-Dub, as we call him, also saw the Demons at Indiana and will be in our hometown later this year.

He was in the locker room with the team about a half-hour prior to tip time as Coach Mike sent through pregame stategy.

Another on the friendly faces list - Dr. Rocky Colavito and family, over from Indianapolis, where they have resettled as Rocky was recruited to run a department at Butler University this fall. They miss Natchitoches and NSU mightily. Rocky and son Gavin, who have attended Coach Mike's Parent and Kid camps each summer, are on the Demon bench. Gavin has sprouted up in the time he's been eating good midwestern corn and potatoes this fall!

And the small world department wraps up with this one - Mark Schmetzer, covering the game for the Cincinnati Enquirer and sitting next to our broadcast position, is married to a native of my parents' hometown, Butler, PA, a half-hour north of Pittsburgh. The basketball SID, Angie Renninger, is from nearby New Castle, PA. So we had a lot of warm conversation about that neck of the woods.

For you Steelers' fans - this is the place that gave the NFL Ben Roethlesberger. Big Ben was a very talented RedHawk and his success isn't very surprising to the folks here. It causes quite a conflict for most who are fans of the nearby Bengals.

This, too, is regarded as the Cradle of Coaches. More about that later.

Snowflakes and our Governor

Of all the traveling I've done in nearly 20 years at NSU, Thursday's experiences were certainly among the most memorable.

It finished as we checked into the hotel amid a snow shower with temperatures dipping into the teens in metropolitan Indianapolis.

That was special. Not just seeing snow again -- Indianapolis is my birthplace. This is my first return as an adult to the city where I spent my first nine weeks many years ago in the brunt of winter.

The Demon basketball team flew in tonight in advance of Saturday afternoon's visit to Oxford, Ohio, on the Indiana border, where NSU will take on a very good Miami University team.

In another brush with my family history, Miami's last game was Wednesday night when it posted a very impressive 68-52 road win at Temple. That's where my dad went to college, classmates with the comedian (and then track star) Bill Cosby. Dad and Mom lived in a tiny apartment over a bar on Philly's famed Broad Street. He graduated in 3 1/2 years with a business degree.

Small world.

It sure seemed so Thursday afternoon as voice of the Demons Patrick Netherton and I sat in the Alexandria International Airport lobby awaiting our flight (the team flew out a little later in the day) and watched Gov. Bobby Jindal and his entourage enter the flight deck.

The security detail was at least a half dozen. As I picked up my chicken salad sandwich at the deli counter, I mentioned to the attendant that we didn't get to see that everyday. She said, well, if you're flying American, you'll see more of him.

Cha-ching!

The governor and his assistant were on our flight to Dallas. He was through security (c'mon, do you really think he and his assistant had to take their shoes off?) a little differently than the rest of us, but that's OK. He was right there in the holding area, working his Blackberry. He wasn't sequestered away from the two dozen other passengers waiting for the flight. His security lingered, but clearly, he was accessible.

Never Fear Netherton stepped forward. His father is a big Jindal supporter, and Patrick used that as his introduction to the affable governor.

I delayed my approach for a little while, so as not to intrude on Patrick. But as soon as it was apparent he wasn't off limits, I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity to visit with Louisiana's leader (and potentially, a future President; when he visited Natchitoches in October to speak at a fundraiser for Sen. Gerald Long in the Natchitoches Events Center banquet hall, musician Steve Wells struck up "Hail to the Chief" as Jindal took the podium, and that earned a grin and a quip from the fast-rising political star).

We immediately continued a discussion on NSU and the Demon basketball program. The governor was very impressed to learn about the tremendous graduation rate and academic successes. He was very interested to hear about the team's travel, and how the coaches ensure that the team visits historic and notable landmarks on road trips (stops have included the Oklahoma City Memorial, Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Hanauma Bay National Park and the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii). He was pleased to find out that Coach McConathy's recruiting philosophy is home-based, that nearly 80 percent of our roster year after year is from in-state. From his days as head of the University of Louisiana system, he was very familiar with the challenges that state universities face, and expressed his belief that recent logical in-state matchups like NSU-Grambling in football, Grambling-La. Tech in basketball, McNeese-ULL in football could become more commonplace.

He was pleasant, relaxed, quick to laugh and very focused on our conversation when there had to be a million other issues tracking in his mind. The captain of our American Airlines flight approached us to greet him, and apologized for interrupting our conversation. I told him that we didn't mind, that in this case HE was truly the most important person among us!

Not long afterward, the governor and his assistant, sans a security detail, were able to board the plane. I couldn't resist tempation. As we boarded, and made our way down the aisle past them on the commuter jet, I handed them a Demon basketball media guide opened to the first page, which lists the academic and athletic highlights of the first decade under Coach Mike.

"I wouldn't be much of a PR guy if I didn't give y'all this," I said. They laughed, and the governor dove into his sandwich, one that looked just like mine from an hour earlier.

He's not a "regular guy." Regardless of how you see his politics -- and he was off to San Antonio for a political event, then on to Houston (he bemoaned the fact that he would see little of the Alamo city save for a banquet hall) -- you have to admire his command of his surroundings and far-reaching grasp of complex issues and the simpler things in life. He is extraordinary.

I didn't delve into his professed passion for LSU football (too painful a topic this week), but I came away from our conversations at the Alexandria airport and then again at DFW with great appreciation for his people skills. Charisma is one quality some great leaders have. Connectivity with people from all walks of life is an even more rare attribute. He's got that, too.

For the 10 minutes or so we spent visiting in two airports, he did, indeed, seem quite the "regular guy." That's no small feat for a relatively young man who may someday, perhaps sooner than later, live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Doug Ireland, SID

Another splash on ESPN for NSU

We started watching at T.J.'s Ribs, the popular LSU sports-themed Baton Rouge restaurant made famous as the home of Billy Cannon's 1959 Heisman Trophy. (Did you know, BTW, that he has a granddaughter in school at Northwestern?).

It was a bland ESPN-televised game between Arizona State and UCLA, only of interest because a friend was cheering for the Bruins.

That wasn't good for the friend, not when we saw ASU score a couple of defensive touchdowns on the way to a 14-3 lead. We polished off dinner, then dessert, and headed back to the hotel.

Got back to the room, and UCLA was back within 17-9 and was first-and-goal. Good for the Bruins, until the Sun Devils got a spectacular interception and 100-yard return for a 24-9 lead. At that point, early in the fourth quarter,it was stick a fork in UCLA time, and the channels changed to catch high school football playoff scores and watch some college hoops (ironically also involving Arizona State, this time getting whipped by Baylor).

Commercial time and a sweep back through the channels to see what the football score was -- 31-9, and Arizona State's going in for more. Not just more, Arizona State was going in to score its first offensive touchdown of the game. Still not sure what happened, just that the Sun Devils had posted their fourth defensive TD to make it 31-9.

They settled for a field goal. Meanwhile, ESPN's researchers, scrambling back in Bristol, found this was the fifth time in NCAA history, so far as they could find, that a team had scored four defensive touchdowns in a game. The last time, according to their research, was 2003 when Northwestern State did it in a win over Southeastern Louisiana.

Thankfully for the Lions, the final 87-point Demon tally in that bizarre game wasn't mentioned. Thankfully for the Demons, the ESPN team overlooked the 2007 loss to Nicholls in which the Colonels ran back four interceptions thrown by the Demons for TDs.

But so far as a national TV audience was told Friday night, the Sun Devils' feat was a college football rarity last achieved by the Demons in 2003.

Announcer Sean McDonough referred to the graphic and referenced Northwestern State as the last team to accomplish four defensive TDs.

So thanks to David Pittman, Bruce Woods (twice) and Ed Queen for their roles in getting more national attention for NSU, five years later. I hope they and teammates were watching, along with then-SLU coach Hal Mumme, who foolishly insisted on continuing to throw even with the game out of hand. So it was that Woods and Queen, both freshmen backups, scored after halftime when the Demons weren't trying to put offensive points on the board.

Eyes, ears open in Baton Rouge

Scenes at the Baton Rouge Holiday Inn, where the Demon basketball team is staying during the LSU Invitational...

... also lodged here Friday night, a fascinating pairing: the Southern football team (they stay here before every home game) and the Grambling band, before tomorrow's epic Bayou Classic at the Superdome

... the Centenary and Troy basketball teams are here, too. Tough 64-58 loss to LSU tonight for the valiant Gents, who got to shoot 3 free throws to 19 for LSU. Ouch.

... as radio voice Patrick Netherton and I pulled up in the Netherton Cruiser to check in Friday evening, Troy coach Don Maestri was standing out front, waiting on his sister to arrive. The gregarious Netherton, who had volunteered to run in and see where in the world room 217 was, stopped to visit with the affable Trojans' veteran coach, a New Orleans native.

It quickly evolved into a 15-minute visit. A few of the highlights:

1) Maestri was relieved Coach Mike McConathy got win No. 500 Friday against Alcorn. He laughed and said he didn't want his team facing a Demons' squad eager to breach that milestone.

2) He expressed much admiration for McConathy, whom he's known for many years during his 27 seasons in college hoops, some as an assistant to Wimp Sanderson at Alabama.

3) He told a story about a pre-season meeting at Alabama when Sanderson told the staff the Tide's goal was a fifth-place SEC finish. Maestri questioned his boss. Wimp pointed out that a fifth place finish in the SEC would earn an NCAA Tournament trip, maybe a national ranking and a contract extension. Then Maestri understood.

4) Maestri also recalled being a little boy growing up in New Orleans, trick-or-treating down the street on Halloween Night, 1959, and suddenly hearing people screaming in joy and streaming out into the street. The next house he visited, he was told why. He's one of the few people I've met remembering Billy Cannon's legendary run who was NOT in Tiger Stadium ... or so they claim!

Doug Ireland, SID

National exposure for Chief Caddo

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1149018/13/32/index.htm

The biggest trophy in sports, anywhere, keeps bringing attention to Northwestern.

