Albert Hewitt

Contributing Writer

There is no doubt that “Death Valley” may be intimidating to some, but Northwestern Sate fans won’t let that stop them from traveling to Baton Rouge to cheer on the Demons.

This will be the first matchup between the two teams since 2011. The teams have faced off a total of 11 times, dating all the way back to 1911.

There are a few things that connect the two schools besides being in the same state.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is no stranger to Northwestern State. After signing to play football at LSU in 1979, Orgeron transferred to NSU after his freshman year. He was a defensive lineman at NSU for three years.

After earning his degree, Orgeron stuck around NSU for one more year as a grad assistant. Coach O is a Demon at heart.

Standout wide receiver Jazz Ferguson also transferred to Northwestern State from LSU. Ferguson had an epic season for the Demons in 2018 before eventually getting signed to the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad.

Some fans feel conflicted because they are fans of both schools.

“I started my collegiate career at NSU before transferring to LSU,” LSU senior Brandon Phillips said. “I’ll always have love for my Demon family, but I’ve also grown to love LSU. I’ll have to find a way to root for both teams.”

Many people grow naturally into LSU fans simply because they are from Louisiana. It’s not rare to find NSU fans who also share the same love for LSU.

“I’ve been an LSU fan my entire life, but when I became a student at NSU the Tigers were bumped down to number two in my heart,” NSU senior Joe Bradley said.

Bradley isn’t the only student who feels this way.

“Although I love LSU, I’ll be rooting for my demons when the time comes,” NSU senior Darius Brock said.

Demon fans will make their presence known when they head down to Baton Rouge on Saturday. The Demons will face off against the Tigers on Sept. 14 beginning at 6:30 pm.