JOURNAL SPORTS
No hometown Halloween trick or treating for the three Northwest Louisiana Division I football teams Saturday.
Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State and Grambling hit the road for conference contests Saturday, while Centenary stays home looking for a second consecutive victory in its 2026 Atkins Field finale.
LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference) visit Mobile to face South Alabama (4-3, 2-1) riding a four-game win streak, including consecutive shutout victories over ULM and Old Dominion, marking the first time Louisiana Tech has recorded back-to-back shutouts since 1959. Tech held Old Dominion to just 141 total yards, including minus-13 rushing yards, in last Saturday’s 26-0 Homecoming victory.
Saturday’s 2 p.m. game shown on ESPN+ will be the first time the Bulldogs and Jaguars take the field together since 2022, when South Alabama (4-3, 2-1 SBC) secured their lone win of the series by a score of 28-14 in Mobile.
Fourth-year tight end Eli Finley eclipsed 100 career receptions as well as 1,000 career receiving yards following his dominant performance on Oct. 24 against Old Dominion. He is the 25th Bulldog in program history to reach both milestones, and the first to do so since Tru Edwards (2022-24).
NORTHWESTERN STATE: NSU put up more than 460 yards of offense last Saturday against Nicholls, its most against an FCS opponent since 2022, but came up just short in a 31-27 loss after an interception in the end zone ended a potential game-winning drive.
The performance featured career days from quarterback Zach Wilcke and receiver Amaaz Eugene, giving the Demons another example of the offensive progress they have made over the second half of the season. A handful of plays against a mobile Nicholls quarterback ultimately proved costly, however, as the Demons were unable to close out another tight game.
NSU (0-8, 0-4 in the Southland Conference) looks to build on the confidence and production of the past two weeks at UIW (4-4, 3-2) on Saturday. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Benson Stadium, with the game airing on ESPN+.
GRAMBLING: After an open date, Grambling visits Texas Southern Saturday night at 7:30 hoping to improve defensively. The Tigers (4-3, 2-2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) have given up a 52.7 scoring average in the last three games, winning two before Alabama A&M overpowered GSU 61-31 two weeks ago in Huntsville.
Grambling has shown plenty of progress offensively after a 21-14 loss to Prairie View in Dallas, averaging 46.3 points per game. Texas Southern (2-5, 1-3) allowed 45 per game in its SWAC losses before coming to life last week in a 24-21 victory over visiting Southern. SWACTV will have game coverage.
CENTENARY: The Gents host Lyon College in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference game on Saturday evening as the Gents celebrate their annual Senior Night with kickoff set for 6 at Atkins Field.
The Gents (2-4, 1-1 SCAC) had a bye week last Saturday which was preceded by a 26-23 Homecoming victory against Austin College on Oct. 17. The Scots (2-5, 1-1 SCAC) lost at home to Texas Lutheran 48-3 last weekend.
“We are fired up to be back home for the second straight game,” said head coach Byron Dawson. “Even more exciting, it’s Senior Day. We’re looking forward to recognizing and celebrating our seniors and the hard work, commitment, and sacrifices they’ve made to represent Centenary. These young men have put in the time and effort to be part of something special, and we’re proud of each one of them.”
Centenary defeated Austin College in a thriller in front of a spirited Homecoming crowd in SCAC play at Atkins Field two weeks ago.
The Gents led 26-16 with under five minutes remaining, but the ‘Roos scored a late touchdown to make it 26-23 with 1:50 left and missed a game-tying 38-yard field goal on the final play.
Tickets, and links to live stats and live video are at: https://www.gocentenary.com/