BOULDER, Colo. – The Nicholls State University football team was held to just 166 yards on offense against Colorado and the Buffaloes used a 21-point first quarter to cruise to a 48-0 victory over the Colonels in front of 37,302 fans Saturday afternoon at Folsom Field.
The offensive struggles continued for Nicholls (0-3) as the Colonels managed just eight first downs against FBS Colorado, which won its third straight game to improve to 3-1. The Buffaloes used a balanced attack to account for their seven touchdowns, racking up 358 yards rushing and 278 yards passing. The Colonels gained 126 of its yards on the ground, led by
Michael Henry's 65 yards on 15 carries.
Tuskani Figaro threw for just 40 yards, completing 6 of 22 passes.
C.J. Bates led the team with 27 yards on two receptions.
The game was never in much doubt as Colorado produced three touchdowns on its first three drives for an early 21-0 lead. CU scored on the game's opening possession, marching 70 yards and found the end zone on a 4-yard run by Phillip Lindsay. Following a 25-yard punt by Nicholls, the Buffaloes made it 14-0 on a 1-yard run by Christian Powell. On the Buffaloes' third scoring drive, the Colonel defense forced a third-and-18, but Sefo Liufau hit Jay MacIntyre for a 38-yard touchdown on the play.
For the game, Sefo completed 13 of 21 passes for 227 yards, while Lindsay had 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 17 carries for Colorado.
But after the rough start for Nicholls, the defense was able to come up with a pair of big plays in the second quarter. With Colorado in the red zone,
Jonavon Lewis ripped the ball loose on a run by Powell, and
Hezekiah White came up with the ball for the Colonels. On Colorado's next drive, the defense stuffed a fourth-and-1 attempt at the Colonel 6, keeping the score 21-0. CU would add a 46-yard field goal by Diego Gonzalez to take a 24-0 lead into the locker room.
Despite the inspired effort by the defense in the second quarter, the offense was never able to get anything going. The Colonels' longest play of the day came on a 28-yard run by Henry, which came immediately after the fumble recovery.
The third quarter was much like the first as Colorado scored 17 to put the game away. After misfiring on a 26-yard field goal, the Buffaloes scored on their next drive on a 1-yard plunge by Lindsay. On their next possession, Donovan Lee, who had 103 yards rushing on 10 carries, broke free for a 59 yard touchdown run. Colorado ended the scoring in the third with a 46-yard field goal by Gonzalez.
Nicholls did not pick up a first down in the quarter, punting on all five possessions. For the game,
Tyler St. Germain finished with nine punts, averaging 41.3 yards per punt.
In the fourth, Kyle Evans ran one in for the Buffaloes from 2-yards out with five minutes remaining to make the final, 48-0.
The defense was led by
Hezekiah White, who finished with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Corey Abraham added eight tackles, while
Darryl Adams and B.T Sanders added six each.
Nicholls will make its home debut next weekend as they take on McNeese State for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 3. The game will be broadcast on Cox Sports Television, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. For tickets, please call 985-448-4790 or visit geauxcolonels.com.
