Stoker cites big difference in experience betweenBaylor, NSU

NATCHITOCHES ­ Northwestern Stateıs practices for Saturday nightıs visit to Baylor have pleased Demons coach Scott Stoker, even if the prospect of facing a team with 31 seniors doesnıt. ³Weıve got seven. They have 31. Iıve never heard of so many seniors,² said Stoker. ³What that says is there are a lot of players who have bought into what theyıre doing and a lot of guys who have tremendous experience. Meanwhile we played 27 guys in their first games last week, and weıll probably bring a few more out this week.² Two newcomers last week, redshirt freshmen fullbacks Dante Austin and Quinten Goodie, have moved up a notch on the depth chart. Starting fullback Tyler Cheramie, a sophomore, reinjured a fractured finger that he hurt in the middle of preseason camp. Cheramie will have surgery in hopes of being back in the lineup Oct. 7 when Northwestern plays host to Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. ³Tyler has a year of experience under his belt, so losing him isnıt good, but both the freshmen did good jobs last week (at Kansas),² said Stoker. ³Tyler is our best fullback but these guys, other than having a lot to learn, theyıre competitors and good players and I donıt expect it to be a problem area for us.² Wednesday morningıs two-hour workout in full pads was the third straight practice that left Stoker smiling. ³We had another good one this morning. Weıve really hit the practice field with the right approach this week,² he said. ³Getting to play against somebody else, especially Big XII (Conference) teams, itıs safe to say has our full and undivided attention.² The Demons will practice Thursday and Friday mornings before heading to Waco Friday afternoon. Kickoff is 6 Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium in the first-ever football meeting between the Demons (0-1) and Bears (0-1).