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NAIA team makes college football history with huge upset
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NAIA team makes college football history with huge upset

The 2026 college football season is officially underway, and on Thursday night, a massive upset took place. 

Louisiana Christian, a private Baptist university located in Pineville, La, defeated Northwestern State (which plays in the FCS Division I), 42-37 at Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, La. 

In turn, Louisiana Christian made history by becoming just the second NAIA team to defeat a Division I school. The only other time this took place was when Sioux Falls defeated North Dakota in 2009. 

How Louisiana Christian beat Northwestern State for historic win

Northwestern State jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game, and they went into halftime with a 27-14 lead. 

However, Louisiana Christian scored two touchdowns right after halftime to take a lead before Northwestern State took the lead back on a field goal. 

Louisiana Christian then scored two touchdowns, including one on a 52-yard pass from Bryce Perkins, which gave them a 42-30 lead. 

In the end, Northwestern State couldn't come back. 

Louisiana Christian saw Perkins throw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Datlan Cunningham had 117 yards on 14 carries and two scores. 

Louisiana Christian has an enrollment of just 1,062 students. Northwestern State, which plays in the Southland Conference, is now on the wrong side of college football history with one of the worst losses we have ever seen. 

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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