#FIRSTFIVE
• The Nicholls Colonels will take on South Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their final non-conference game of the season. The matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and can be listened to on the radio on ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM.
• Nicholls and South Alabama will be squaring off for the third time, with all three matchups coming since 2010. The Colonels lost the first battle between the two on Sept. 18 in 2010, 39-21, before falling, 9-3, two years later. In the first game, Colonel running back Jesse Turner had 205 yards of offense, highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown reception. The 2012 matchup was a battle of defense, field position and special teams as all 12 points came via field goals. Nicholls led 3-0 before USA scored three unanswered field goals for the win.
• Nicholls is coming off a 35-28 victory over UIW in its Southland Conference opener. Statistically, the Colonels dominated the Cardinals for most of the game, but a late rally by UIW put them within a touchdown. Nicholls led 28-6 and 35-14 in the fourth quarter before allowing two long touchdown passes. UIW managed to get the ball back with less than two minutes in the game before senior
Jeff Hall ended the comeback attempt with an interception at midfield, giving Nicholls its first Southland-opening win since 2013.
• The Colonels continue to receive votes in the FCS STATS Top 25 Poll, marking the first time the team is in the polls since 2013. Nicholls pulled in a total of 38 votes after almost upsetting top-10 ranked Georgia of the FBS, and added seven more (45) following the win over UIW. In 2013, the Colonels received votes are defeating FBS Western Michigan.
• While
Kenny Dotson received the awards last week for the defense, this time it was freshman defensive
Sully Laiche who was recognized. Laiche, a graduate of Lutcher High School, recorded three sacks in the win over UIW. He went on to receive STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week honorable mention after totaling -18 yards on his three sacks.
BY THE NUMBERS
3.0 - True freshman
Sully Laiche was credited with three sacks in the win over UIW. The single-game sack performance by Laiche was the best for the program since 2003 when Michael Young had 4.5 against Bethel.
7 -Â Nicholls allowed just seven first downs versus UIW, which included three that were credited on long touchdowns. Through three quarters against UIW, the Colonels had surrendered just one.
72 -Â The Colonels have just 72 penalty yards in two games, good for eighth in the FCS. Nicholls had 18 yards against Georgia and 54 vs. UIW.
107 - Senior WR
C.J. Bates hauled in six catches for 107 yards against UIW. It marked the second time over the last four games that Bates has eclipsed 100 yards receiving
137 - Jeff Hall has an interception in each of the first two games - both coming in the fourth quarter-Â and has total 137 yards on returns. He had a 91-yarder at No. 9 Georgia and his 46-yard interception against UIW sealed the victory
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls has a 1-3 all-time record on Sept. 24, with their lone win coming in 1983 against McNeese. In the Colonels' last outing, Northwestern State earned a shutout in the Southland Conference opener.
1977Â Â Â Troy St.* -- L -- 6-23 -- A
1983 Â Â McNeese* -- W -- 30-27 -- A
1988Â Â Â Louisiana Tech -- L -- 10-31 -- A
2011Â Â Â Northwestern St.* -- L -- 0-34 -- H
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
• South Alabama made national headlines in its opener as the Jaguars took down SEC Mississippi State. Trailing 20-14 with a minute to go, QB Dallas Davis hit Gerald Everett for a 4-yard TD catch, and USA added the extra point to go on to win 21-20.
• Despite its big win, South Alabama has lost the last two games, both in Sunbelt Conference action. The Jaguars fell 24-9 to Georgia Southern before dropping a close 28-23 decision to Louisiana-Lafayette.
• Dallas Davis has been the star of the offense so far, tallying 828 yards passing and four touchdowns. Davis was precise with his passes in the loss to ULL, completing 21 of 29 for 264 yards and two scores.
• The Jaguars are led by Joey Jones, who has been the only head coach of the program since it started in 2008. Jones was a graduate of Alabama in 1989 and is in his eighth season at the helm.
ALL-TIME SERIES vs USA
Series Record: USA lead 2-0
in Mobile: USA leads 2-0
First Meeting: 9/18/10 @ USA; USA 39-21
Last Meeting: 9/8/12 @ USA; USA, 9-3 (
RECAP)
Most Points Scored (combined): 60, '12
Most Points Scored by NICH: 21, '10
Most Points Scored by USA: 39, '10
LAST OUTING
Sept. 17, 2016
Nicholls 35, UIW 28
THIBODAUX, La. – Freshman
Chase Fourcade threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns and
C.J. Okpalobi rushed for a career-high 115 yards and two scores as the Nicholls State University football team fended off a late comeback by UIW for a 35-28 victory on Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium. (
RECAP)
NICHOLLS-USA CONNECTIONS
The Colonels' starting safety, senior
B.T. Sanders, graduated from Foley High School right down the road from Mobile. At Foley, Sanders was a Second-Team Register All-Region selection.
BALL HOGS
After the first two games, Nicholls ranks 6th in the FCS in time of possession with 35:17 minutes per game. The Colonels dominated TOP against Incarnate Word as they finished with a 39:09-20:51 advantage.
FOURCADE FAMILY
Freshman QB
Chase Fourcade comes from a football family, with his father, Keith, and uncle, John, both playing at Ole Miss. John was a quarterback for the Rebels and broke Archie Manning's record for career passing yards. He went on to play professionally, including four seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Keith, a linebacker, also spent one season with the Saints.
HURRICANE ISAAC
Before the last matchup against South Alabama, the Colonels had their season opener at Oregon State postponed due to Hurrican Isaac. The eye of the storm hovered over Thibodaux for much of the day on the Wednesday prior to the OSU game, leaving 60,000 residents of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes without power. Nicholls ended up making up the game against Oregon State at the end of the season.
BULLDAUXZED
The Colonels not only held their own against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs, but they dominated at the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Nicholls allowed 167 yards on 39 carries, which is the fourth-fewest rushing yards allowed under Coach Rebowe. Against UIW, the Colonels allowed -5 yards rushing through three quarters before an 85-yard touchdown. UIW's 84 yards rushing was the second-fewest allowed under Rebowe.
- 30 vs. HBU
- 84 vs. UIW
- 162 vs. UIW
- 167 vs. Georgia
SOUTHLAND WEEKLY CONFERENCE CALL (COACH REBOWE STARTS AT THE 11:00 MARK)
