NSU preps for Homecoming contest against Sam Houston State

NATCHITOCHES -- There's hardly a better time to build a win streak than going into Homecoming, and when the Northwestern State football team runs Saturday night through the purple smoke for the first time in 28 days at Turpin Stadium, the Demons will fly through on the momentum of road victories at No. 22 Central Arkansas and former No. 15 Texas State as they welcome Sam Houston State for a key Southland Conference matchup. Kickoff is 6 p.m. after a day filled with Homecoming festivities, including a parade and pep rally, and the Demon Walk at 3:30 through the Demon Alley tailgating zone. Visit www.nsudemons.com for ticket information, including the opportunity to buy tickets online until Thursday. The game will be broadcast on five Louisiana radio stations over the Demon Sports Network: flagship 100.7 FM KZBL (Natchitoches), and affiliates 92.1 FM KSYR (Shreveport), 104.3 FM KEZP (Alexandria), 99.9 FM KTEZ (Many), 92.7 FM KBDV (Leesville). The Demons (3-4 overall) and the Bearkats (4-3) are each 2-1 in the conference, tied for second, going past halfway in the Southland season with Saturday's collision. NSU has won its last two, and three of its last five, while SHSU has won four of its last five. Both teams are defying preseason polls which had them picked no better than sixth in the eight-team SLC. The Demons hit the end zone on their first possession last Saturday and held Texas State scoreless on five trips inside the 30 at San Marcos while posting a rugged 16-3 triumph. Sam Houston State had a 4-game win streak snapped, barely, last Saturday in a 31-28 loss to arch-rival Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium in Houston. In a game with eight lead changes, the Bearkats edged the Demons 34-30 last year in Huntsville. The Demons took the 2008 meeting 24-16 in Natchitoches. Northwestern leads the series 18-14, including a 10-5 advantage in games played at NSU (6-2 in the last 8). After coming up with a pair of red zone stops in the fourth quarter to preserve a 24-19 win at Central Arkansas, the NSU defense topped that with a remarkable outing in the Texas State triumph. The Bobcats scored only once on 6 trips inside the NSU 30, including two in the fourth quarter, one a goalline stand. The Demons had an amazing 14 pass breakups vs. Texas State, which failed to score a TD at home for the first time since 2001. After making 15 stops at Texas State, and two pass breakups including a TD-saving knockaway, sophomore linebacker Derek Rose was named the Louisiana "defensive player of the week" Monday afternoon by vote of 17 media in a Louisiana Sports Writers Association weekly poll. Rose already has 90 tackles through seven games, an average of 12.8 per game. Last year's tackle leader -- in 11 games - was senior linebacker Blake Delcambre with 94. In NCAA statistics, Rose ranks ninth nationally, and leads the Southland, in tackles per game. Junior linebacker Yaser Elqutub has been elected Northwestern's Homecoming King by vote of the student body. He will be extra busy with activities representing the student body -- in fact, Tuesday, he said it was the busiest week of his life -- but will have to skip the halftime presentation of the Homecoming court. He is also the team's defensive captain this week. The Homecoming Queen is Amy Dodson, a senior elementary education major from Ragley. Dodson was named Miss NSU 2010. She has been an NSU cheerleader for four years and a captain for three years. Dodson is a member of Phi Mu Fraternity and is active in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. She is a representative at large on the Student Activities Board and is a member of Demon Volunteers in Progress and took part in the Up til Dawn fundraiser for St. Jude¹s Children¹s Hospital. Dodson is a Panhellenic counselor. A Houston native, from Cinco Ranch High School, Elqutub is a scientific inquiry major in the Louisiana Scholars' College. Elqutub is a member of the NSU football team and is a national representative for the Southland Conference on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He is president of Alpha Epsilon Delta, treasurer of Blue Key and a member of Phi Kappa Phi. Elqutub is a recipient of the Presidential Award and Scholars' Research Award.