Final Stats

THIBODAUX, La. – After a bit of a slow start, the Nicholls State University football team outscored Langston 21-6 in the second half and Beaux Hebert threw for a career-high three touchdowns as the Colonels won their 2013 home opener 42-22 on Saturday night at John L. Guidry Stadium.

Nicholls evens its record to 2-2 on the year, while Langston falls to 0-3. The Colonels improve to 4-0 in home openers under head coach Charlie Stubbs.

Hebert paved the way on offense, completing 10 of 16 passes for 142 yards and three scores. Two of his touchdowns went to Josh Hanberry, who finished with two catches for 30 yards.  The duo hooked up on 3rd-and-long for a 19-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive; and once again in the second quarter on an 11-yard pass on the right sideline of the end zone that put Nicholls behind 16-14.

On the ground, Marcus Washington vaulted into the record books with a career-high 121 yards on 19 carries, putting him 10th on the Colonels' all-time rushing list with 1,677 career yards. He also scored twice - once on a rush and the other came on a 3-yard reception that gave Nicholls a 21-16 lead right before halftime.

Langston, out of the NAIA, only had 242 yards on offense, but the Lion defense scored nine points to give LU an early lead. The Lions tied the game on their first possession when Mark Wright Jr., who was 9 of 18 for 59 yards, snuck the ball in on a keeper from the 1. Later in the quarter, Wright tried again to sneak in from the 1, this time on 4th down, but the Colonels stopped Langston short of the goal line. However, on Nicholls first play, Washington was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

Early in the second, Nicholls linebacker Chris Bermond picked up his first career interception, tipping a pass to himself at midfield. But on the ensuing possession, Washington lost the ball which was scooped up by Talibb Woods and returned for a 47-yard touchdown, giving LU a 16-7 advantage.

After forcing Nicholls to a 3-and-out, Langston had its second turnover of the game when Chace Green muffed a punt and it was recovered by Colonel longsnapper Ty Boudreaux at the Langston 27. Four plays later, Hanberry's second TD put Nicholls within two. Right before the break, the Colonels marched 77 yards on nine plays, scoring on Washington's touchdown catch.

In the third quarter, neither team had much success on offense until Darryl Watson hauled in a 31-yard pass from Hebert at midfield on 3rd-and-long. The play sparked the game's lone scoring drive in the quarter as Washington found the end zone from four yards out, capping a 13-play drive that chewed up over seven minutes.

Tuskani Figaro led Nicholls to the final two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Figaro hooked up with Dylan Ledet with what looked to be a 50-yard score, but the ball was moved back to the 17 after an illegal block at the goal line. Figaro then hit Carey Fortson for a 16-yard score to give Nicholls a commanding 35-16 lead.

Langston scored one last time with just three minutes remaining but came up empty on the two-point conversion try. After a failed onside kick, Dalton Hilliard Jr. rushed for a 16-yard touchdown with 36 ticks left to make the final 42-22.

Nicholls used a balanced attack, rushing for 243 yards while passing for 206. Figaro added 84 yards on the ground on 10 carries to go along with his second career touchdown pass. Washington led Nicholls with four receptions for 26 yards, while Fortson and Nick Scelfo added two catches for 46 and 25 yards, respectively.

On defense, Davin Bovie continued to put up good numbers, leading the team with nine tackles. For the year, Bovie heads the defense with an average of eight per game. Bermond added seven tackles including his fifth tackle for loss on the year, and B.J. Lewis had a team-high two pass breakups.

Nicholls will wrap up its non-conference schedule on Saturday, Sept. 28 against Arkansas Tech. The game will not only serve as Homecoming, but it will also be a Blackout Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.