Chief Caddo was on ESPN's SportsCenter last Thursday before he risked life, limb and his home standing ground at Saturday night's NSU-Stephen F. Austin football game.

Check Gary's Gallery Tuesday for some neat shots of the postgame celebration with the Chief. I swear you can see a slight grin on his usually stoic face.

The trophy was among 32 featured on the CNN/Sports Illustrated photo vault last week. The link takes you to a picture shot by Sports Illustrated here in 2000 as part of their millenium series -- this one was celebrating the biggest and best things in sport.

Great to see some of those former Demons, including All-Pro Terrence McGee and current assistant coach Roy Locks, in that shot!

The first person (Greg Burke, you're not eligible, and neither are Ed Evans, Dustin Eubanks, Sam Goodwin, or Thomas Foster) to name all the Demon players in the photo, e-mailing the list to me at ireland@nsula.edu, will win a Demon T-shirt. We'll also put all the other correct entries in a drawing on Dec. 1 and some other observant person will get a T-shirt.

Have fun!

Doug Ireland, SID

Long break, sorry

A dearth of Daily Demon blog postings, OMG!

Mea culpa. Lots to catch up on, and lots more to look forward to in the weeks ahead.

Let's get rolling!

The Deer Woods

This is the opening day of deer season in Arkansas. An estimated 400,000 hunters were said to be armed and aiming.

Interesting note: Arkansans say the hunters are "in the deer woods." That's the commonly used phrase.

I guess that speaks to how many deer are in the woods. That may explain why so many Diamond State residents are hunters!

One bright spot

Punter Bradley Russo is having another good day. He's averaging better than 42 yards per punt with a long of 50.

Strangely enough

Despite today's stinging defeat, NSU controls its playoff hopes. Finish with wins over McNeese at home next week and at Stephen F. Austin, and the Demons are 8-4 and in the FCS playoffs.
Obviously it will take a vastly better performance than today's, but we've seen this team play at a pretty high level.

Backup QB John Hundley is in the game, getting his first action since getting hurt in the conference opener vs. Nicholls.

A big question for NSU next week will be the status of redshirt freshman left offensive tackle Jace Prescott, who had to be helped from the field midway through the third quarter. Prescott and right offensive tackle Zach Case are legitimate SLC Freshman of the Year candidates.

Another open receiver down the hash for UCA

The Bears get a long completion and a touchdown run a play later. This year in college football you never say never but right now there's little to generate hope for the Demons today.

A first down, and a punt

UCA's controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, quite a surprise. After one first down, the Demons had to punt and UCA has the ball again five minutes after halftime.

Bleak beginning

UCA takes the second half kickoff, gains 24 yards on a reverse and then hits the Demons on another long TD pass, the fourth of the game, this one a swing to a running back. It's 35-6 as the Demons get the ball for the first time after halftime.

UCA pass rush is troubling

The Bears are able to get more heat on Drew Branch than any team we've seen to date. It resulted in a drive-killing 16-yard sack after NSU had a first down at the UCA 45, and the Demons punt it away dead inside the Bears' 15 with 1:12 left in the half.

Late getting over, Demons get burned

UCA gets a receiver right down the left hash and a Demon safety is late getting over. That's a costly mistake against a QB the caliber of UCA's Nathan Brown. It's a 71-yard TD pass 4:18 before halftime, and the Bears go up 28-6 when a forced punt could really have tightened matters before the half.

A small break, as UCA got its FIRST penalty of the day on an excessive celebration flag. TWhat means the Demons have a chance to get very good field position. They'll start ath their 38 with 4:13 on the clock.

The second clearly dropped pass of the day for NSU denies a nice gain out past midfield. That's three drops if you concede the officials' rulling on the fourth-down Kedrin Seastrunk pass inside the UCA 10. Bitter - darned right I am!

Weeks converts again after a flag

Robert Weeks shouldn't get too comfortable when he lines up for a field goal in this game. He was moved back 5 yards by an illegal shift flag, but had no problem whatsoever drilling a 45-yarder to get the Demons back within two scores, 21-6. After the "no catch" ruling on Kedrin Seastrunk's fourth-down play inside the Bears 10, UCA marched 90 yards in 13 plays for a 21-3 lead. But the Demons moved 70 plus yards after the kickoff and showed they will not go quietly into the night.

Catch ruled a no-catch

NSU converted a fourth-down pass inside the UCA 5 but the officials didn't see it that way. The ruling was that tight end Kedrin Seastrunk bobbled the catch and run. However, sideline observers right in front of the play said it was a clean catch and the ball was knocked loose when Seastrunk went out of bounds. Tough break for the Demons who are trailing 14-3.

Weeks gets the record

Robert Weeks got the school career field goal record -- twice. He nailed a 27-yarder but had it wiped out by a face mask penalty. He cracked a 41-yarder on the replay, giving him 38, one more than Keith Hodnett had from 1985-88.

Demons lead 3-0, but a 55-yard kickoff return has UCA in position and they take the lead on a TD pass.

Sightings in Austin

A celebrity sighting kicked off an eyeful of observations Friday evening in Austin as the Demon football team hunkered down at their hotel getting ready for today's visit to Texas State.

With the Demon Sports Network crew at the renowned Iron Works BBQ on the banks of the Colorado River, we noticed actor Evan Handler on his own in line ordering up.

Handler is best known for his supporting role in the HBO series Sex in the City. Now he's got a prime role in the HBO series Californication. Friday night he was flying solo for dinner, and was polite and gracious when congratulated for his success by Patrick Netherton.

Either that or he was relieved we weren't asking if he was gonna eat all those ribs.

The real eyecatchers, however, were the unknowns. Each Halloween night, downtown Austin fills to the brim with costumed revelers. As Netherton observed, it's like Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, except with wider streets and no beads.

Seen on the street: a photo being taken of Superman meeting Batman and Spiderman (or a moment, I felt the world was a safe place again!) ... too many Teletubbies for my taste ... a Titantic group, with one walking in a model of the ship going down, along with a captain and a couple of distressed and presumably drowned maidens ... a group in cubes dressed as Tetris ... several different characters from the NBC TV series Heroes ... a lot of '70s costumes ... also, pirate gear was very popular this year ... and plenty of gouls, hooded gothic characters, and a fair sampling of witches and such ... there was Fiona from Shrek, the Stock Market Crash, one of our own (not one of the football team party) dressed as the villian in Scream, but you'll be glad to know that as popular as any getup were Demons. Various styles of Demons were on the prowl, none in football gear, but lots of horns and such!

We're about to head to lunch and then down to San Marcos, about a half-hour drive south on I-35.

Renovations all over

Workers are placing tape on the basketball court in Prather Coliseum, preparing to begin painting the new floor design.

There's a deadline of sorts - there's a Fellowship of Christian Athletes luncheon in the arena on Monday, which is already being planned for the volleyball court end of the coliseum.

And the Lady Demon basketball team is hoping to play an exhibition game in Prather on Wednesday night. There's a chance it could shift to Friday night if the floor's not ready in time for Wednesday.

Across the street at the Demon Diamond, the wooden fences along the outfield foul lines are gone and there's extensive work underway to the backstop and throughout the complex. Later, the old wooden stands in the Outfield Club are going to be torn down and replaced with soundly-built new ones along the lines of the outstanding structure engineered by Dr. Ron McBride and friends.

Sanding the floor

You wouldn't recognize the basketball court in Prather Coliseum now.

It's been sanded clean of paint. That's the first step in getting a new court design, which is needed due to the change on the 3-point line, moving back a foot for this year in men's basketball.

The floor will be ready in time for next Thursday's Lady Demon exhibition game. That game was to have been next Wednesday night, but was moved back a day so the NSU team could have a day of practice in its own arena.

Sam Houston says thanks

NSU head athletic trainer Ed Evans and assistant trainer Jason Drury got a nice e-mail Monday morning from their counterpart at Sam Houston State after the Bearkats had two players needing transport to Natchitoches Regional Medical Center in the last minutes of Saturday's football game.

The injury to receiver Justin Wells wasn't noticed as much, but he got a concussion after taking a big hit from Demon safety Wesley Eckles over the middle with 3:30 remaining on a fourth-and-3 pass attempt. Wells was the intended receiver and Eckles made sure he didn't make the first down.

That collision was forgotten by most of us by the time Sam Houston linebacker Luke McCall was injured on the kickoff with 1:20 left when Demon linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse crashed into him busting up the Bearkats' wedge. It took approximately 10-15 minutes for medical personnel from both teams to evaluate him and load him into an ambulance, due to the concern over a possible neck injury.

Wells didn't go to the hospital until after the game ended.

As noted here earlier, Sam Houston athletics director Bobby Williams made sure to express his gratitude to the medical staff and security for handling McCall's situation so well. Today, Evans got a thank you and good news from Hope Parker at SHSU:

"I just wanted to thank you both for all your help on Saturday, and please let your doctors know how grateful we were for their assistance as well. Both athletes are doing well and also wanted me to pass on their gratitude. Hopefully none of us will have to that again for a while. Good luck on the rest of your season and I am sure we will see you throughout the remainder of the year. Thanks again.
Hope

Hope Parker, MA ATC-LAT
Head Athletic Trainer
Sam Houston State University"

He's OK

The Sam Houston State player who had to be taken off the field by ambulance in the last 90 seconds of play is believed to be OK.

Junior linebacker Luke McCall was conscious and had movement in his extremities, according to Sam Houston State officials. He was taken to Natchitoches Regional Medical Center where a complete evaluation will be done.

Sam Houston director of athletics Bobby Williams was extremely complimentary of NSU trainer Ed Evans, assistant Jason Drury and the NSU medical staff along with the EMT personnel who assisted with McCall when he was injured on the kickoff following Robert Weeks' field goal with 1:20 left.

