NATCHITOCHES, La. – HBU jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter before falling behind in the fourth, only to regain the lead with just 2:25 remaining but ultimately fell, 28-24, to Northwestern State on Saturday at Turpin Stadium in Southland Conference football action.
Sophomore
Xzavier Ford ran in a pair of touchdowns and led the Huskies with 43 yards on 18 carries while
Ean Beek had 41 yards on seven carries. Freshman quarterback
Orion Olivas ended the game with 281 yards through the air, completing 28-of-40.
Tyson Thompson had his second-consecutive 100-yard receiving game, totaling 113 yards on nine catches.
Punter
Brady Buell averaged 41.5 yards on six punts with a long of 50. Safeties
Coi Miller and
Isaiah Cash tied for the team lead in tackles with 13 each.
HBU took the opening kickoff and efficiently marched downfield 78 yards to score with Olivas completing 8-of-8 passing attempts for 69 yards before Thompson ran in a direct snap for the one-yard touchdown. The HBU defense came out and forced a three-and-out on the first Demons possession of the day, giving the Huskies the ball on their own 30 after a 15-yard punt return by Thompson. On the ensuing 70-yard touchdown drive, a pair of big pass plays to
Ismael Fuller and
Lane Botkin helped set up Ford for a spinning one-yard TD run.
On the Demons first play of their next possession, quarterback Zach Clement took a shot downfield and freshman cornerback
Travis Greenawalt stepped in front of it and made the first interception of his career at the Huskies' 37. The interception set up HBU for a 33-yard drive before the offense stalled out and kicker
Gino Garcia nailed a 48-yard field goal, pushing the Huskies' lead to 17-0 less than 13 minutes into the game.
NSU lined up for a 23-yard field goal but
Segun Ijiyera got a hand on the ball and deflected it wide to maintain the 17-point HBU advantage. NSU got on the board on an 18-yard pass to Jay Griffin with just 27 seconds left in the half but missed the extra point, setting the Huskies up for a 17-6 halftime lead.
The first scoring in the second half came less than a minute into the fourth quarter when the Demons capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard run and pulled within five of the Huskies, 17-12. NSU's two-point conversion failed, leaving HBU ahead by five with 14:22 left to play.
After an interception thrown by Olivas, giving the Demons a short field from the HBU 37, NSU took the ball down to the red zone but the HBU defense forced a field goal with NSU punter Scotty Roblow connecting from 24 yards, bringing the score to 17-15 in HBU's favor.
The first play of the Huskies' next drive, NSU's Jomard Valsin jarred the ball loose on a Ford run and the Demons fell on the ball at the HBU six-yard line. NSU's first play, a run, saw
Isaiah Cash rip the ball loose with the different Huskies getting hands on the ball as it was in the air but ultimately ending up in NSU's hands. Northwestern State scored three plays later and, after a missed PAT, took a 21-17 lead with 5:27 remaining on the clock.
On the next kickoff, Thompson fielded the kick at the HBU 35 and took it 26 yards to the NSU 39 to give HBU a short field. It took nine plays, including a big fourth down conversion with a completion to
Jaylon Johnson to keep the drive alive, with Ford running it in from the one to put the Huskies back ahead, 24-21, with 2:17 left.
Northwestern State got a 52-yard pass to Gavin Landry that took the Demons down to the Huskies' five yard line. Three plays later, Landry took a direct snap and fumbled with HBU's
Luke Horner knocking it loose and forward into the end zone where Javonis Isaac fell on it for the score with 36 seconds to go.
The Huskies started their final drive at their 32 yard line and drove the ball down to the Demons' 13 yard line but NSU closed the game with a sack of Olivas on the final play with one second left.
HBU returns to Husky Stadium in Houston for its final two games of the season, beginning next Saturday, Nov. 13, against McNeese with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m.
