The 2018 Northwestern State Demons football team represented

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univ ...

as a member of the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it ...

during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach

Brad Laird Brad Laird is an American football coach who is currently the head football coach at Northwestern State University. He previously served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern State, an assistant football coach at Stephen F. Austin State U ...

, the Demons compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–5 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at

Harry Turpin Stadium Harry Turpin Stadium is a 15,971-seat multi-purpose stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It opened in 1975 and is home to the Northwestern State University Demons football team. History Donald Gray Horton (1945–2013), a Coushatta lawyer and ...

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was n ...

Previous season

They finished the season 4–7, 4–5 in Southland play to finish in a tie for sixth place. On November 17, it was announced that the contract of head coach

Jay Thomas Jay Thomas (born Jon Thomas Terrell; July 12, 1948 – August 24, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976–1979 on top-40 station 99X, and later on rhythmic CHR station 92KTU, and in ...

would not be renewed after the season. He finished at Northwestern State with a five-year record of 21–36.

Preseason

Preseason Poll

On July 19, 2018, the Southland announced their preseason poll, with the Demons predicted to finish in eighth place.

Schedule

Game summaries

At Texas A&M

Grambling State

At Lamar

At Southeastern Louisiana

Nicholls

Sam Houston State

At Central Arkansas

Houston Baptist

At Abilene Christian

McNeese State

At Stephen F. Austin

Roster

References

{{Northwestern State Demons football navbox Northwestern State Northwestern State Demons football seasons

Northwestern State Demons football The Northwestern State Demons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Northwestern State University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( ...