Grambling State To Play At Northwestern State On Sept. 8

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana -- Northwestern State athletic director Greg Burke annually needs to find two football games to go along with nine Southland Conference games to fill out a schedule.

His present to first-year NSU head football coach Brad Laird is a season-opening date at Texas A&M on Sept. 1 followed by a home opener against Grambling State the following week. Nine weeks of Southland Conference play fill out the schedule.

“I think it’s an opportunistically challenging schedule,’’ Burke said. “Playing a Power Five, which we’re going to have to do pretty much every year. Got a very high quality FCS (opponent) and then you look at the entire Southland Conference and you see that anything can happen any week. There will be no shortages of challenges with that schedule. But it is also a great opportunity for our program and new leadership.’’

The Demons, 4-7 last season, will likely be heavy underdogs at College Station, Texas, for the first game of the Jimbo Fisher Era.

They will also leave with a $515,000 check for their time.

Burke said playing one Power Five school such as Texas A&M brings in enough guarantee money to keep NSU from having to play two guarantee games.

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