Final Stats

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Nicholls State University football team let a 12-point lead slip away after half time, but two late field goals by Andrew Dolan gave Nicholls the lead and Josh Dewey sealed the victory in the final minute with an interception on the goal line as the Colonels defeated FBS Western Michigan, 27-23, in front of 24,163 fans on Saturday at Waldo Stadium.

With the win, Nicholls (1-1) claims its third victory over a FBS program. It is also the first win for the Colonels in the series against Western Michigan (0-2), improving their record to 1-2 in the three meetings.

The Colonels used a balance attack on offense, finishing with 225 yards and 222 yards on the ground for a 447 total. Nicholls had 18 first downs while WMU finished with 485 yards on offense and 30 first downs.

Kalen Henderson led Nicholls to a 21-9 lead in the first half, passing for 159 yards on 8 of 11. Henderson also rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter with a leg injury.

The Colonels almost matched their offensive total from last week in the game's first 30 minutes, tallying 305 yards. On the Colonels' opening drive, Nicholls needed only five plays and just over two minutes to score their first touchdown of the season. Erik Buchanan, who had three receptions for 72 yards, started off the game with a 20-yard reception, followed by first-down runs by Henderson and Marcus Washington which moved the ball inside the Bronco's 30-yard line. Henderson found Nick Scelfo on the next play for a 20-yard gain and Washington capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run.

The defense pitched a shutout in the opening stanza, forcing punts on Western Michigan's first two drives. The Colonels then took a 14-0 lead at the 1:31 mark on a 6-play, 88-yard drive. Henderson, who set up the touchdown with a 55-yard run, kept the ball on an option to score from a yard out.

After the Broncos got on the board with a 42-yard field goal early in the second, Nicholls looked to have taken a commanding lead with its third TD of the game. Washington caught a ball in the right flat and went 11 yards for a touchdown; however, after further review the call was reverse as the football squirted out right before he crossed the goal line. The Broncos took over at the 25 for a touchback since the ball rolled out of bounds in the end zone.

Western Michigan capitalized on a Henderson interception, answering with an 8-play, 79-yard drive to make the score 14-9 Colonels with seven minutes left. A mishandled extra point attempt kept lead at five for Nicholls.

The Broncos surprised Nicholls with an onside-kick and WMU recovered. The Colonel defense took back the momentum when defensive back T.J. Lumar picked up his second career interception in the series, running it back 12 yards to give Nicholls the ball at mid-field. On the Colonels' first play, Henderson and Buchanan connected on a 41-yard strike, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by Washington. Andrew Dolan's third PAT put Nicholls up 21-9.

On Nicholls' final drive of the half, Henderson suffered a leg injury on the first play and would not return. Sophomore Tuskani Figaro took over at quarterback for the rest of the game. Nicholls went into the locker room up 21-9.

After running for only 93 yards in the first half, Western Michigan got the ground game going in the third, rushing for 103 yards to take a 23-21 lead. Brian Fields, who had 123 yards rushing \ and three touchdowns for Western Michigan, found the end zone twice. However, between the scoring drives, Nicholls defense stuffed Western Michigan on a fourth-and-2 from the Colonels' 3-yard line.

Nicholls regained the lead on a 29-yard field goal from Dolan at the 11:19 mark in the fourth. The defense forced two punts on the next two WMU possessions, and Figaro set up Dolan's final field goal with a 55-yard bomb to Demon Bolt. Dolan chipped in a 28-yarder to give Nicholls the 27-23 lead with 1:44 to go. Figaro finished 2 of 7 passing and added 72 yards rushing.

On the game's final possession, Western Michigan marched down the field with the help of a couple Colonel penalties, but on second-and-10 from the Colonels' 24, Dewey intercepted a pass to end the threat with 33 ticks on the clock. Nicholls downed the ball as they claimed its first FBS win since 2007 (Rice, 16-14).

Three Colonels finished in double figures in tackles, led by Siegan Vergenal with 11. Jordan Hanberry and Davin Bovie added 10 each.

Nicholls will return to the field Saturday, Sept. 14 at Louisiana-Lafayette. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.