FRISCO, Texas – Nicholls State University defensive lineman Ronald Ollie has been named Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday morning.
 
Ollie, in his first season with the Colonels after transferring from East Mississippi Community College, provided the scoring for Nicholls in the first quarter in its 33-30 double overtime victory at Houston Baptist.
 
Trailing 3-0 midway through the first, the Colonels blocked a 26-yard field goal. The ball bounced once off the turf, Ollie corralled it in stride and sprinted 84 yards for a touchdown. It marked the second field goal block returned for a score for the Colonels this season.
 
Ollie also contributed defensively as he finished with eight tackles and had 2.5 for loss. For the season, he is third on the defense in tackles for loss with 4.0 – which includes one sack.
 
With the win over HBU, the Colonels put themselves in the thick of the Southland Conference race and will face their biggest test to date this Saturday against No. 2 Sam Houston State. The Bearkats are 5-0 in league play and are joined at the top of the standings by Central Arkansas, which is 4-0. Nicholls is in a three-way tie for second with Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana at 3-1. The Colonels will play all four teams this season, with three of the games being at home.
 
Demand for tickets for Saturday's marquee matchup is expected to be high, so fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time online on geauxcolonels.com. Along with the huge conference implications, Saturday will serve as the Hall of Fame Game, Family Day, and will be the program's annual Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness.