Game Book COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Things looked promising in the early going for the Nicholls State University football team in its season opener at Air Force as the teams were tied in the second quarter, but the Falcons' rushing attack proved to be too much, leading to 35 consecutive points as the Colonels fell 44-16 on Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium.
With the loss, Nicholls (0-1) drops to 21-22 all-time in season openers, and 0-2 all-time against Air Force (1-0).
Nicholls managed 263 yards on offense, with 63 yards on the ground.
Kalen Henderson led the offense, throwing for 136 yards on 12-of-25 passing.
Beaux Hebert went 6-for-6, all in the fourth quarter, for 64 yards, throwing a late touchdown pass to
Darryl Watson II, who finished with four grabs for 66 yards.
While Air Force had only 19 yards on six pass attempts, the Falcons were nearly unstoppable in running the ball, rushing for 539 yards. Jacobi Owens had a career day, accumulating 233 yards on 23 carries. Air Force racked up 7.4 yards per carry on 73 attempts.
After a pair of three-and-outs by the Colonel defense to start the game, Air Force's defense was responsible for the first points of the day when Henderson was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. Following a punt that pinned Nicholls inside the 10, Weston Steelhammer came unblocked through the left side and hit Henderson, who tried to throw the ball away, but the penalty resulted in a 2-0 lead for the Falcons with 8:24 on the clock.
The free kick led to great field position for Air Force, and the Falcons scored the first touchdown on a 7-play, 2:23 drive. Owens highlighted the drive with a 40-yard rush to the Colonel 4, and Garrett Brown ran it in from five yards out. After the extra point, Air Force took a 9-0 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the quarter.
Nicholls answered on its next drive, scoring on an 18-yard run by
Tobias Lofton.
Keenan Canty started the drive with a 13-yard run on an end around, and
Reggie Wilson ran 21 yards on a screen pass. Following a 14-yard keeper by Henderson, Lofton found a seam in the defense, running untouched into the end zone for the Colonels' first touchdown of the year. But the Falcons blocked the extra point, making the score 9-6.
The Colonels got the ball back at midfield when
Cole Frazier stopped Kale Pearson on a keeper on 4th-and-3. The good field position led to a 37-yard field goal by
Francisco Condado with 13:20 to go until half, tying the game at 9-all.
Air Force put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive on the next possession to take a 16-9 lead. Following a punt by the Colonels, the Falcons tacked on another touchdown, scoring from two yards out on a run by Devin Rushing. Air Force headed into the locker room with a 23-9 lead.
Not much changed after the break, as the triple option continued to cause problems for the Colonel defense. Air Force piled on 169 rushing yards in the third, scoring two more touchdowns for a 37-9 lead.
Air Force added one more touchdown in the fourth before Hebert and Watson hooked up to make the final.
Davin Bovie led the Colonel defense with 11 tackles, while
Kameryon Brown and
Ronnie Walker had nine each. For Air Force, Conner Healy had eight stops and the team accounted for five sacks.
Nicholls will be back in action next Saturday, Sept. 6, taking on Arkansas on the SEC Network. Kickoff in Fayetteville is scheduled for 3 p.m.
