Northwestern State pounced on Alcorn State quickly Thursday and held off the Braves late to kick off the season with a much-needed and long-overdue victory.
The Demons doubled up their SWAC guests, 20-10, in the opener at Turpin Stadium to end a 20-game losing streak that dated back to November 2022.
Wide receiver Ty Moore scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, catching a 15-yard pass from quarterback Abram Johnston (Parkview Baptist) on the game’s opening possession and then securing a fumble on a botched Alcorn State punt attempt just six minutes later.
Johnston finished 9-for-18 with 85 yards, a touchdown and an interception and rushed 17 times for a game-high 69 yards.
The Braves mounted 10 third-quarter points on a 72-yard pick-six by Orlandus McLaurin and a 51-yard field goal by Grandin Willcox.
But the Demons shut them out from there and added a goal-line run by senior tight end Ryan Tyler with nine minutes remaining to extend their lead.
Junior linebacker Fernando Washington led the defense with eight tackles, including two for loss and a sack, plus a quarterback hurry and a deflected pass.
And three different players, all Louisiana natives, added six tackles each in safety Christian Williams (Parkview Baptist), linebacker Kolbe Cage (Holy Cross) and safety Kaden Mackey (Dutchtown).
Northwestern State hits the road next to face Minnesota in Week 2.
