HOUSTON - Northwestern State rallied for a pair of second-half touchdowns to outlast HBU, 21-17, in Southland Conference football Saturday night at Husky Stadium.
 
Freshman quarterback Orion Olivas completed 15-of-33 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies (0-5, 0-2 SLC). Senior running back Dreshawn Minnieweather rushed 10 times for 47 yards and sophomore running back Fudge Woods had a 33-yard touchdown on his only carry. Sophomore Ismael Fuller caught six passes for 80 yards and sophomore Tyson Thompson caught six for 70 yards. Sophomore Branden Walker had two catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Charles King was held to two catches for 11 yards and his touchdown streak ended at four games.
 
Senior linebacker Brennan Young had 11 tackles and two sacks, while senior safety Coi Miller had 12 tackles. Freshman linebacker Rodney Dansby and senior defensive end Vejon Wallis each made nine stops, with Wallis adding a sack.
 
Kaleb Fletcher completed 17-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, but gave way in the second half to Zachary Clement, who completed 7-of-9 for 50 yards and rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown. SirMichael Veasley rushed 12 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Jay Griffin made nine catches for 90 yards. Kendrick Price Jr. had two catches for 20 yards and a score.
 
Jaeden Ward made six tackles, while Jomard Valsin Jr., Race Moser and William Hooper each had five.
 
The total yards were dead even at 308 apiece, but NSU outgained HBU, 133-91 on the ground. Each team fumbled four times, but the Demons recovered three of HBU's, while the Huskies only recovered one of NSU's. The Demons were penalized 13 times for 157 yards and the Huskies were penalized nine times for 78 yards.
 
Fletcher found Griffin for a 35-yard completion on the first play from scrimmage, but NSU turned the ball over on downs. HBU could not do much on its first possession, but pinned NSU inside the 15. The Huskies got the ball back on the Demons' 49 and scored on Woods' 33-yard touchdown run.
 
HBU forced another punt attempt, but Scotty Roblow fumbled the snap and junior defensive lineman Kyler Baugh recovered for the Huskies at the NSU 33. HBU settled for Gino Garcia's 37-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead with 4:33 left in the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Huskies fumbled and the Demons recovered in HBU territory at the 44. NSU capitalized on Fletcher's 19-yard touchdown pass to Williams with 8:42 remaining in the half. NSU got the ball back at its own 47 with 2:26 to go and picked up a couple of first downs, but Wallis sacked Fletcher to take the Demons out of field goal range with under a minute on the clock.
 
The Huskies had a long drive in the third quarter, but it ended with Garcia missing a 40-yard field goal wide right. The Demons answered with a lengthy drive of their own and Veasley capped it with a eight-yard touchdown run as NSU took a 14-10 lead with 14:48 left in the game.
 
HBU answered with Olivas' 38-yard pass to Thompson setting up a 30-yard touchdown pass to Walker as the Huskies moved back in front, 17-14, with 12:25 remaining.
 
The Huskies forced a punt and took over at their own 17 with just under nine minutes to go, but King fumbled after a completion on first down and the Demons recovered at the HBU 27. Clement's 17-yard run to the 10 set up his two-yard touchdown run to regain the lead for NSU, 21-17.
 
HBU got the ball back at its own 6-yard line with 2:11 to go. Olivas fired a 17-yard completion to Fuller on first down and a personal foul tacked on 15 more yards. The Huskies faced a fourth-and-three at the HBU 45 with just over a minute left and Olivas found Thompson for a first down, but the next four passes went incomplete as NSU held on for the win.
 
The Huskies will be back on the road in Louisiana next week, facing Southeastern Saturday at 4 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.