Demon Wins Player of the Week Award!

NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State junior punter Marshall Burton, a key in the Demons 19-10 homecoming win over Texas State on Saturday, was voted the Aeropostale Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award Monday afternoon. Burton, a junior from Airline High School in Bossier City, posted a 45.5 yard average on eight punts. That included a 56-yard average on his first three punts after halftime in a game tied at 10-all. He had a season-best 66-yarder in the third quarter. His last punt, a 33-yarder, was downed at the Bobcats` 2, caught in midair by sophomore Dudley Guice. Three plays later NSU notched a game-clinching safety on a sack by junior defensive end Ray Martin in the 19-10 win. "Marshall flipped the field with his punting when the game was tied. He was a huge factor for us," said head coach Scott Stoker. "The last punt was a thing of beauty. He floated it down there and dropped it inside the 5, and Dudley did a great job of getting to the goalline and finding the ball and making the catch. That gave our defense the chance to basically lock up the game." Burton also handled kickoff duties and made a tackle on a kickoff Saturday as the Demons beat a defending Southland Conference co-champion for the second straight week. Northwestern (4-4 overall, 2-2 in the SLC) steps outside the SLC Saturday with a visit to Oxford, Miss., for a first-ever meeting with Ole Miss. Former Demon defensive lineman and assistant coach Ed Orgeron is the Rebels head coach. Monday morning, the Demons watched tape of Saturdays win, then went through a 90-minute practice at Turpin Stadium.