Great throw, bad break

Freshman cornerback Jeremy Lane was breaking toward a deep out but slipped on the cut, and Sam Houston hits a pas down to the 10. First and goal, under nine minutes left, but a motion penalty ships the Bearkats back to first down at the 15.

About time for me to head downstairs so blog updates may be done for the game.

Big plays

Sam Houston State has burned its second time out on this drive, down 21-10. It's third-and-8 at the Demons' 32. A stop here, will SHSU kick a field goal? Probably not. They would go for it on fourth down, down 11 with 9:30 to go.

Stopping them on this drive would be a huge step toward winning the game.

Touchdown and another 100

Demons get a long pass to Dudley Guice to get first and goal, and on third down score on a nicely executed William Griffin run for a 21-10 lead.

On second down, Byron Lawrence notched his 14th straight 100-yard rushing game and his eighth straight against an SLC foe.

Dropped pass HELPS Bearkats

Dropped passes last week really slowed down Sam Houston in its loss to McNeese, but one just helped them. Demon safety Colby Arceneaux had an interception in his gut but couldn't hold the deep throw, and the Bearkats burned the Demons deep on the next play. A holding penalty knocked SHSU back to first-and-20 at the NSU 45.

As I said a minute ago, a turnover would be huge here. and WOW, it happened!

Kasey Brown steps in front of a post route and makes a BIG play. Demons take over at their 42.

As it turns out ...

Who would have thought two RUNS would get the Bearkats out of the hole. On first down at the 16, the tight end drag route works and SHSU moves to the 31.

A turnover would be a real nice thing right now ...

Demons pin the 'Kats back deep

Dudley Guice downs Bradley Russo's punt at the 3 and with 6:07 left in the third quarter the Bearkats might not want to drop back and pass.

Sam Houston breaks through

The Bearkats hit a nicely executed play action pass from 47 yards out, with QB Rhett Bomar faking an option to the left out of the Pistol formation, then throwing to a receiver running a post route from the right side of the field. He was open because another receiver running the same route was 5 yards deeper and ahead of him, taking the safety with him.

Demons lead 14-10 midway through the third quarter. Demons at their own 41 after a nice Justin Perry kickoff runback.

Stops open second half

Sam Houston couldn't convert a fourth-and-5 at the NSU 29 to end its first drive with the second half kickoff. After a first down, the Demons are punting too.

NSU had 99 yards in the first quarter, 185 at halftime, even though Byron Lawrence had only 7 yards in the second quarter. He had a 10-yard run on NSU's first play after halftime.

Demons will get the ball one more time

Another three-and-out, Sam Houston punting near midfield and the Demons will be inside their own 10 with 2:19 to go before halftime.

Second straight line drive punt by Sam Houston, as low a punt as you can imagine, but for the second straight time, NSU has been penalized for an illegal block.

NSU will start at its own 5. They'll need a first down as Sam Houston has two time outs left.

Bearkats loading up on the run

Sam Houston has decided to stack the box and jam up the running game. Demons facing a third-and-15 at their 11, don't convert and will have to punt.

Another three and out

The Purple Swarm defense turns in ANOTHER three-and-out. Demons will take possession with five minutes left in the half.

A score is not always the worst news

Holding the Bearkats to a field goal after a drive that goes 12 plays is a good piece of work for the Purple Swarm. A drive of 63 yards nets the Bearkats a 37-yard field goal.

Demons back to work trying to pad their 14-3 lead midway through the first half.

Over in Texas, next week's opponent, Texas State, is out to a 24-7 lead late in the FIRST quarter at Stephen F. Austin. The cynic may say SFA has them right where they want them. The Lumberjacks have trailed by big margins early in each of their first two SLC wins.

Demons score again, Bearkats change gears

NSU stormed downfield to make it 14-0. Now it seems Sam Houston has decided just to drop back and throw on every down, and they've gotten their first two first downs of the day and moved into the Demons' side of the fielda the 44.

The Bearkats felt they didn't run it enough last week in their homecoming loss to McNeese and wanted to get it on the ground more today.

Didn't think that would last long.

Purple Swarm off to a great start

Sam Houston has been stopped again on three downs. Jasper Edwards dances 11 yards on the return for the Demons to get them to their own 44 yard line.

The first quarter is over and the Demons are up 7-0 and in position to threaten with 2-3 first downs.

Ooops by the ref

Sometimes the crossover between Big XII and SLC officials creates some boo-boos. The referee just called a TV timeout after Bradley Russo punted SHSU down at its own 12.

This isn't a TV game.

Another three and out

This time SHSU will have to punt from its own 45.

Three and out, but not off the field

Demons stop Sam Houston on three downs, but Gary Riggs is flagged for a late hit on Sam Houstons's QB and that keeps the Bearkat offense on the field.

Good sign

Demons score on a nifty 62-yard drive chewing nearly six minutes off the clock to open the game. It's the fourth time this season NSU has opened the game with a scoring drive -- the Demons won the first three.

It's the 36th time in Scott Stoker's 77 games as head coach they've scored on their first drive.

Demons take the ball first

Justin Perry is back and gets a nice runback out to the 38 to start things off. He will start at cornerback today as the coaches hope to limit the violent collisions he might encounter since he's had two concussions this season.

Demons convert their first third down of the day.

Homecoming sightings

Olympian Kenta Bell and his wife, former Lady Demon sprinter Lakeisha ... Demon basketball players Dexter Grimsley, Chris Trailer and Herman "J.R." Whitaker ... football players Carlos Treadway and Carlos Jones ... volleyball alumni Kim Hand and Stephanie Todd, among others ...

... That's just in my office or outside the fieldhouse, all here for the weekend from out of state.

The Bells regaled us with observations of the world, since they've been to China and Europe ... Dr. Charles Pellegrin, the husband of administrative assistant Ronnette, has his history specialization in "modern China" so he and the Bells had some lively conversation about the 2008 Olympic hosts.

Grimsley, Trailer and Whittaker all are in law enforcement or related fields. Trailer recently returned from a year in Iraq and says it was a great experience, but he is happy to be home. He and Grimsley are south Alabama residents while Whitaker lives in Clayton, Mo.

Jones is back near home in Grand Prairie, Texas, after spending time in Lincoln, Nebraska. The former Demon wideout and NSU athletic staffer is proud to be one of the trailblazers from Ruston who came to compete for the Demons.

Treadway, who played high school football and college ball with Demon football coach Scott Stoker, is in Detroit working as an executive for Ford Motor Company.

They gave Stoker a lot of grief about what they thought was a 90-minute Friday workout. He told them it was actually 65 minutes.

Kim and Stephanie came by as they were getting ready for the first-ever Lady Demon volleyball alumni game Friday evening. About 10 former players were getting ready to play, but not Stephanie, who is expecting in February.

In fact, as Kim ran down the list of her former teammates in the late 1990s, much as Lakeisha Bell did earlier, it seems a BUNCH of Lady Demon volleyball and track competitors from that time frame are about to become mommies, some for the first time.

I now am looking forward to the next trip to Corpus Christi, which for me doesn't figure to be until 2010, because that's where maybe the greatest Lady Demon volleyball player of them all, Tiffany Cronin, lives with her husband and two kids, says Kim.

Cronin was invited to train with the USA Olympic Team. I'd say she was pretty good!

Volleyball coach Brittany Uffelman breezed in from the alumni golf tournament, where she spent some quality time with 2008 Graduate N Club Hall of Fame inductee Robyn Justin, the first Lady Demon spiker to earn Hall of Fame recognition. A lot of folks remember Robyn as a tremendous golfer at Demon Hills and Coach B says she can still grip it and rip it.

Those who can do, and some coach too

Haley Blount added another line to her bio Wednesday.

She's the school record holder in the women's pole vault.

She's an assistant track and field coach and the head cross country coach.

Wednesday, she was the first female finisher in the Homecoming Fun Run.

The 1-2 male finishers were current competitors Chris Pearson and Dusty Dischler.

That was no surprise. Haley's win was!

She's also reminding friends that her dad, ESPN motor sports analyst Terry Blount, has a new book due out for the holidays.

It's called The Blount Report and subtitled "NASCAR's Most Overrated & Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams and Tracks."

I don't speak NASCAR but I will after I read this one.

Lions cash in another long play

A 33-yard screen pass led to a 46-yard SLU field goal and the Lions are up 9-0 13 minutes before halftime. The Demons have moved it fine but haven't taken advantage of an obviously emotional SLU defense. Lions head coach Mike Lucas is sedated at home in Hammond awaiting a heart surgery next week and understandably his team is keyed in. Let's see if the Demons can sustain their offense and close the gap now after the kickoff.

Whew!

SLU missed a field goal after having its extra point blocked so we're still at 6-0. The Lions got down in range on a long screen pass but were stymied outside the 20.

Knock on wood

You hate to bring up the great job the Demons have done so far protecting the ball, making only six turnovers in six games.

Because Byron Lawrence just lost his fourth fumble of the year, and his first in four games, at the SLU 20 to end a solid first drive by NSU.

Second chance gets SLU first blood

The Demons stopped the Lions and forced a punt, but a bad punt worked out great for SLU. A short one clipped the back of the calf of true freshman Jeremy Lane, who was a good 10 yards upfield from the returner, and SLU recovered. On third and 10 from the NSU 30, the Lions did a good job of blitz pickup and hit a touchdown pass to open the scoring.



Demons will come out with Drew Branch at QB. John Hundley is not dressed out after spraining a knee last week vs. Nicholls.



The Colonels, BTW, gave up a 29-14 halftime lead at home today and were beaten 50-39 by Stephen F. Austin. Other afternoon winners were McNeese, 28-17 at Sam Houston State, and UCA by 7 at Texas State.

Big city, two teams, one hotel

Baton Rouge is the state's biggest city. There are many full service hotels. So figure the odds that the Demons would wind up in the same hotel, the Holiday Inn on Airline, as the hometown Southern Jaguars on Friday night?

