September 7, 2013 • 6:00 p.m. - Turpin Stadium • Natchitoches, La.

The 11th game in NSU-Southern series comes 11 years after the last meeting Is this lucky number 11?

 

Actually, most of the 10 previous matchups between Northwestern State and Southern have been entertaining, although only two (1995 and 1999, both Southern wins) have been within a TD at the final horn. The institutions are two of the three oldest public universities in Louisiana. Southern was founded in 1880, and Northwestern State was formed as the Louisiana State Normal School, designed to train teachers, in 1884. Each features a renowned marching band, NSU’s 300-plus member Spirit of Northwestern and Southern’s Human Jukebox.

 

The Demons play host to the Jaguars at Turpin Stadium for the first time since 2000. The teams last met in Shreveport in 2002, a 30-21 NSU win that knotted the series at 5-5, including three straight Demon victories. All but the last matchup were season-opening contests. The Jags won here in 1994, but not since. Not close to a sellout (yet) but no doubt, a crowd’s coming Southern’s previous four visits to Natchitoches (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) have all sold out 15,971-seat Turpin Stadium. That streak is in doubt beginning game week. Thousands of tickets, all priced at $20 for reserved seats, were still available as of Wednesday morning through both school’s ticket offices and online at NSUDemons.com/Tickets.

 

Online purchases can be made until 2 p.m. Saturday. The ticket office number is 318-357-4268. NSU students were claming their free tickets at a rapid pace. Tuesday, the 1,400-seat student section bordering the visiting (east) sideline was filled and additional student tickets were being issued just above the student section. Northwestern students are entitled to one free ticket per person by visiting the NSU ticket office.

 

Tailgating slots, $30 each, are still available through Matt Baca of the NSU marketing staff (318-357-4293).

 

Top SU sports figures are NSU alumni, former Demon stars Southern director of athletics Dr. William Broussard played in this rivalry, as an All-America center for the Demons, in the late 1990s, starting in 1998 and 1999. Broussard, a four-year letter winner (1996-99) beginning as a preferred walk-on, was a member of Northwestern State’s 1997 and 1998 Southland Conference championship teams. He is one of the more decorated football figures in school history, combining his championship rings, being one of nine Demons to have won All-America honors in two separate seasons, and being a 1999 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete, one of only three in school history. He will cringe at the memory of a fumbled snap on the first series of the 1998 NSUSouthern game in Turpin Stadium, which led to a QB change and didn’t deter a 28-7 Demon win, the largest NSU margin of victory in the series.

 

Both of Southern’s head basketball coaches, Roman Banks and Sandy Pugh, were star players at NSU. Banks played point guard for the Demons from 1987-92, scoring the clinching points in a Dec. 7, 1988 win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena and setting a career assists record, while Pugh was the Gulf Star Conference MVP in 1987 and was a graduate assistant coach in 1989 when the Lady Demons earned an at-large NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Demons Unlimited Suite Experience, a new premium gameday option at Turpin Stadium, is now available for Northwestern State football Saturdays, including this weekend's home opener against the Southern Jaguars.

An exclusive and private suite on the top level of the Turpin Stadium press box has been made available for $750 per game. Rental of the suite includes eight passes to the catered and air-conditioned suite. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. The stadium's "no outside food or drink" policy remains in effect for this suite.

"This area has been used in the past to host guests and has been sold in various department auction events, but we've decided to offer it as an opportunity for the general public to enjoy," said Adam Jonson, NSU's associate athletic director for external affairs. "We anticipate a high interest level and suggest that interested fans respond immediately."

Accompanying the eight suite passes will be two premium parking passes per game. Those interested in purchasing the suite or looking for additional information may contact Jonson at 318-357-5251 or at Jonson@nsula.edu via e-mail.

Season tickets in one of the three VIP boxes begin at $125 with a $500 donation to the NSU Athletic Association per seat. A limited number of reserved chairbacks in the West stands of Turpin Stadium are available for $100 each with special discounts for NSU faculty/staff, military members, senior citizens and recent NSU grads. Single-game tickets for the home opener against Southern are $20 each.

Northwestern has six home games this season. The next one after Saturday is Sept. 28.

For more ticket information, call 318-357-4268 or visit nsudemons.com.

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