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Northwestern State's Myles Kitt-Denton scores a touchdown Saturday at HCU. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save HOUSTON – The attrition that seemed to hit the Northwestern State football team each week in the 2024 season arrived in the third quarter of its season finale at Houston Christian on Saturday. After the Demons woke up offensively in the second quarter, the homestanding Huskies turned things back around with a third-quarter explosion en route to a 62-24 Southland Conference victory at Husky Stadium.
HCU scored 35 points in the third quarter – 21 in the first five minutes – widening what had become a 10-point game at the half. “We found ourselves in a good position at halftime, down 10 points,” first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “That’s not good, but it’s better than we’ve been in a long time.
There was good energy. We had good halftime adjustments, and the wheels just fell off in the third quarter.” The Demons (0-12, 0-7) fell behind 3-0 after the first drive as the Northwestern defense stood up in the red zone after inheriting a short field.
HCU’s lead grew to 17-0 before the Demons began to click offensively in the second quarter. Starting with the final play of the first quarter – a 39-yard connection to Twon Hines – redshirt freshman quarterback JT Fayard began to find his rhythm. Fayard tossed a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, the first a 60-yard strike to Myles Kitt-Denton to cut the Huskies’ lead to 17-7.
The second – a floated 9-yard pass to Zay Davis to beat a blitz – again pulled Northwestern to within 10 points. That was the halftime margin as both teams’ defenses came up with stops in the final 2 minutes of the half. HCU’s quick-strike offense opened the third quarter with a four-play 79-yard drive that Calvin Hill capped with a 22-yard score.
Less than two minutes later, the Huskies extended the lead, capitalizing on an interception that set them up at the Northwestern 15-yard line. “It’s the same story we’ve had all year,” McCorkle said. “It’s like playing the FBS games.
You’re competitive for as long as you can before the size and strength and experience takes over. That’s what every game has felt like.” The Demons were able to draw a spark from Kitt-Denton again as the junior who was playing near his hometown of Pearland, Texas, returned a kickoff 87 yards to the HCU 13.
Despite the field position, Northwestern had to settle for a 21-yard Reed Honshtein field goal to slice the HCU lead to 45-17. On the ensuing kickoff, Jesse Valenzuela returned it 98 yards for a touchdown – HCU’s third kick return score of the year, done by three different players. The Demons were able to manage one final score early in the fourth quarter as freshman running back Jeremiah James tallied his first career score on a 6-yard toss play.
“We spent the past four weeks playing a lot of true freshmen to protect their redshirts and to grow the program,” McCorkle said. “They did not disappoint. That’s a pretty cool thing.
(James) is a special player, and he’s another one who is just scratching the surface of his talent. Now, he has good game experience and has four years of football to go. He’s a name people are going to hear for a while.
He’s locked into being at Northwestern State.”.