SU's team was hunkered down before a home game tomorrow night. The Demons worked out late Friday afternoon at the LSU Indoor Practice Facility, and will roll out about 2:45 Saturday for Strawberry Stadium and their game against SLU.

Mike Green back in the NFL; and Bills update

It's a good fit for Mike Green, who joined the Washington Redskins Tuesday as the club placed safety Reed Doughty on injured reserve.

Green, a nine-year NFL vet who was an All-American for the Demons in 1998-99, played opposite Redskins head coach Jim Zorn for two years when Zorn was offensive coordinator and Green was a safety for the Seattle Seahawks.

Green also played the first six years of his career with the Chicago Bears, where he played under current Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Bache.

Green started 45 of 81 games for the Bears and was their second-leading tackler during his time, trailing only All-Pro Brian Urlacher.

Traded to Seattle during the 2006 offseason, Green missed his first year with the Seahawks after being placed on injured reserve with a Lisfranc foot injury.

He played in 15 games for Seattle last year, including one start, and logged 17 tackles and one pass defended. He was released right before training camp this summer, reportedly because his NFL Players Union mandated salary was too stiff for the Seahawks to handle.

Green, a Ruston native, attended the NSU game at Baylor. He lives in Dallas and planned to attend the Grambling game in Natchitoches on Sept. 13, but Hurricane Ike ruined that trip. He also was looking forward to homecoming next weekend and the 1998 Reunion and Sam Goodwin Tribute on Nov. 15, but those events appear not to be in his short-term future now.

Meanwhile, up the road in Buffalo, Terrence McGee is not able to practice full-gear yet with his knee injury suffered last month. He's trying to get ready for Sunday's game against the powerful San Diego offense.

Demetrius Bell remains on the 53-man roster, but hasn't been on any of the 45-man game-day rosters. Bell hopes to get into some special teams action as the season progresses. Head coach Dick Jauron made clear when the Bills kept Bell that he didn't expect to play him this year, but couldn't afford to waive him and risk losing him before the Bills resigned him to the practice squad. Bell's upside is just too great.

For his career, Green has 406 tackles (327 solo), six sacks, seven forced fumbles and four interceptions.

Zany tradition continues

Basketball practice is about to begin, so ... let's watch them play softball!

That's right, Wednesday afternoon at 5 at the Demon Diamond, there will be softball of a skill level we hope not to see from Northwestern athletes next spring.

The Demon basketball team is having its annual softball game to signal the end of preseason conditioning and individual workouts, and the impending launch of real honest-to-goodness basketball practice Thursday evening.

Assistant coach Mark Slessinger initiated the tradition close to nine years ago after his arrival in the second season of Coach Mike McConathy's tenure. Slessinger, hailing from the suburban Chicago area, sees his role in staging the game to be somewhat Harry Carrayesque.

There is highly irreverent commentary, delivered by Sless, on the public address system as the players and staff go through their bases ... errr, paces.

It often looks like a Michael Jackson sighting -- somebody wearing one glove on their hand for no apparent reason. But it's always somewhat competitive because these are, after all, athletes who like to compete.

If you thought Jermaine Wallace's shot to beat Iowa was impressive, you were right. But his shot over the left field wall in this game was titantic at the outset of the 2005-06 season.

Coach McConathy, as he often does, mans the grill for this one. It's basic fare, usually, although in the 2005 contest he did bring some elk out of his freezer at home, just for grins to see who might enjoy a different flavor.

What will happen this Wednesday evening? One thing's for sure. It will be over in time for the team to be in the stands at Prather Coliseum at 7 for the Lady Demon volleyball game. Other than that, no predictions, except that the score will be a little bit like the Devil Rays-Red Sox game Tuesday night.

Prather progress

The bucket trucks are in Prather Coliseum today beginning the process of installing the new Daktronics scoreboards.

First step is taking the old scoreboards off the walls, and that's a delicate process.

They're doing the north end wall first since there is a Lady Demon volleyball game here Wednesday night. The new scoreboard should be up by then.

Then comes the south end scoreboard, the one most of us look at for basketball.

That's not all. There will be new scoretables with a data display panel, the same as on the scoreboards, so game stats and other info can be available.

You'll see some of the sharply produced signage in the concourse and concession areas similar to what has gone up over the concession stands at Turpin Stadium.

There is also a breathtaking display in the works that will completely transform the interior of the arena. If you liked the championship banners going up several years ago, you are gonna love what you see in Prather this season.

Even before tipoff!

Just as big as that Grambling goalline stand

A fourth-down stop at the 19. Now can the Demons chew up some clock and get up by 2 scores?

That's the first non-conversion on a fourth down this year for Nicholls.

Maybe the last to touch it wins?

The Demons' Purple Swarm has faced a ton of short fields tonight and is holding up well. Here's another in the fourth quarter, with Nicholls at the 30 after a short punt. Demons up 33-28 and hanging tough.

Weeks 2 away

After his latest field goal, Robert Weeks is 2 away from tying Keith Hodnett's career record of 37 field goals.

Branch in

Drew Branch is quarterbacking this series. Fourth-and-1 at Nicholls 21. Tim Henderson jumps and the Demons will probably settle for a Weeks FG.

Lawrence notches another 100

With a 10-yard run, Byron Lawrence has his 12th career 100-yard rushing output. That ties Clarence Matthews for the second-best career total in school history, with Tony Taylor's 20 topping the charts.

Weeks passes Tolar

Robert Weeks drilled a 48-yard field goal, a career best, and climbed into seventh place all-time in scoring at NSU, with 184 points. That passes Charlie Tolar, the All-America running back who had 182 points from 1956-58.

Tolar was the school record holder until Joe Delaney scored 188 from 1977-80.

Small world

NSU alumnus James Perry, father of Demon defenders and last game's touchdown makers Justin and Kevin Perry, was the halftime guest on the Demon Sports Network broadcast.

That brought James up to the press box to visit with announcer Patrick Netherton.

And reunited him with his first boss. James is an accountant at an oil firm in Houston. He first worked in Beaumont and his first boss was Harold Lafosse, the genial gent who is the Southland Conference officials observer and a frequent visitor with his charming wife Ida to our press box.

Stoker registers his disagreement

For the first time in his seven seasons, Demon coach Scott Stoker went to the officiating crew instead of Demon sideline reporter Britt Brittain. He registered his opinion with the crew before stepping back to tell Britt that Nicholls' special teams play is the difference in the Colonels' 22-21 halftime edge.

Strange scoring play, or was it?

It counted but there's a big question whether it should have been a Nicholls touchdown.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1, a quick underhand toss to the left halfback, A.J. Williams, was fumbled at the 5 and batted around. Nicholls' Isa Hines picked it up back about the 8 and knifed forward, diving for the pylon at the goalline and getting across.

However, on a fourth-down fumble, only the player who fumbled can advance the ball.

But the officials ruled it a "backwards pass" and said that allows any offensive player to advance the ball.

Semantics matter.

You wouldn't think this

That TD pass was only the third touchdown offensively so far this season (this is the third game for Nicholls due to Hurricane Gustav) and their second passing touchdown. You wouldn't expect Nicholls to have more passing touchdowns than rushing scores.

Fullback dive not there for Nicholls

The fundamental step to attacking the triple option is to deny the fullback dive, and the Demons have done that. Nicholls has not found any room inside the tackles.

But the Colonels have dusted off a tried and true weapon, going up top for a long touchdown pass to draw within 21-16 midway through the second quarter.

Purple Swarm stiff in the red zone

Nicholls has had two long KO returns and a run down to the 6 yard line and only 9 points on three field goals to show for it.

Great work by the Purple Swarm defense when it matters most.

Welcome back Kedrin and Dudley

The time off was pretty well used by Dudley Guice and Kedrin Seastrunk. Both have spent most of the season idled with injuries, and both have big catches as Northwestern is roaring off to a 21-6 lead 11:46 before halftime.

Guice caught the first touchdown pass, a 46-yarder.

Seastrunk caught a 22-yarder from John Hundley on a nifty throw and run play to get it to the 1, where Hundley fired a 1-yarder to tight end Gordon Freeman in the back of the end zone for the Demons' third touchdown.

The third score was set up by a fumble forced by Albert Smith, who grew up 17 miles from the Nicholls campus.

Demons have come to pass

After a 52-yard punt downed at the Nicholls 2, the Purple Swarm forced a 3-and-out. After Calvin Stoker's 9-yard punt return started Northwestern across midfield, a 33-yard John Hundley play action strike to a wide open Darius Duffy got the home team to the 1 and Byron Lawrence finished the deal on the next snap.

Demons 14-6.

Now can we survive the kickoff? Colonels have broken the first two for 52 and 54 yards.

First score joy

After holding Nicholls to a field goal following a 52-yard kickoff return inside the 30, the Demons scored on a long pass from John Hundley to Dudley Guice.

It's the third time in six games this year, and 35th time in 75 games under Scott Stoker, NSU has scored on its first offensive series of the game. It's also the first Demon TD against Nicholls since 2005. Three Robert Weeks field goals in 2006 provided all the points in a Demon shutout win, and Nicholls shut out Northwestern last year.

What they're wearing

Demons are in the purple tops with white pants and the thick purple stripe up the side of their legs, with purple helmets.

Colonels have white jerseys, red letters and numerals, silver helmets and pants, and red stockings.

The Spirit of Northwestern is in full gear; no more shorts and polos this year!

It's also Spirit Day with a collection of cheerleaders from area schools set to participate in pregame and halftime activities.

Visitor to tailgating

It's one thing to welcome opposing fans to the Demon Alley Tailgating Zone -- that's standard practice.

But the visiting head coach?

Nicholls' Jay Thomas and a few red-clad companions made a tour of Demon Alley about 3:30-4 today, visiting with former players David and Stuart Wright and Demon Sports Network radio play by play man Patrick Netherton, among others.

