No. 23/RV Nicholls Colonels (4-2, 3-1 SLC) vs Abilene Christian Wildcats (2-4, 2-2 SLC)
Thibodaux, La. (John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 14 | 3 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes | Abilene Christian Game Notes
Tickets: NichollsTickets.com
Audio: 100.3 FM KLRZ
Live Stats
FIRST FIVE
• The Nicholls State University football team looks to extend its winning streak to three games as it welcomes Abilene Christian for the first-ever meeting between the programs. Saturday's game, scheduled to kickoff at 3 p.m., will serve as the annual Pink Game, sponsored by the Cancer Center of Thibodaux Regional, as well as the Hall of Fame Game and Homecoming. Cox Sports TV will televise the broadcast and it will be streamed on ESPN3.
• Nicholls has won back-to-back games after coming out on top in a defensive battle in the "Real NSU Challenge" against rival Northwestern State, winning 14-10. The Colonel defense limited the Demons to 202 yards on offense and quarterback
Chase Fourcade, who was limited all week with an injury, came into the game in the fourth quarter a sparked a late comeback.
• Abilene Christian re-joined the Southland Conference in 2014, but did not play the Colonels in its three seasons back in the league. The Wildcats, who played in the conference from 1964-72, have an 11-19 SLC record since returning to the league. ACU was 4-4 in its first campaign, 3-6 in 2015 and 2-7 last season.
• For the fourth time in the last three weeks, Nicholls finds itself in the Top 25, coming in at No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Poll. The Colonels made their debut in the polls for the first time in 10 years at No. 23 after their win against Prairie View A&M (Sept. 16). Following a loss to No. 3 Sam Houston, the Colonels fell out but quickly returned the next week at No. 25 with a win at Lamar. Nicholls is receiving votes in the FCS STATS Poll as well, but has yet to make the rankings.
• Before the game Saturday, Nicholls Athletics will induct five new members into its Hall of Fame. Included in the class are two football players - Brian Stropolo and Lionel Vital. Stropolo played from 1982-84, '86 and is second on the Colonels' all-time receiving list with 2,203 yards and 20 touchdowns. Vital was a member of the '84 Gulf South Championship team, set the single-season rushing record at the time and finished his career with 1,518 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 - Senior CB
Christian Boutte recorded a career-high 4 pass breakups in the win over NSU and capped his day with an interception on their final drive. One of Boutte's breakups saved a would-be touchdown in the third quarter. Boutte ranks 4th in the SLC with 1.33 passes defended per outing.
82 - Nicholls allowed only 82 yards passing in the win over Northwestern State. The Demons completed 10-of-28 passes and had one completion go for 23 yards, accounting for a fourth of their yardage.
94.4 -Nicholls has been nearly flawless in the red zone this season, scoring on 94.4 percent of its attempts to rank 4th in the FCS. The Colonels have scored on 17-of-18 attempts, with 12 going for touchdowns.
100 -The Colonels are a perfect 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions this season and are one of just six teams in the FCS to have a 100 percent conversion rate.
2,000 - Quarterback
Tuskani Figaro rushed for 58 yards last week vs. NSU to become just the 7th player in program history to eclipse 2,000 yards for their career. He also joined Hall of Famer Josh Son as the only players in team history to rush for 2,000 and pass for 2,000.
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls has a 1-5 record all-time on Nov. 14. The lone victory on the date came via forfeit in 2000 after Northwestern State's 25-21 win was vacated due to rules violation.
| YEAR |
OPPONENT |
W/L |
SCORE |
H/A |
| 1972 |
Mississippi College* |
L |
13-42 |
H |
| 1978 |
Cameron Univ. |
L |
17-22 |
A |
| 1989 |
Ga. Southern |
L |
13-21 |
H |
| 1995 |
Stephen F. Austin* |
L |
3-56 |
A |
| 2000 |
Northwestern St.* |
W |
21-25 |
H |
| 2006 |
Sam Houston St.* |
L |
7-37 |
A |
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• ACU heads to Thibodaux with a 2-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the Southland. The Wildcats started with losses against FBS New Mexico and Colorado State before alternating wins and losses in league play.
• ACU is led by first-year head coach Adam Dorrel. After posting a 2-9 record last season, ACU hired Dorrel to take over the reigns. He arrived on campus as one of the most successful coaches at the D-II level, winning national titles at Northwest Missouri State in 2013, '15 and '16.
• The Wildcats and Colonels have both played McNeese this season. Nicholls opened the season with a 37-35 victory over the Cowboys on a last-second field goal. ACU squared off against the Pokes last weekend, falling short in a defensive slugfest, 13-7.
• ACU has one of the stingiest defenses in the league, ranking second in points allowed at 22.0 per game. In SLC games, they are surrendering just 14 points a game, highlighted by a 24-3 win over HBU.
LAST OUTING
Oct. 7, 2017
Nicholls 14, Northwestern State 10
THIBODAUX, La. – For the second consecutive week, the No. 25 Nicholls State University football team had an outstanding showing on defense, holding Northwestern State to 202 total yards, and quarterback
Chase Fourcade subbed in to spark the offense for the game-winning touchdown as the Colonels defeated the Demons, 14-10, Saturday afternoon at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. (
RECAP)
A WIN OVER ABILENE CHRISTIAN...
... put the Colonels at 5-2, which would be their best start since 2007
... give
Tim Rebowe his 13th career victory
... be the 12th SLC win in the Rebowe era (2015-). Colonels had nine victories in league play in the previous 7 seasons
... improve Nicholls' home record to 4-0 for the first time since 2005
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 10-6
... keep the Colonels' chances of being undefeated at home for only the third time in program history ('75 -- 5-0, '05 -- 4-0)
NO FLY ZONE
The Colonel defense has been one of the best in the Southland against the pass this season, ranking second in yards allowed at 203.7 per game. The Colonels have allowed less than 200 yards passing three times this season - at Texas A&M (198), at Lamar (121) and home vs. Northwestern State (82).
TAYLOR MADE
Sophomore
Dontrell Taylor entered the season No. 1 on the depth chart at running back, but was injured in the second game at Texas A&M. Taylor made his return against Northwestern State and delivered the game-winning touchdown, scoring on a 3-yard rush with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Taylor, who missed half of the season last year due to injuries, has two 100-yard games, highlighted by a 169-yard effort in last season's River Bell Classic.
GAMEDAY/STADIUM ANNOUNCEMENTS
Nicholls Athletics announced several
new improvements for the 2017 season, including the
clear bag policy. Please click on the provided links for details.
NICHOLLS FOOTBALL ON TWITTER
For the latest news and in-game updates, be sure to follow the team on Twitter
@Nicholls_FB.
