Northwestern State head coach Bradley Dale Peveto said the team was tired of losing close games and that injuries were no excuse in an abbreviated address to the Northwestern Quarterback Club Wednesday.

“We played hard against Southeaster, but we’re tired of losing close games. I was looking at tape and we could have had that game on defense. Injuries are no excuse, that’s how we feel. This is a next guy in type deal. I looked at it this week and we could be sitting here with just one loss to Texas Tech,” Peveto said.

The loss to Southeastern dropped the Demons to 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in Southland Conference play. With the Demon’s conference losses coming in close games, Peveto said coaches and players will take a more relaxed approach to games going forward.

“We’ve been tight. One of the things we need to work on is loosening up. We’re going to do lighter practies this week and we’ll use Monday to prepare for Homecoming,” Peveto said.

The Demons have an open date Saturday followed by Homecoming against Nicholls Saturday, Oct. 27. That game will kick off at 6 p.m. in Turpin Stadium.