Offered some delicious tailgate fare, Thomas declined, saying his stomach is too jumpy on game day to eat.

Let's hope that as good a guy as he is, his tummy is even more upset about 9 tonight and he can't stomach the postgame meal either!

Old friend/foe speaks to Demons Friday

Heading into the Southland Conference opener Saturday evening at 6 in Turpin Stadium, the Demon football team heard from an expert on SLC championships at the close of Friday afternoon's practice.

Retired coach Bobby Keasler, who steered McNeese to a fistful of SLC titles in the 1990s, probably rode his beloved Harley to Natchitoches to try to give one of his favorite former assistant coaches a hand.

Keasler came at the invitation of Demon head coach Scott Stoker, an assistant under Keasler at McNeese from 1994-98 before Keasler took the head job at Louisiana-Monroe.

Keasler also had Demons' assistant head coach Johnny Nagle on his McNeese staff.

Friday, the New Iberia native no doubt had some choice words of inspiration for the Demons.

Changes coming in NCAA track

The path to becoming an All-American in track and field will be redefined in 2010.

Visiting with coaches Leon Johnson and Mike Heimerman this morning, it was fascinating to hear the NCAA will streamline the qualification process for the Outdoor Championships after this spring.

For years, athletes had to reach an automatic standard to qualify for the national meet, and the field was filled out by the highest ranking competitors who met an easier provisional standard that still wasn't duck soup. That system remains in place for NCAA Indoor qualification.

Only a few years ago, the NCAA adjusted the outdoor process. It established a system with four regional meets, and qualifying standards that were in most cases even less demanding than the old provisional standards, to assure enough competition at the regionals. There still were automatic qualifiers who would advance to nationals even if they didn't do well at regionals.

That won't happen after next year. There will be two regional qualifying meets, basically (except for Louisiana and Arkansas heading east) with the country divided along the Mississippi River.

The top performers at the two regional meets advance to the national meet. Nobody else does. Get the job done at the regional qualifiers, or be done with the season. Fair enough - it makes head to head competition the determining factor.

It doesn't really matter, but for some reason the NCAA won't call these the East Regional and the West Regional championships. They'll be called something else - why, I can't wait to hear.

But input from coaches and administrators, and lots of number crunching by the hard-working NCAA staff, determined this new format is improved and provides more fair selection of those competitors most deserving of a chance to become an All-American and win a national championship.

That's one wonderful aspect of track and field -- there is nothing subjective about earning All-America honors. Those go to the top eight overall finishers in each event at the national championships, as well as to the top eight American-born finishers in each event.

I'd imagine the new format will reduce the number of competitors advancing past conference championships, but just a cursory glance at results for the past few years indicated there were more athletes at the regional meets who had no chance to get to nationals than there were national-class athletes being left at home after the top five regional finishers advanced to nationals.

For example, out west, year after year there are, for whatever reason, very few national class sprinters. In the Midwest and Mideast Regions, there are far more than five good ones, and the East Region has also been much deeper than the West.

So the field of qualifiers at nationals wasn't really balanced. There were some qualifiers from out west, and sometimes also to the east, who weren't better than athletes from the midsection of the country left on the sideline after regionals.

This new system seems on track to fixing that.

On the move

If there was any justice, Demon basketball coach Mike McConathy would have a tire endorsement. The guy just loves to drive. Other than being with his family or coaching, I don't think there's much he enjoys more.

So it's not unusual that his friends and coworkers get cell phone calls from McConathy while he's steering toward his latest destination.

Now some of the driving is of course, work. Recruiting trips, business, and the like. Some of his driving is to go see friends. McConathy loves to visit folks he's met.

This week, he made the recruiting circuit through Mississippi's junior colleges, encountering former Demon guard Lem Jones at one stop.

Coach Mike called Wednesday evening about 9 to report he was cruising down I-49 past the Stonewall exit, about to cap an 1,100-mile trek.

So, you wanna be a college coach?

McGee hurt

Demon great Terrence McGee is on the shelf in the NFL for at least a week or two after hurting a knee in Sunday's comeback win over the hapless St. Louis Rams.

McGee, a starting cornerback for the unbeaten Buffalo Bills, has two interceptions already this year. He sustained a sprained knee in the first half of Sunday's game and is definitely out for a week and probably sidelined for two, according to a report on ESPN.

Kenta Bell making plans to visit

After flying more than 100,000 miles and competing in 23 meets, including the Olympic Games, NSU alumnus Kenta Bell is looking forward to Homecoming weekend.

He's been home in Atlanta (Ga.) with wife Lakeisha for more than a week now after his final Asian swing. His last competition was back in China, where he and other athletes were VIP guests at a swanky shindig hosted by China's superstar basketball giant, Yao Ming.

The Bells are planning to make it back to Natchitoches for Homecoming, and he plans to return in November to get in some training with NSU assistant coach Dean Johnson, whom Kenta considers his jumping guru. He said that he competes and trains by the WWDD rule -- "what would Dean do?"

Kenta also says the Bells are among those in the Atlanta metroplex making very careful plans about driving as there is a gasoline shortage there.

"But still, there's no place like America," he said. "Believe me, I know."

The Turner brothers and the Cox family

A surprise visitor Saturday night was Demon football great Floyd Turner, who drove in from his Houston-area home with his younger brother Darin to enjoy the evening.

Floyd spent nine years in the NFL and now is in sales. His bubbly personality no doubt serves him well.

He said his home wasn't damaged in Hurricane Ike.

Floyd's Demon career started with a bang. Before his redshirt freshman year, he was hit by a train. Really. He foolishly tried to beat a train to a crossing in his hometown of Mansfield, in one of those cars that we all had coming out of high school. Fortunately the train wasn't moving fast and disaster was averted, although he got bruised up pretty good.

That wasn't as big a hit as his little brother took as a Demon player in a spring scrimmage.

Playing receiver, he was the victim for maybe the biggest lick I've ever seen, from The Terminator, dynamic Demon linebacker Andre' Carron. The end zone collision left Turner unconscious.

I told him, I thought Carron had killed him. He said, laughing, that he doesn't remember that one bit but he's been told about it a lot!

Also dropping by to say hi were Erik and Maryalyce Walsh Cox, one of my favorite NSU sports couples.

Erik joined our sports information office staff as a student, got the bug, was a tremendous graduate assistant, and during those years fell for a very smart, very pretty cross country and distance star on the track team.

Maryalyce remains one of our top Lady Demon runners. She's now an attorney based in Houston. They have two kids and were happy to report, despite being in a heavily wooded neighborhood, they had no significant storm damage either.

Erik spent a few years as the assistant SID to former NSU assistant SID Daucy Crizer, who was the SID czar at his alma mater, Lamar. He does some contract work and is SuperDad for the kids.

They are good luck charms for the Demons. Erik brings the NSU men's basketball team good luck in every SLC Tournament -- at least the last two as he's silently cheered for them while working on the official stat crew. It's odd how the Demon football team seems to bring out some of its best when the Cox family visits Turpin Stadium.

Hectic half to say the least

But the bottom line is an explosive half.

For maybe the first time in 101 years of Demon football, two brothers have scored in the same game for NSU. Senior Justin Perry ran back the opening kickoff 95 yards, the first KO return TD for the Demons since Darius Adams went 92 yards against Troy State on Oct. 10, 1992. Later, sophomore Kevin Perry scooped up a punt blocked by Adam Varnado and scampered 17 yards for a touchdown.

They each scored on the first play in the first two quarters.

The 49 points at halftime may be the most by the Demons in a half in a long time. We'll have to check on that later; we know that when NSU put 87 up on Southeastern in that freaky 2003 game, it was a 45-point first half including 14 points in the final two minutes.

Pinch-hitting in the press box

It's a new experience for us in the press box tonight as Matt Bonnette has the night off.

Matt is in Lake Charles to see the dedication of Louis Bonnette Field at Cowboy Stadium. About right now I am sure son is bursting with pride at a wonderful honor for his father, in his 44th year as SID at McNeese.

The pinch-hitter for Matt, who runs our statistics operation, is student assistant Matt English, who has been running the stat computer all season long. Matt won the Ace Higgins Award from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association this summer for being the outstanding student assistanst SID in the state last year.

All this means blog updates may be few and far between tonight as I may be pressed into some work next door in the stat area, helping out (or staying out of the way).

Hard to conjure up a more perfect day

As the purple-clad Demons (white pants) and the all white (reminscent of Penn State) Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm begin their pregame routines, the Spirit of Northwestern marching band is beginning its procession down to Tuprin Stadium.

The skies are a soft blue and the weather is absolutely ideal.

Demon Sports Network play by play man Patrick Netherton reports that tailgating is at a gourmet-level. He hung out with David and Stuart Wright for a while, sampling their grilled fare, then went to interview Demon coach Scott Stoker for the pregame show. Afterwards, it was off to join the Lady Demon basketball team with chef extraordinare Layne Miller.

If you've never had Layne's "pastalaya" it is imperitive for your taste buds to correct that this fall.

Interesting scores across the FCS nation so far -- Montana is tied with Division II Central Washington 35-35 with under four minutes left to play. Across the country, in Boston, Northeastern surrendered 10 first quarter points and then rallied to whip UC Davis 27-10 in a game that had a very familiar tone -- it was raining at Parsons Field, there were dozens of fans there and the home team played tremendous defense and displayed a physical running game.

All of the SLC action is at night.

Tonight on the Demon Sports Network, look forward to a halftime interview with Demon legend Walter Ledet. It's been 70 years since his senior sesaon wearing No. 61 for NSU.

Inspiration from outside the inner circle

Lady Demon volleyball coach Brittany Uffelman believes in seeking outside sources for motivating her players.

So that's why she was giving former Demon football player Matt Slate and Lady Demon basketball assistant coach Mindy Newlee great credit for last night's win over McNeese State.

After a terribly frustrating 4-game loss Tuesday night at Louisiana Tech, Uffelman dialed up Slate, the former Demon linebacker who lives with his wife in Ruston, where he is a regional Fellowship of Christian Athletes director.

