# 2023 Northwestern State Demons football team

The 2023 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons played their home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana. On October 26, Laird announced that he had resigned and the remainder of the season would be cancelled due to the death of Ronnie Caldwell.

## Death of Ronnie Caldwell

On the morning of October 12, junior safety Ronnie Caldwell died after having been shot multiple times. The Demons' following game, against Nicholls, was cancelled in response. On October 26, the university announced that Laird had resigned and the remainder of the season would be cancelled.
The day following the murder, Caldwell's roommate, John McIntosh, was arrested by Natchitoches police for possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance. At the time, police did not say if McIntosh was involved in Caldwell's death but did confirm that McIntosh had previously been arrested for attempted second-degree murder. On October 20, defensive tackle Maurice Campbell was arrested in connection to Caldwell's death. Campbell was cited for obstruction of justice, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
On November 5, Caldwell's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Quad Apartment Complex, where Caldwell lived and where the shooting occurred, and Laird. According to the lawsuit, Caldwell was placed in an apartment with McIntosh, who was not attending college and had a history of legal trouble, after mold was found in Caldwell's original apartment. The lawsuit also alleges that McIntosh pulled a gun on Caldwell three days before the shooting occurred. Caldwell then notified his father, Ronald, of the incident who then alerted Laird. Laird called Ronald, assuring him that he would immediately place Ronnie in a safe location.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 24, 2023. The Demons were picked to finish fifth in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Southeastern Louisiana | 93 (9) |
| 2 | Incarnate Word | 91 (7) |
| 3 | McNeese | 65 |
| 4 | Nicholls | 62 |
| 5 | Northwestern State | 52 |
| 6 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 33 |
| 7 | Lamar | 28 |
| 8 | Houston Christian | 24 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2023 preseason all-conference football team selections on July 21, 2023. NSU had a total of 6 players selected.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | at Louisiana* | Cajun FieldLafayette, LA | ESPN+ | L 13–38 | 18,186 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech* | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN+ | L 21–51 | 19,152 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin* | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA (Chief Caddo) | ESPN+ | L 7–41 | 6,486 |
| September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | Eastern Illinois* | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA | ESPN+ | L 10–19 | 6,021 |
| October 7 | 3:00 p.m. | at Lamar | Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX | ESPN+ | L 13–27 | 5,263 |
| October 14 | 3:00 p.m. | at Nicholls | Manning Field at John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge) | ESPN+ | Cancelled | |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Southeastern Louisiana | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 20–37 | 2,237 |
| October 28 | 7:00 p.m. | at McNeese | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | Cancelled | |
| November 4 | 2:00 p.m. | Houston Christian | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA | ESPN+ | Cancelled | |
| November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Incarnate Word | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | Cancelled | |
| November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | Texas A&M–Commerce | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA | ESPN+ | Cancelled | |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
at Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 18,186
* Referee: Scott Broadway
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald and Eric Mouton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NWST | UL |
| First downs | 8 | 20 |
| Total yards | 187 | 429 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 206 |
| Passing yards | 110 | 223 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 32:58 | 27:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Tyler Vander Waal | 12/28, 110 yards, TD |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Scooter Adams | 8 rushes, 33 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Scooter Adams | 2 receptions, 48 yards, TD |
| Louisiana | Passing | Ben Wooldridge | 14/32, 223 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Drelyn Washington | 8 rushes, 88 yards, TD |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Peter LeBlanc | 2 receptions, 58 yards, TD |

### At Louisiana Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 51 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 19,152
* Referee: Ed Ardito
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Lyn Rollins, Chris Mykoskie, and Madison Kaufman
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NWST | LT |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 324 | 478 |
| Rushing yards | 185 | 367 |
| Passing yards | 139 | 111 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:41 | 28:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Tyler Vander Waal | 10/24, 134 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Kolbe Burrell | 11 rushes, 56 yards, TD |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Jaren Mitchell | 4 receptions, 60 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Hank Bachmeier | 9/18, 110 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Keith Willis Jr. | 13 rushes, 188 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Kyle Maxwell | 1 reception, 42 yards |

### Stephen F. Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lumberjacks | 21 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 41 |
| Demons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, Louisiana
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,486
* Referee: James Brookhart
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SFA | NWST |
| First downs | 18 | 11 |
| Total yards | 454 | 208 |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 84 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 124 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 35:00 | 25:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Stephen F. Austin | Passing | Brian Maurer | 12/22, 199 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Stephen F. Austin | Rushing | Jerrell Wimbley | 16 rushes, 115 yards |
| Stephen F. Austin | Receiving | Anthony Williams | 2 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Quaterius Hawkins | 7/19, 62 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Scooter Adams | 9 rushes, 65 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Jaren Mitchell | 3 receptions, 35 yards, TD |

### Eastern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 19 |
| Demons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, Louisiana
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,021
* Referee: Gary Leeper
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | EIU | NWST |
| First downs | 18 | 19 |
| Total yards | 349 | 350 |
| Rushing yards | 75 | 69 |
| Passing yards | 274 | 281 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 28:25 | 31:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing | Pierce Holley | 19/37, 274 yards, TD |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing | M. J. Flowers | 15 rushes, 48 yards |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving | Justin Bowick | 4 receptions, 130 yards, TD |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Quaterius Hawkins | 27/44, 281 yards, INT |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Scooter Adams | 9 rushes, 29 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Zach Patterson | 7 receptions, 74 yards |

### At Lamar

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demons | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
at Provost Umphrey Stadium, Beaumont, Texas
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,263
* Referee: Matt Beck
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NWST | LAM |
| First downs | 16 | 15 |
| Total yards | 221 | 265 |
| Rushing yards | 81 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 140 | 143 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:52 | 30:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Quaterius Hawkins | 20/33, 140 yards, INT |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Kennieth Lacy | 6 rushes, 28 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Zach Patterson | 4 receptions, 42 yards |
| Lamar | Passing | Robert Coleman | 9/20, 143 yards, TD |
| Lamar | Rushing | Khalan Griffin | 18 rushes, 93 yards, TD |
| Lamar | Receiving | Andre Dennis | 3 receptions, 78 yards, TD |

### Southeastern Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 14 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 37 |
| Demons | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, Louisiana
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,237
* Referee: Matt Back
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SELA | NWST |
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Total yards | 539 | 396 |
| Rushing yards | 219 | 97 |
| Passing yards | 320 | 299 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:42 | 31:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Passing | Zachary Clement | 12/18, 192 yards, INT |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Rushing | Deantre Jackson | 6 rushes, 119 yards, TD |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Receiving | Darius Lewis | 6 receptions, 109 yards |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Tyler Vander Waal | 27/43, 249 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Kolbe Burrell | 11 rushes, 49 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | T. J. Johnson | 3 receptions, 57 yards |