THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University football team will travel to take on in-state and conference rival McNeese State on Saturday in Cowboy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Louis Bonnette Field.

The Colonels (2-5, 1-2 Southland) are coming off of a loss to Central Arkansas at home last Saturday, while the Cowboys (3-4, 2-1 Southland) are fresh off of a victory at Southeastern La. McNeese State won 13-10 on a 52-yard field goal by Josh Lewis in the closing seconds.

Lewis was awarded Southland and LSWA Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the game.

“We know that we have a huge task ahead of us this Saturday. McNeese State is a good football team, and we are going to need to perform at a high level to have an opportunity to win the game in their stadium,” said head football coach Charlie Stubbs. “Overall, we have limited depth and unfortunately injuries are occurring to limit our progress. We will need to execute and play great as a team.”

Nicholls got a strong effort from its defense in the loss to Central Arkansas, yielding only 230 yards of total offense in the defeat. The offense sustained five drives of eight plays or more, including a 13-play and a 15-play drive, but came up dry on all attempts.

Leading Nicholls on offense in the contest against Central Arkansas was sophomore running back Jesse Turner with 178 yards of total offense – 94 rushing and 84 receiving – and a touchdown. Turner leads the team in rushing (573), receiving (299) and scoring (9 touchdowns) entering the game at McNeese State.

On the season, the Colonels' defense is led by senior defensive back Tarbbaris Hicks with 54 total tackles (29 solo) that includes 4.5 takedowns for a loss.

McNeese State is led by a two-quarterback system with freshman Cody Stroud and senior transfer Jacob Bower. The two have combined to complete 124 of 212 pass attempts for 1,400 yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The Cowboys defense is led by All-Southland performer Deron Minor with 68 total stops (37 solo) that includes 2.0 for a loss and a sack to his credit.

The all-time series is swayed to McNeese State, however, Nicholls has a better history in Lake Charles with a 7-11 mark through the years. In fact, the Colonels won a thriller in Cowboy Stadium last time the two teams met there in 2008, winning 38-35 with the game in limbo much throughout the fourth quarter.

“We have had a good week of practice and preparation so far. All of our student-athletes have been focused, and have put last week behind them,” added Stubbs.

Nicholls' team captains this week are senior punter Patrick Dolan, junior cornerback Bobby Felder, sophomore linebacker Jordan Piper, and sophomore running back Jesse Turner.

Other notes of interest:

Former Westgate Tigers Meet Again
When the Colonels and Cowboys take the field on Saturday, two former high school team mates: Siegan Vergenal and Diontae Spencer will suit up against each other. Vergenal and Spencer were high school team mates at Westgate (New Iberia, La.), guiding the Tigers to back-to-back semi-final appearances in the 5A state playoffs.

Former Blue Jays Set to Play against Each Other
Also squaring off against each other are former high school team mates Kenny Bourgeois of McNeese State and Josh Dudley of Nicholls. Both Bourgeois and Dudley prepped at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, and both are entering their first season with their respective teams.

Tough Road to Conference
McNeese State has had arguably one of the toughest non-conference slates in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Cowboys went on the road to take on Division I Football Bowl Subdivision foes Missouri and LSU. Both Missouri and LSU are ranked in the Top-25 with LSU ranking in at No. 9 at the time of their meeting. McNeese State led 10-7 at halftime over the in-state power.

Following the Colonels:

Game Notes: Nicholls vs. McNeese State Release
Colonels on Television: None.
Colonels Radio Network: KLRZ 100.3 FM in Larose, 100,000 watts (Flagship), KBZE 105.9 FM in Morgan City, 5,000 watts, KFRA 1390 AM in Franklin, 500 watts, KLEB 1600 AM in Galliano, 500 watts
Colonels Radio Network Halftime Show: Getting to know a Colonel with TE Josh Dudley.
Broadcast team: Brennan Matherne (play-by-play) and Seth Thomas (analyst)
Colonels on the internet: www.klrzfm.com, www.kbze.com
Live Statistics: www.mcneesesports.com