He immediately agreed to meet the team on the bus in a parking lot. A few minutes later, there he was, and after a briefing from Coach B, Slate gave a 10-minute talk to the players.

The crux of it: when he reflects back on the magical 1998 football season, with the Southland Conference championship and No. 2 national ranking and three home playoff games, he hardly remembers the details of the games. He remembers the relationships between the players and coaches and the fun they all had.

His advice to the Lady Demons was simple. Have fun. Enjoy your teammates, enjoy each day, treasure the opportunity.

So that made Newlee a perfect followup for Thursday night's pregame talk.

If you've met her, you know her vibrant personality. She completely subscribes to Slate's approach.

She has good cause. When she was 13, she was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. She played her first couple of years of high school basketball in her hometown of Clarksville, Ark., bald from chemotherapy.

The treatment worked.

Her message to the team traced her experience and reinforced the idea that we should maximize the joy in every day.

So during time outs Thursday night, even in the many tense moments, if fans wondered why there were grins from the Lady Demons, now you may understand.

They were having fun.

60 years later, still a proud Demon

Hitler, not Hussein, was the world's recently deceased despot.

TV was a novelty, not a necessity. Families gathered around the radio in the evenings.

People wrote letters. They grew their own vegetables behind the house in a garden. Not every home had a telephone. Water came from a well, not in a plastic bottle.

It was 1948, not 2008.

And Monday, Jack Huckaby wanted to be sure we knew that Coach Harry Turpin's 1948 Northwestern State College Demons didn't tie Louisiana College 13-13 as he saw listed in the game program at Saturday night's football game -- played in Turpin Stadium at NSU.

Nor did they finish their 1949 battle against the neighboring Wildcats knotted at 7-7, he added, proudly.

"I had to fight too hard in those games to have them go down as ties," he laughed. "We won those suckers. I want to get this fixed before I'm gone."

He understood that somehow, typographic errors happen. He had a 1985 Demon football media guide with the right score. Somewhere along the way, with computers and typesetters and dozens of different editors, scores which were once correct got twisted around.

"Hey, that was some kind of tough. That little ole Baptist school had some rough customers playing down there," said Huckaby, who was an offensive tackle and nose guard for the Demons.

"I had to deal with the Rudd brothers from over in east Texas in those two games, and I want credit for beating those guys," he said.

The Demons prevailed 13-0 in 1948, and 7-6 a year later.

Huckaby also expressed pride in the three-man coaching staff he played under -- Turpin and his assistant coaches, Walter Ledet and Alvin "Cracker" Brown.

"We didn't have 13 guys coaching us like they do nowadays," he said. "Those fellows did a lot for us. I guess we only had about 40 players at best, 33 one of my years, but our coaches were just great."

He was surprised to learn that today's football staff members -- not all of the 13 folks pictured in the game program fit into the "coach" job title -- are working 12-15 hour days throughout the season.

"It's a whole different world, a whole different game," he said. "I had no idea they put in those kind of hours."

He said one thing hasn't changed in 60 years.

"Our boys play hard," he said. "We did, too. We loved it so."

Doug Ireland, SID

(A reminder - if you see something that needs corrected in an NSU athletic publication, call us at 318-357-6467 or e-mail me at ireland@nsula.edu ... in this case, we will make the correction right away, but it won't show up until next year's media guide is printed. Many of the pages in the game program are printed in bulk before the season begins, including the school records pages.)

Tough news for softball star Cary Bruno

A knee injury suffered in practice late last week appears likely to sideline All-SLC outfielder Cary Bruno for the 2009 season.

The reigning SLC Softball Student-Athlete of the Year, and the 2007-08 SLC Steve McCarty Citizenship Award winner, Bruno was hurt while running in practice. She was on crutches this weekend and although upbeat, resigned to the probability that she won't be able to play this spring.

Once the diagnosis is made final, we'll update the situation on the website.

We are hearing a great deal of positive buzz from the softball players about new coach Donald Pickett, BTW!

Missed red zone chance

Demons can't convert a fourth down, with a pass batted at the line of scrimmage, and turn it over at the 12. A Ledell Love tackle for loss smacked the Mustangs backwards to the 4.

Another TFL, by Scott Wattigny and Rogers Loche, takes them back to the 2.

But the Mustangs escaped a safety and punted it away.

Demons have given up 50+ points at home only once. The previous high total was 51 by Stephen F. Austin in 1993 in a 51-20 season-ending win over NSU. The previous worst margin of defeat at home is that 31-point whipping .

It's not a familiar sight

Not very often have the Demons gone into the fourth quarter at home down four scores. But that's what faces NSU, staring a 45-18 deficit to open the last period.

Now or never

After a shanked punt, Cal Poly starts at the NSU 36. A must to hold the 'Stangs scoreless here. No turnovers by either team all night.

WIthin three scores

Holding Cal Poly to a field goal gives the Demons some hope still.

But after an intentional grounding, the Demons face a third-and-20.

Need something good to happen here.

Two 3-and-outs, can NSU hold serve?

Heading to the late part of the third quarter, the Demons need to get another stop with Cal Poly at midfield. But another throw it up and "big boy" the Demon secondary works again as the Mustangs hit 6-foot-6 receiver Ramses Barden to the 10.

Down 35-18, Demons need a stop here in the worst way.

Maybe a turn for the better

A sack by Mack Dampier follows the Demons running the swinging gate for a 2-point conversion. Nice to see the Mustangs with some negative yardage.

Now the Demons defend the option much better. A three-and-out and a scoring drive, hmmmm.... wouldn't that be lovely?

Not the start envisioned

A 3-and-out after the kickoff for NSU to open the third quarter. Can the Demons use some defensive adjustments at halftime and return the favor?

It wasn't by accident

Cal Poly led the nation in total offense last season, averaging right at 500 yards a game. The Mustangs have 10 starters back from that unit. It looks like it. They've scored 4 of the 5 times they have taken possession.

The Demons aren't having a lot of trouble moving themselves, but the Mustangs have quick strike ability.

Band day

Lots of high school band members in the stands for Band Day at NSU. This year, unlike in past years, they are all wearing purple shirts. The halftime show should be something.

McNeese fans up for the game

Not having been able to enjoy their own team for two weeks, one an open date and last weekend's cancellation due to Hurricane Ike, a couple of hundred McNeese fans are in the stands tonight.

The trademark cowbells were ringing for the Demons, or at least, that's how we choose to interpret it.

Also here are former Demon deep snapper and javelin thrower Tommy McClelland and his wife Jessica, two proud NSU alumni. Tommy, a member of the 2004 Southland Conference championship Demon football team, is now better known as the youngest Division I athletics director in the country. He's steering the ship at McNeese and aside from wanting to visit the alma mater and see some live college football, he is happy to be making the personal acquaintance of his counterpart at Cal Poly, Alison Cone. They have to eventually settle on a makeup date for the Mustangs' visit to Lake Charles.

The Cowboys go out to Cal Poly in 2010. The Demons head out to San Luis Obispo to open the 2009 season with a Sept. 5 game.

Coming from Carville and Carolina

NSU graduate, former athletic ticket manager and former student and graduate assistant sports information staffer Jerry Rushing is coming to Saturday's game.

He's coming from Carville, La., by way of North Carolina.

Jerry is a National Guardsman. Since Hurricane Gustav approached, his unit in North Carolina has been stationed in south Louisiana. They've recently been assisting with cleanup and repair work in and around Carville, but have just about wrapped up operations.

Jerry's guard duties have carried him lots of places, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was stationed for a year. He relocated a couple of years ago to North Carolina, and it will come as absolutely no surprise to anybody who knows him to hear that he lives next to a golf course.

He and wife Carla and her sister will be coming to Saturday's game, looking for their old friends.

Nobody makes them any easier than he does.

Suddenly the man of the house

Not many college football players reference 1900 in conversations.

When that college player is from Galveston, Texas, flattened by an unnamed hurricane in 1900 and severely ravaged over the weekend 108 years later by Hurricane Ike, there's a story to be told.

Junior fullback Dante' Austin has overcome three shoulder surgeries in three seasons, and is a preseason second-team All-Southland Conference selection. As of Sunday, he was also the man of the Austin household, which no longer has a house of its own.

The family's residences, for Austin's immediate family and his grandparents, were destroyed Saturday by Hurricane Ike's assault.

The Austin clan evacuated to Natchitoches, hoping for the best, but having weathered several storms in their beloved hometown, never imagining that they would be homeless come Monday.

Dante' took in all he could at his apartment, and found lodging at a hotel for other family members. Tuesday, he missed practice, with coach Scott Stoker's blessing, so he could lead a shopping trip for clothing and other essentials. Since Galveston banks are shut down, guess who footed the bill?

Jeff Matthews, the gifted writer for the Alexandria Town Talk newspaper, spent time today visiting with Dante' and I am sure we'll see a story on the situation soon.

Also, Dustin Eubanks, the NCAA compliance officer for NSU, will be meeting with Dante' to see if the NCAA's special assistance fund can help, and if there are other ways for him to get financial help without jeopardizing his eligibility.

Austin is the first member of his family to attend college. I met his grandfather last year and know how very proud they are of him.

With good reason.

So many big plays to recall

But in the thick of it, savor a thrilling Demon win and realize this: three first-year Demons and a redshirt freshman played the entire second half and some of the second quarter on the offensive line, along with graybeard senior Tim Henderson.

Some of the game ball has to go to true freshmen Zach Case at right tackle and Jesse Hernandez at center. Both came out of their redshirts last week at Baylor, and they grew up a bunch today. Case got 17 snaps last week and Hernandez only three. They played most of the day today as NSU ran for 170 yards against a defensive unit that Coach Scott Stoker said was better than Baylor's.

