Offense starts quickly, defense adjusts in Northwestern State’s first fall scrimmage

NATCHITOCHES – Saturday’s first scrimmage of Northwestern State’s fall camp had a little of what fifth-year head coach Brad Laird hoped for and expected.

There was a fast start by the Demon offense that included several big plays and a plethora of playmakers and a defense that made the necessary adjustments later in the day.

Finally, there were teachable moments on both sides of the ball and approximately 100 plays of information from which Laird and his staff can continue to glean information.

“A good day – close to 100 snaps, clean football game,” Laird said. “There’s going to be things in all three phases we did well and things we need to correct. The one thing through 100 snaps and another 20 special teams plays, we only had five penalties. Offensively, we protected the ball. Defensively, you want to force turnovers, but we protected the ball.

“Offensively, we came out fast. Three touchdowns the first four drives and four of five in one stretch. Then the defense did what you wanted to see. They made adjustments once we got into the situational scrimmages – the coming out, the red zone and the 2-minute. You saw the defense make some key stops. Great film to evaluate, which was key for us. We’ll make our corrections and see where we are.”

The Demon offense started quickly, scoring on three of its first four possessions.

Two of those touchdowns were chunk plays, starting with Zach Patterson’s 65-yard, catch-and-run score on the second play of the second drive.

“I came off the ball, put a good tempo on it,” he said. “The DB tried to play the ball, I caught it and I knew I had to score it. When you have those opportunities, you have to make the best play you can.”

Patterson’s scoring grab was one of four touchdowns that covered at least 21 yards – all of which came through the air.

Quarterbacks Miles Fallin, Zachary Clement and Kaleb Fletcher combined to go 34-for-59 for 502 yards and five touchdowns. Fallin and Clement each threw a pair of scores while Fletcher added a 40-yard strike to Jaren Mitchell for his touchdown toss.

“With all the quarterbacks, it’s a competitive environment,” said Fallin, a Kansas transfer. “We’re encouraging. ‘Let’s light up the defense,’ that’s the plan for the offense. That’s the goal no matter who’s in there. There are good plays, great plays and bad plays. We all have them. We rely on each other. Coming off the field, we ask each other, ‘Hey, what did you see?’ It’s a great environment. It’s healthy.”

The trio of quarterbacks had plenty of options to distribute the ball and took advantage as 13 different players caught a pass. Freshman Hogan Wasson collected a scrimmage-high six catches while Stanley King hauled in four passes for 100 yards, including a 32-yard scoring pass from Clement.

“Our receiver room is stacked right now,” Clement said. “It’s nice to have a lot of guys you can trust to go to. It’s a plus for us.”

While the offense started quickly, the Purple Swarm defense settled in late in the scrimmage, keeping the offense scoreless in four of the final six drives. The only points they allowed in that time came in the two red-zone possessions that ended with a 2-yard Kennieth Lacy touchdown run and a 37-yard Eddie Godina field goal after a three-and-out.

“We did pretty well once we found our groove, but we caught on very late,” said defensive tackle JaQuon Lott, who recorded one of the NSU defense’s eight sacks. “We’ve still got things to work on, to improve on as we move forward. We need to establish our identity. That’s key. We have to know who we are as a defense before we take the next step.”

Laird said Godina and punter Scotty Roblow had consistent first practices, but there were moments within special teams work that need to be addressed.

“Our punt and kickoff return was not good at all,” he said. “There was zero energy and low effort from guys we are counting on. That has to get better.”

The Demons return to the practice field Monday at 4 p.m. on the first day of the fall semester.

Scoring plays
Eddie Godina 22 field goal
Zach Patterson 65 pass from Miles Fallin (Godina kick)
Stanley King 32 pass from Zachary Clement (Godina kick)
Kennieth Lacy 3 pass from Clement (Godina kick)
K’eNard King 21 pass from Fallin (Godina kick)
Jaren Mitchell 40 pass from Kaleb Fletcher (Godina kick)
London Williams 5 run (Godina kick)
Godina 37 field goal
Lacy 2 run (Godina kick)

Individual Stats
Offensive
Rushing (27-60, 1 TDs): Kolbe Burrell 7-33; SirMichael Veasley 3-21; Williams 3-15, TD; Clement 3-10; Lacy 2-6, TD; Scooter Adams 1-2; Fallin 5-(-7); Fletcher 3-(-20).
Passing (34-59-0, 496, 5 TDs): Fallin 12-27-0 215, 2 TDs; Zachary Clement 16-24-0 171, 2 TDs; Kaleb Fletcher 6-8-0 116, 1 TD.
Receiving: Hogan Wasson 6-39; S. King 4-100, TD; Mitchell 4-80, TD; Travon Jones 4-54; K. King 3-73, TD; Javon Antonio 3-28; Jamel Thomas 2-26; Dylan Fluellen 2-20; Drake Beck 2-7; Patterson 1-65; LC Greenwood 1-8; Lacy 1-3, TD: Burrell 1-(-1).
Defensive
Kevin Davis Jr. – 6 tackles; Dante Thomas – 5 tackles; Matthew Broad – 3 tackles, 1 PBU; Chad Gooden Jr – 3 tackles; Donovan Green 3 tackles, 1 blocked FG; William Hooper – 3 tackles; Keenan Leachman – 3 tackles; Cadillac Rhone – 3 tackles, FF; Isaiah Robinson – 3 tackles; Cedric Anderson – 2 tackles; Jordan Banks – 2 tackles; PJ Herrington – 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU; Jared Pedraza – 2 tackles, 1 sack; Jomard Valsin – 2 tackles; John Daigle – 1 tackle, 1 sack; Miles Dickens – 1 tackle; Daniel Dufour – 1 sack; Antwon Fegans – 1 TFL, 1 sack; Kendal Harmon – 1 tackle, 1 sack; Tyron Hill – 1 tackle; Isaiah Longino – 1 sack, 1 PBU; JaQuon Lott – 1 tackle, 1 sack; Jabari Reddock – 1 tackle, 1 PBU; Jacob Washington – 1 tackle; Dez Williams – 1 tackle; JaBralen Yarber – 1 sack; Ara Rauls III – 1 PBU; Waylon Washington – 1 PBU; Trey Williams – 1 PBU