THIBODAUX, La. – Still searching for its first win of the season, the Nicholls State University football team will wrap up its three-game road swing against one of its toughest opponents as the Colonels take on No. 5/4 McNeese State at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Cowboy Stadium.
 
The game will be aired live on the Colonel Sports Radio Network which includes stations KLRZ-FM 100.3, KLEB-AM 1600, KJIN 1490 AM, KBZE 105.9 FM and KFRA 1390 AM.
 
Nicholls (0-5, 0-1 SLC) opened its Southland slate last weekend, falling at Central Arkansas 52-18. Despite the lopsided final, the team showed some improvements after a full week under interim head Steve Axman, mainly in the running game. Michael Henry led the Colonels on offense, rushing for a career-high 142 yards on 21 carries. Since missing the Henderson State game, Henry has rushed for 237 yards in his last two outings, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
 
Henry and the Colonels could have a tough time establishing the ground game against McNeese (2-1), which comes into the matchup ranked 17th in the FCS, allowing just 104 yards per game. In the last-second 31-24 loss in their opener at Top 25 Nebraska, the Cowboys held one of the nation's best running backs, Ameer Abdullah, to just 3.2 yards per carry. However, they struggled containing the Cornhuskers' quarterback, Tommy Armstrong Jr., who rushed for 131 yards on 11 carries.
 
A facet that the offense used last year, the Colonel quarterbacks have had little success in running the ball this season. Kalen Henderson was able to rush for a 13-yard touchdown last week at UCA, but on the year, has -13 net yards rushing due to the 30 sacks that the Colonels have surrendered.
 
Henderson comes into the game averaging 101.2 yards passing with one touchdown. Beaux Hebert, who's played in all five games, has 345 yards in the air and recorded his second touchdown pass of the season in the final seconds at UCA.
 
For the first time this season, the defense was able to generate multiple turnovers, including an interception return for a touchdown by freshman safety Joel Dullary. B.T. Sanders also had an interception, his second of the year, and linebacker Seth Keller forced and recovered a fumble. The Colonels had their first sack, which caused a turnover on a fumble, on the year at UCA but the play was negated due to a penalty.
 
McNeese heads into conference play with a 2-1 record, defeating Prairie View A&M and Arkansas Tech at home by a combined score of 109-23. The Cowboys held their ranking in each of the Top 25 polls after their win last week over ATU, placing fifth in the Sports Network Poll and fourth in the Coaches Poll.
 
Along with its stingy rush defense, McNeese features one of the nation's best rushing attacks, ranking eighth in the country with 261.7 yards per contest. Kelvin Milton leads the team with 213 yards rushing, followed by Kansas State transfer quarterback Daniel Sams with 201 yards and a 7.4 yard per carry average. Another FBS transfer, former Mississippi State Bulldog Derrick Milton, is averaging 6.7 yards per tote and has five touchdowns.
 
Tyler Bolfing and Sams have split the quarterback duties, passing for a total of 465 yards and three touchdowns. Kent Shelby is the lone Cowboy with over 100 yards receiving, hauling in four catches for 108 yards.
 
McNeese holds a significant lead in the all-time series against the Colonels with 27 wins versus just 11 losses. The Cowboys have won five straight, capped by their 55-30 win in Thibodaux last season. Nicholls' last victory was in Lake Charles in 2008 where the winless Colonels upset the 11th-ranked Cowboys, 38-35.
 
Nicholls returns home for three of its next four games, starting Oct. 11 against Stephen F. Austin. Kickoff at John L. Guidry is scheduled for 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online at geauxcolonels.com or by calling the Nicholls Athletics Ticket Office at 985-448-4790.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Nicholls Game Notes
McNeese Game Notes
Radio Coverage: ESPN 100.3 FM (New Orleans); KJIN 1490 AM (Houma);   
KBZE 105.9 FM (Morgan City); KFRA 1390 AM (Franklin)
Broadcast Team: Mike Wagenheim (play by play), Seth Thomas (color), Steve Holley (sideline)
Video Stream: McNeese Sports
Live Stats: mcneesesports.com