Credit too to sophomore transfer Michael Booker, who played most of the snaps at left guard, and redshirt freshman left tackle Jace Prescott, who battled Grambling's NFL-worthy defensive end, Christian Anthony, all day long. Anthony had 3 tackles.

I tried to start listing all the big plays while composing the website poll. There could have been a dozen or more candidates, easily. What a great game!

Could be left in the hands of the defense

Demons still get very good pass protection on offense but you have to wonder, with the reshuffled O-line, will this one hang on how well the Purple Swarm can shackle the big play offense of the G-men?

After finishing the first half with a flurry of long balls, Grambling is running inside trap plays to open the second half. NSU knew the visitors would come in throwing it deep. A big pass rush could be a key for the Demons.

Underway again

The second half starts with the same Grambling offensive approach. A fast pace and some inside trap runs on the first two plays from scrimmage. A fumbled shotgun snap forces the first Tiger punt and another 3-and-out.

I just have a feeling Calvin Stoker will break either a punt or a kickoff, or Isaiah Greenhouse will block one -- a GSU punt -- this afternoon.

Demons start at their 46 after a Stoker fair catch.

Byron Lawrence gets another shot, but the Tiger defensive front smothers him.

NSU is playing without two starting offensive linemen, both centers -- Ben Schwantes and Marcus Washington. Washington was the starting left guard in the first two games after playing center in his first two seasons. Schwantes couldn't play today and Washington left the game in the second quarter.

True freshman Jesse Hernandez is the center. Redshirt freshman Jace Prescott is the left tackle for the third straight game. Transfer Michael Booker is getting most of the work at left guard. That's three brand new players up front for the Demons.

Fumblerooski pays off for Tigers

Grambling gets it back with 41 seconds left, hits a long pass, then runs the fumblerooski out of a tight formation. The Demons had it sniffed out but a highlight-reel run got the Tigers to the 11, where on the next snap they threw a TD pass with 15 seconds left. The extra point was blocked. Still, a huge boost to the visitors just before halftime.

A hold for the Swarm

Demons' pass rush and secondary are tested on four throws from first-and-10 at the 19, but they're equal to the task. Grambling threw to the end zone on three straight downs.

The Demons are getting hit hard by the officiating crew after a light dose of flags at Baylor.

Live stats back up

Tigers back on the field with the ball after getting their first first down of the game on the long run on the previous drive.

A HUGE hit by Kasey Brown on the Grambling running back.

Tigers go no-huddle. Trying to shake things up, and now getting the calls from the sideline.

Tigers get another nice run inside the Demons' 30. They've found something that works.

Tigers go for it on 4th down at the NSU 26

Delay of game penalty - Demons were blitzing Mack Dampier off the left edge.

Fourth-and-11 at the 31, TIgers are going to punt.

Live stats hiccup again; G-men threatening

Grambling gets a long run and is inside the 30 on third down. Pass incomplete, let's see what happens on fourth and six from the 27.

Tough customer, Phil LeBlanc

Phil LeBlanc is holding for placement kicks today, which doesn't seem like a big deal.

Until you realize he had dental surgery Thursday to repair teeth on his jaw broken in a collision last week at Baylor.

He can't play defense, but doctors cleared him to hold. Kicker Robert Weeks was some kind of relieved to have his holder able to play.

TD called back, temporarily: 17-7 Demons

Adam Varnado caught a 13-yard TD pass from John Hundley but it was erased by a holding call on NSU. Varnado has had more big plays wiped out by penalties than any Demon we can ever recall ...

On third down, Hundley scrambles in over the wide open left side, making a nifty move to escape a Tiger defensive back at the 2.

Robert Weeks adds the extra point to make it 17-7 midway through the second quarter.

No first downs for GSU but a TD

Byron Lawrence loses a fumble for the third straight game, and this one is scooped up by Grambling and run back for a touchdown, drawing the Tigers within 10-7 a minute into the second quarter.

Grambling does not have a first down yet.

Demons rerack and start again at their own 37 after the kickoff.

Washington back in at center

A 2-yard gain with Marcus Washington back at center. The Tigers' defensive front is very impressive. Timeout Demons, with 2:37 left in the quarter.

Students continuing to enter the stadium. Not the crowd this matchup deserves, for sure, but considering the circumstances good to see people still arriving, and they are.

Shreveport radio affiliate problems

Apparently the combination of Hurricane Ike and a new phone system has flummoxed folks at our Shreveport station, so hopefully you're listening to the game online and watching it here. Another Grambling 3-and-out following a Robert Weeks field goal. Demons up 10-0 and Tigers do punt this one, but a duck hook gives NSU the ball at midfield.

First down, Marcus Washington shaken up

He walks off under his own power but that will put true freshman Jesse Hernandez at center for at least a snap. Second down and 10 at the 21.

Hundley to Seastrunk for five yards.

Live stats revived - fake punt backfires!

You can follow the stats there, we'll provide some additional info. Another 3-and-out for Grambling, and here's the punt, it's a fake and it is smothered by the Purple Swarm led by Isaiah Greenhouse.

Demons in business at the Tigers' 21.

Demons punt Tigers down at their 17

GSU takes over after stopping NSU at midfield, and Kasey Brown nearly stepped on a quick slant for a pick on first down from the Grambling 17. Crowd has filled in decently on the student side, which is about 40% full.

Live stats haywire, Demons lead 7-0

After the TD, a 3-and-out on Grambling's first series. THe Demons facing a third-and-20 after a holding penalty, back at their own 24.

Great start

For the 33rd time in Scott Stoker's 72 games as Demon coach, NSU has scored on its opening drive of the game. A 6-play, 56-yard, 2:54-long drive ended with a third-down 31-yard TD pass from John Hundley to Jimmy McKee down the middle, after Hundley had the luxury of excellent pass protection which allowed him to work through several receivers before McKee broke through. It wasn't quite like backyard football and no rush on the QB, but he had plenty of time to make his pick and threw a strike to McKee.

Partial band but full sound

The Spirit of Northwestern band is about at half-staff today, in terms of numbers, but if you close your eyes and you're not a musical afficiando, you cannot tell the difference.

Our band at half-speed is better than most any other school's at full tilt.

The sun is shining brightly and fans are still arriving. This will not be a half-filled stadium, which is a shame, but there's no question that playing yesterday, while possible, would not have been prudent. Putting people on the road to the game, wondering if power would hold out (it did on campus, but not throughout Natchitoches for a period in the late afternoon), and having radically different weather conditions affect the outcome of the game would not have been good.

Now we will have a great football game, and I presume a record audience for a home game for the Demon Sports Network!

Great blog post by Kelly Morris

The new NSU beat writer for the Shreveport Times did a wonderful blog entry today on www.shreveporttimes.com ... remembering the 1974 meeting between NSU and Grambling, which took place exactly 34 years ago today.

She has comments from Butch Ballard, coach A.L. Williams and Doug Williams of Grambling. You will enjoy the read!

Sun shining, teams warming up

The sun is out, the sky is overcast but not threatening, and both teams are on the turf at Turpin. The Demons are in purple home jerseys and white pants. The Tigers are in white jerseys with black pants and black headgear.

50 minutes before kickoff, and there's a muted tailgating effort ongoing. This is clearly not going to draw the crowd it would have inn a regular circumstance, but the teams are not going to let that get in the way.

Head coaches Scott Stoker and Melvin Broadway are visiting in th emiddle of the field, and our own Coach Black is also in the conversation.

Fans are enjoying the new commemorative signage, especially the signs celebrating NSU's NFL tradition on the pillars under the press box side of the stadium. There were people taking pictures with their cell phones earlier.

Weather will not be an issue, except for the humidity. Temperature will be in the mid-80s.

The Grambling band is in Jacksonville, Fla., performing today. The Spirit of Northwestern band will probably not be at full strength, but there are four coolers set up in the stands on the east side, an indication that at least a partial band will be on hand. Hard to blame anybody who headed home to avoid the potential implications of Ike.

Tornado warnings, coaches working

A tornado warning for west Natchitoches Parish came across about 20 minutes ago, and the storm seems headed to the Coushatta area and up toward Minden and Homer at 60 mph.

Amazing that some football fanatics, and I mean fanatics, are giving KSLA Channel 12 grief for going live with tornado tracking coverage -- they're doing a great job -- instead of showing the Georgia-South Carolina game at this point.

A reality check, please!

At the fieldhouse, Demon coaches are game-planning for Cal Poly while hoping the weather keeps the power on. So far, so good.

Winds up to 47 mph here on campus.

Going to venture cross town for a while, hope to check back later today. So far it looks good to kickoff tomorrow at 2! Smart move by both schools to sit Saturday out and still come back to play Sunday.

Wind steady, power on at campus

Rural residents and some of us right outside the city limits have lost power, but the Natchitoches power grid seems solid and power is on across the NSU campus 15 minutes prior to what would have been kickoff today.

Up at Turpin Stadium, the south goal post is bent at a slight angle from the wind, which as of a few minutes ago was steadily around 26 mph with gusts up to 41 mph. The road signs are rattling and the stop lights are leaning strongly into the south wind, with a storm front closing in on the Natchitoches area. NSU22, the campus TV station, is doing the community a great service with its constant display of the Doppler radar which is tracking the weather in the region.

At the west side elevator of the stadium, I found athletic facilities director Alan Pasch, his predecessor and now university physical plant director Chuck Bourg, and Red River Sanitors campus manager James Jefferson conferring. James was sporting his ever-present Dallas Cowboys hat, and it wasn't blowing off his head.

Pasch reported that one man showed up at the stadium asking when the game was going to start.

So much for the mass media, huh?

Windy morning

Wind guests up to 39 mph, with a steady stream of 24 mph winds, are helping validate the decision to move the NSU-Grambling game to Sunday. So far, so good, but to the west of us, it's getting pretty rough.

The power is on, and that means the NSU football staff is at work. What are they doing a day before the game? Probably working on the next game. The game change means the work they would ordinarily do on Sunday, finalizing the game plan for Cal Poly, probably needs done today. So the power staying on is very important today for the Demons.

