Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State will close out their respective regular seasons on Thursday night under the lights of Homer Bryce Stadium in what will be the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo.

The Thursday night game in Nacogdoches, Texas, is the first for Stephen F. Austin in seven years.

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Here are five reason to keep it locked on this rivalry game.

1. Did we mention that this is the 53rd Battle for Chief Caddo?

Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State play for the largest sporting trophy in the world, checking in at 7-foot-6 and weighing north of 300 pounds.

The statue came to be in 1960 when the 'Jacks and Demons settled on a statue of a legendary Indian chief as the (literally) big prize for winning this annual contest. The loser of the 1961 matchup would be tasked with chopping down a tree from the nearby forest, while the winner would carve that baby into a proper statue.

Stephen F. Austin did the chopping after losing 35-19. Northwestern State did the carving after receiving a 2,000-pound black gum log, and Chief Caddo's statue was born.

2. LSU transfer Jazz Ferguson is having a record-breaking season for the Demons.

The former Tiger caught nine passes for 112 yards and a pair of scores against McNeese last week, plus the hauled in the game-tying two point conversion near the end of regulation for good measure.

Ferguson broke the single-season receiving yardage record for the Demons with a 17-yard reception on the first offensive play of the game. He is the first Northwestern State receiver to top the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. He will easily obtain the school record for single-season receiving yards per game, as well, as he enters Thursday night averaging 104 yards per game.

3. Blumrick-to-Goree is must-see.

Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jake Blumrick became the 13th player in school history to top 3,000 yards passing in a single season after going 25-of-42 for 335 yards and two touchdowns three weeks ago. He enters Thursday's contest at 3,251 yards for the season.

More often than not, Blumrick has looked in the direction of burner Terian Goree.

Goree leads the 'Jacks with 54 catches for 559 yards and has topped the century mark in each of his last two games.

He ranks ninth in the FCS in receiving yard (1,046) and 11th in receiving yards per game. Goree is also tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns while ranking inside the top 20 in receptions.

4. Hayden Bourgeois is something else.

Northwestern State's sophomore safety has piled up a team-leading 75 tackles, five TFL, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick this season. That's a full stat sheet.

Bourgeois ranks fifth in FCS with those five interceptions and has accounted for more than a quarter of the team's total takeaways.

After a massive performance in last week's victory over McNeese, Bourgeois picked up Southland Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week honors.

5. It's Senior Night and Military Appreciation Night in Nacogdoches.

The 'Jacks will bid farewell to 15 seniors at the conclusion of Thursday night's game, which is always a special—and emotional—scene. 

But Thursday will also have a little something extra.

With Veterans Day having taken place this past Sunday, and the national holiday observed on Monday, Thursday's night game will serve as Stephen F. Austin's annual military appreciation game.