1997 Northwestern State Demons football team

1997 Northwestern State Demons football
1997 Northwestern State Demons football
Southland co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA First round, L 10–40 vs. Eastern Washington
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 21
Record	8–4 (6–1 Southland)
Head coach	Sam Goodwin (15th season);
Defensive coordinator	Bradley Dale Peveto (2nd season)
Home stadium	Harry Turpin Stadium
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

The 1997 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Sam Goodwin, the Demons compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, finishing as Southland co-champions. Northwestern State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, before losing to Eastern Washington in the first round. The team played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

1997 Southland Football League standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 7 McNeese State +^	6	–	1	13	–	2
No. 21 Northwestern State +^	6	–	1	8	–	4
No. 13 Stephen F. Austin	5	–	2	8	–	3
Sam Houston State	3	–	4	5	–	6
Nicholls State	3	–	4	5	–	6
Southwest Texas State	2	–	5	5	–	6
Troy State	2	–	5	5	–	6
Jacksonville State	1	–	6	1	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6		at No. 17 Southern*		A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 9–27		^[1]
September 13		Henderson State*		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 42–7
September 27		Nicholls State	No. 24	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (NSU Challenge)	W 19–0
October 4	7:00 p.m.	at Northeast Louisiana*		Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 7–17	15,834
October 11		at No. 4 McNeese State		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	L 7–50	15,276	^[2]
October 18		Southwest Texas State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 31–3		^[3]
October 25		Arkansas Tech*		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 49–10
November 1		at Troy State		Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	W 14–13
November 8	6:00 p.m.	Jacksonville State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 42–21	5,247
November 15		at Sam Houston State	No. 25	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 35–19	4,019	^[4]
November 20		Stephen F. Austin		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (Chief Caddo)	W 38–24
November 29		at Eastern Washington*		Roos Field Cheney, WA (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 10–40
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^ "Jags run past Demons, 27–9". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. September 7, 1997. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "McNeese wallops Northwestern State". The Shreveport Times. October 12, 1997. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Demons defense dominates". The Shreveport Times. October 19, 1997. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Northwestern State puts away Sam Houston". The Shreveport Times. November 16, 1997. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1997 Football Schedule". Northwestern State Demons. Retrieved July 1, 2024.