Nov. 6, 2004

Final Stats

NATCHITOCHES, La. - Northwestern State running back Derrick Johnese rushed for 152 yards and a score while quarterback Davon Vinson passed for 206 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 22 Demons defeated Texas State 44-7 Saturday in Turpin Stadium.

With the win, Northwestern State improved to 6-3 and 2-1 in Southland Conference play and joined a host of teams a game back of SLC leader Sam Houston State which remained undefeated in league play with a 52-47 win over McNeese State Saturday.

At 4-5 overall and 2-1 in SLC play, Texas State also still remains in the league championship hunt with two games to play. The Bobcats return home this week to play host to Nicholls State before closing out the regular season at Sam Houston Nov. 20. Northwestern State plays host to the Bearkats this week.

Taking advantage of a two Bobcat turnovers and an offense that controlled possession of the ball for over 20 minutes of the first half, Northwestern State scored on its first six offensive series and built a 38-7 lead by intermission.

By game's end Northwestern State had accumulated 566 yards of offense while holding the Bobcats to 169 total yards, a season low for Texas State.

"We will ask the guys to reflect on the ride home what we can do as a team to make sure this does not happen again," said Texas State coach David Bailiff. "I thought tonight we played with no enthusiasm. I thought we played with no passion. I thought we played as if we were intimidated. I did not do a good job preparing them for what to expect."

Vinson completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Doyle to cap an 8-play, 55-yard drive on the Demons' first offensive series. And after a second straight three-and-out Bobcat offensive series, Johnese would score on a 3-yard run to give the Demons a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. On the drive, Johnese had a 34-yard run while Vinson carried for 20 yards to the Texas State six.

Northwestern State would add a 28-yard field goal by Tommy Hebert in the first quarter.

Texas State would get back into the game, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Chase Wasson to John Tyson, cutting the Demons' lead to 17-7 with 14:29 to play in the second quarter. For Tyson, it was the fourth straight game in which the senior has caught a touchdown reception. The score was set up by a 24-yard run by Douglas Sherman and a 24-yard Wasson completion to Devin Freeman.

But after a 6-yard Vinson touchdown run early in the second quarter, Northwestern State's special teams and defense would help extend the Demon lead.

After Vinson's scoring run, Northwestern State's Paul Mefford forced Morris Brothers to fumble the kickoff return and Jason O'Brien recovered for the Demons at the Texas State 25.

Shelton Sampson carried for 10 yards and Vinson completed a 7-yard pass to Marcus Gatlin before Sampson scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make the score 31-7.

Two plays into the Bobcats' next offensive series, Wasson was intercepted by Russ Washington at the NSU 46.

On an end around, Gatlin would run for 19 yards before Vinson completed a 12-yard pass to Derrick Doyle for 12 yards. The pair then hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass to make the score 38-7.

Northwestern State, which came into the week leading Division I-AA in both total defense and rushing defense, held Texas State to 89 yards on the ground in addition to the season-low rushing. The Bobcats were also 0-for-9 in third down conversions on the night.

The Demons ended the night controlling the clock for over 40 minutes and ran 81 offensive plays to Texas State's 46.

Defensively, Texas State's Damian Chandler registered his second straight double-figure tackle night, with 12 stops. He also broke up two passes. In addition to recovering a fumble which led to a touchdown, O'Brien had two sacks for the Demons.