Moving quickly to beat the storm

A lot of fast moves were in progress Thursday and Friday as it became apparent Hurricane Ike was going to impact the sports weekend at NSU.

Athletic director Greg Burke and I became connected with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center, and the entire administrative staff listened attentively at 8 a.m. Friday to a massive conference call with governmental leaders, law enforcement personnel and other decision makers being advised by the NWS as to the outlook for Ike's impact.

Thursday night at 11 and Friday morning at 4, there were new projected paths for Ike released by the National Hurricane Center online, and Burke was eyeing the info as soon as it was posted. Or so he says he did; I have an e-mail or two to prove it.

I couldn't take it and dragged out of bed at 4:15 to get a look myself. I was encouraged by what I saw but daunted by what I heard four hours later on the NWS conference call.

I was impressed once again Friday to see NSU athletic staff securing their facilities and preparing for the worst, just in case. There was also work on adjusting schedules for the volleyball and cross country teams, who have lost competitions due to the weather; and contingency calls being made just in case the football team doesn't get to play this weekend and needs to play somebody on Oct. 4. Donnie Cox and coach Scott Stoker were consulting on that front.

Burke and President Dr. Randy Webb were discussing alternatives with their peers at Grambling or playing the big football game sometime this weekend. The Tigers' brass wanted to play as well and as soon as it was evident that the weather Sunday should be good enough, there was quick agreement Friday morning just before 10.

That also launched a massive and hurried effort to let the world know about the change, along with the small army of workers from all elements of the university and community who are part of the event staff for home games.

Something as simple as assuring the game officials could make a Sunday game had to be handled. There were many other hurdles to be cleared as soon as the decision was made. We got help from lots of "outside" associates such as the city of Natchitoches, the Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce, our broadcast partners at Baldridge-Dumas Communications, the Southland Conference office and the Southwestern Athletic Conference office.

I haven't had a chance to talk to anybody from the football team or head coach Scott Stoker today, but I know how disappointed they were Thursday evening at the prospect of not playing at all, which at the time seemed quite likely. I don't have to guess to know how excited they are about the chance to play Sunday.

Even now, with the clock at 7, SID administrative assistant Ronnette Pellegrin, her husband Charles and student worker Tracy Hall, along with her 2-year-old daughter. are polishing off copying the revised game notes and flip cards for use in the press box Sunday. We're going at it just as if we were supposed to be playing Sunday the whole time.

Meanwhile, assistant SID Matt Bonnette is in the office to do the story on the soccer win today by the Lady Demons at Grambling - hopefully the first of a sweep of Tiger teams this weekend!

Right now, Ruston High School and Natchitoches Central are taking the turf at Turpin for a district football game. Fans are enjoying seeing the new commemorative signage that went up underneath the west side (press box side) of the stadium in mid-week, and the wayfinder signage in the stands showing fans what section of seats they are near.

The Demons' great NFL lineage, and the rich 100-year tradition of NSU football, is celebrated with the signage, which adds vibrant color to the heretofore relatively bland undercarriage of Turpin Stadium. There are additional signs to be displayed in the near future, too.

It was fun to walk through the stadium with Athletic Association board members Joe Schellette and Tommy Chester, and Graduate N Club Hall of Fame member Emma Boozman, in the hour before the NCHS-Ruston game was to begin. They were enjoying the new signage, and you will, too.

We'll provide a little background on that project in another blog entry soon.

For now, it's time to duck and cover. Some are having hurricane parties ... I guess they're more prepared than I am at this stage.

The weather is overcast and damp and comfortable, after a band of heavy rain earlier this afternoon. There's not a lot of wind. Yet.

But around midnight, hunker down, according to the NWS.

Be safe and smart. Hopefully, we'll all see each other Sunday at Turpin!

Doug Ireland, SID

Special visitors

More on this later, but what a pleasure it's been this afternoon to welcome the great grandson and the great great grandspn of H. Lee Prather are here in Natchitoches.

SLCTV taping Tuesday

The SLCTV network crew was on campus Tuesday, making preliminary preparations for their telecast of Saturday afternoon's football game in Turpin Stadium, and taping segments for the October SLC magazine show on the network.

Interviews taped were with head coach Scott Stoker, senior tight end Kedrin Seastrunk, punters Bradley Russo and Nic Russo, and volleyball coach Brittany Uffelman and two of her top players, preseason first-team All-SLC pick Yelena Enwere and Megan Dockery.

Also included - an impromptu opening to the show with a group of Demon football players in the football office lounge, and a great sight gag by redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Fayard. I am not going to spoil the surprise, except to say you won't recognize him!

Skipping ahead in the story

Wireless connection issues in the visiting radio booth at Baylor sidetracked Saturday night's in-game blogging after one entry. Maybe a sign of things to come that night ...

Anyhow, back to blogging now and lots of info to pass along this week.

Getting underway in Waco

A big turnout at the pregame tailgating party hosted by the NSU Alumni Association, but a frustrating start to the game for the Demons. On third down at midfield, Baylor throws a bomb and the Bears' receiver wins a jump ball at the goalline for a touchdown. The Bears miss the extra point, however, and true freshman Calvin Stoker get the kickoff out near midfield.

Giving LC a place to practice

Heavy rains creating flooding in Alexandria also inundated Pineville and left the Louisiana College football team without a field to practice on today and Thursday. Nearby Deville collected almost 20 inches of rain.

The Wildcats couldn't practice on campus or at nearby Pineville HS, so they cruised up I-49 and followed the Demons on the turf at Turpin Stadium Wednesday evening. They will practice again Thursday in early afternoon before the NSU team hits the turf for a 3:10 workout.

Both teams are on the road this weekend. The Demons head to Baylor. The LC Wildcats open their season at Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla., about an eight-hour bus ride from home, according to head coach Dennis Dunn.

Back in business, after a near miss - or two

For almost four hours this afternoon, the relative comfort that the city of Natchitoches utility consumers were enjoying during Hurricane/TS Gustav came to a sudden halt. The city power popped off at the end of the lunch hour and was restored around the 5 o'clock hour.

It altered the Demon football team's practice plan -- NSU was going to wear full gear, but some of that gear was still in the drier about 1 so the team went to work in shorts and shoulder pads.

It almost caused one important member of the football staff four hours of isolation.

Film crew guru Mike Huesmann had just taken the camera gear to the sixth level film deck, overlooking the 50-yard line at Turpin Stadium. After setting up the gear, he strode toward the elevator, hit the button, saw the doors open, took a step inside and ..... lights out.

Ten seconds quicker and Mike would have been stuck in the elevator for quite some time.

That was not the closest call for an NSU staffer Tuesday.

Head athletic trainer Ed Evans and a neighbor on Mr. Ed Lane (really, that's the street) were clearing limbs and a tree that had tangled into power lines. That is usually something that shouldn't be done, due to the risk of the power line being hot, but in this case, there was no question about whether there was any electricity to worry about.

Turns out, that wasn't the risk factor. And Ed will not be in the tree clearing business ever again.

As they twisted the cable loose, it was wrapped around a broken portion of the trunk of the tree. Evans estimates it was a 200-pound chunk of wood with a jagged edge. The cable snapped and jerked one way, and popped the wood up in the air. Evans had the choice to dodge the cable or the wood. He chose correctly.

But barely. The chunk of pine landed right behind him, actually brushing his back. If he had been a half-foot further back, "I'd be dead right now," he admitted.

When it was suggested that his head was too hard for that to happen, he said not even that quality would have saved him.

While the city utilities are restored, those who live outside city limits are hoping for a quick resolution tonight. Sheriff Vic Jones arranged for an 18-wheeler packed with ice, which helped a lot of folks save food about to spoil in their freezers.

Ever the resourceful one, basketball coach Mike McConathy thought ahead and had dry ice for his fridge and freezer.

Flickering lights, future possibilities

Although it hopefully won't be necessary, and early signs are good, Turpin Stadium is the backup site for Saturday's football contest between Delta State and McNeese State.

McNeese played a home game here after Hurricane Rita in 2005, hosting Texas Southern in a game that NSU officials helped broker. Rita cost the Demons a shot at the Tigers, which ultimately almost certainly cost NSU a winning record (finishing 5-5 without playing a team they had easily handled a year ago). But TSU and McNeese both had openings when the Demons were headed to resume their schedule at Sam Houston State (a gritty win for NSU in a defensive slugfest), so they tussled in Turpin, complete with an NSU pep band playing Jolie Blanc, the McNeese fight song.

Meanwhile, back at the NSU fieldhouse, the video maestros of David Rosen, Mike Huesmann and John Schaekel were being hampered Monday afternoon by flickering lights which resulted from the havoc due to Hurricane Gustov's outer bands arriving. There were several game tape edits that didn't get saved once put together on computers because of the power pulses. Fortunately, as of 6:45 Monday evening, there haven't been any outages.

But from now forward for 24 hours, we should see the peak of the winds if the forecasters are correct.

Coach Stoker told the team in a brief 5 o'clock huddle that anybody who didn't feel comfortable at their apartments tonight was welcome to come hunker down in the fieldhouse. The luxurious sofas and lounge chairs in the locker room and upstairs in the football lobby, donated by the Truax family in memory of young Christopher Truax, will have never been put to better use.

Storm preps

Sunday, the NSU track coaches were removing and storing anything that could be blown away by the coming storm -- the high jump pit, the pole vault pit, and other implements. The same thing was being done at other outdoor venues Monday morning.

It was business as usual Monday morning for two teams. Soccer players were heading out to the field for a 10 o'clock practice and football players were getting ready to hit the field at 10:45.

So far, there are mild winds and overcast skies. The Red Cross shelter in the Health and Human Performance gym on campus is filled to capacity.

And as you've noticed already, the volleyball match at Louisiana Tech Tuesday night has been postponed.