Final Stats

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University football team saw its perfect home record come to an end as No. 4/7 McNeese State jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the early going and never looked back to defeat Nicholls 55-30 on Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium.

With the loss, the Colonels fall to .500 on the year (4-4) and 1-2 in Southland Conference play. The Cowboys improve to 7-1 and remain undefeated in conference (3-0).

Nicholls had success running the ball against McNeese, rushing for 239 yards, but could never get its passing game going. Sophomore quarterback Tuskani Figaro recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 107 yards and a touchdown while Dalton Hilliard Jr. ran for 93 yards. However, Figaro and Kalen Henderson combined for only 157 yards passing on 11 of 32 attempts.

Henderson accounted for 136 yards in the air and three total touchdowns – two passing and one rushing. Erik Buchanan caught both touchdowns, leading the team with 53 yards receiving on three catches. Carey Fortson also had three receptions for 37 yards and Brad Nelson added two grabs for 48 yards.

McNeese tallied 512 yards on offense, with 313 yards coming on the ground. Marcus Wiltz ran for 98 yards and two scores while Dylan Long also found the end zone twice. Kelvin Bennett led the Cowboys with 169 yards rushing on 13 carries.

Nicholls saw its only lead of the game at 3-0 when Andrew Dolan booted a 48-yard field goal to cap the Colonels' opening drive. On Nicholls' next possession, a sack by McNeese just missed for a safety, forcing a Colonel punt from its own 1-yard line which was returned to the 10. With the short field, the Cowboys capitalized on a 5-yard touchdown pass by Cody Stroud to Diontae Spencer. Stroud, who came into the game with the Southland's highest efficiency rating, completed 16 of 21 passes for 179 yards.

Following a 49-yard missed field goal by Dolan, McNeese extended its lead to 14-3 on Long's first touchdown run from two yards out. Early in the second, Long found the end zone again – this time on a 4-yard run, pushing the lead to 21-3.

Nicholls cut into the lead when Henderson and Buchanan hooked up for a 42-yard touchdown at the 8:20 mark. The touchdown was Buchanan's third over 40 yards in as many games.

McNeese added a pair of field goals by Ryan Rome to take a 27-10 lead into the break.

In the third quarter, the squads combined for five touchdowns as McNeese extended its lead to 48-23. The Cowboys started the third with their first of two big kick returns as Spencer brought back the opening kick 46 yards to midfield. The drive was polished off by Wiltz's first of two rushing TDs in the quarter.

Nicholls responded with a quick two-play scoring drive to make the score 34-17. On the Colonels' first play, Hilliard bounced to the outside and ran for a career-long 54 yards. Figaro then scored on a keeper from 17 yards out. However, Wiltz added a 5-yard touchdown on McNeese's next possession to give the Cowboys a 24-point cushion.

Henderson and Buchanan connected again for a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the third, this time from five yards out. But any momentum was quickly erased after Khalil Thomas scored on a 94-yard kick return to close out the quarter.

Both teams added a score in the fourth to make the final 55-30.

Siegan Vergenal led Nicholls with 11 tackles while Chris Bermond had 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Sam Aaron led McNeese with seven stops, including two for loss.

Nicholls will play its next two games on the road, starting Saturday, Nov. 2 at Lamar. Kickoff in Beaumont, Texas is scheduled for 6 p.m.