NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY COLONELS vs Prairie View A&M University Panthers
Thibodaux, La. (John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Sept. 16 | 6:00 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes | Prairie View A&M Game Notes
Tickets: NichollsTickets.com
Video Stream: Southland Digiital Network
Audio: 100.3 FM KLRZ
Live Stats
FIRST FIVE
• Following a hard-fought battle on national television against SEC member Texas A&M last week, the Nicholls Colonels wrap up their nonconference slate with Prairie View A&M for Family Day on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. The contest will stream on the Southland Digital Network and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM and KBZE 105.9 FM.
• Heading into the matchup last weekend as heavy underdogs against the Aggies, Nicholls fell behind early, 14-0, before eventually tying the game at 14-all in the fourth quarter. TE
Stephen LeBouef scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass and WR
Mason Roberts had a play-of-the-year nominee as he came down with a leaping catch in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion, knotting the score with 12 minutes to go. Texas A&M responded with a touchdown drive to regain the lead and added a late field goal to make the final, 24-14.
• WR
Damion Jeanpiere Jr. hauled in five receptions for 174 yards at Texas A&M and was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week. It marked the second-straight 100-yard game for Kenner, La. native and he currently ranks second in the FCS with 319 yards. Jeanpiere is the only player in the top 10 with single-digit receptions, averaging 39.5 yards on eight catches.
• The Colonels opened the season with a thrilling 37-35 win over rival McNeese, giving Nicholls a home-opening win for the second straight season. A big part of the victory was the boisterous crowd of over 9,000 Red and Gray faithful. It marked the second time in the last five games that the attendance has been over 9k, joining the double-overtime Homecoming win over Stephen F. Austin.
• Nicholls continues to inch closer to cracking the FCS Top 25 polls following its close decision with FBS Texas A&M. The Colonels gained votes in the STATS poll, going from 97 last week to 105, jumping from 36th to 29th. Nicholls lost eight votes in the coaches poll with 24, but moved up from 30th to 28th. Sam Houston stayed at #3/3, Central Arkansas is at #14/16 and McNeese is receiving votes.
BY THE NUMBERS
1 - The Colonels have one native of Texas on their 2017 roster - junior wide receiver
Mason Roberts. A graduate of Cy-Woods, Roberts had a 12-yard catch on fourth down at Texas A&M before adding a highlight two-point conversion reception in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 14-14 in the fourth quarter.
8 - The Colonels will take on eight programs from Texas this season. Both nonconference games are against Lone Star teams - Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M. In league play, Nicholls will face Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.
14 - For the second straight season, the number 14 came into play as the Colonels looked to take down an opponent from the Southeastern Conference. Last season, the Colonels scored in the third quarter to take a 14-13 lead at No. 9 Georgia. Last week, Nicholls scored a touchdown and converted the two-point try to even the score at Texas A&M, 14-14, early in the fourth quarter.
16 - LB
Allen Pittman led Nicholls in tackles for the second time in as many games this season, finishing with 16 stops against the Aggies. While 16 is his season-high, the Destrehan graduate racked up 19 last season at UCA .
1023 - With his second straight 100-yard game, WR
Damion Jeanpiere Jr. surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his career with 1,023 yards. Jeanpiere is averaging 19.7 yards per catch in his three seasons and has nine touchdowns.
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls has a 2-4 record on Sept. 16 and has dropped the last four contests. The program's first win came on the date against Ouachita Baptist in 1972.
| YEAR |
OPPONENT |
W/L |
SCORE |
H/A |
| 1972 |
Ouachita Baptist |
W |
12-7 |
H |
| 1978 |
Jacksonville State* |
W |
19-17 |
A |
| 1989 |
Delta State |
L |
14-15 |
H |
| 1995 |
Troy State |
L |
3-17 |
H |
| 2000 |
ULM |
L |
21-27 |
A |
| 2006 |
LA Tech |
L |
21-31 |
A |
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• Prairie A&M is a member of the Southwest Athletic Conference and has 11 SWAC championships, with its last coming in 2009.
• The Panthers opened their season against Southland defending champion Sam Houston last Thursday and battled the No. 3 Bearkats, but came up short in a 44-31 loss.
• PVAMU's QB Lavell McCullers caused fits for the Bearkat defense, totaling 126 yards rushing and 154 yards in the air, scoring once on a 44-yard scamper.
• The Panthers will play three Southland schools this season - Nicholls, Sam Houston and Incarnate Word. The last meeting with an SLC school before this season was against McNeese in a 48-16 loss in 2014.
• Prairie View A&M is led by third-year head coach Willie Simmons. The Panthers have been impressive in league play since Simmons' arrival, posting a 15-3 record. Simmons came from SWAC member Alcorn State where he served as the offensive coordinator, helping the Braves to a league title behind 44 points per game.
LAST OUTING
Sept. 9, 2017
Texas A&M 24, Nicholls 14
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Nicholls State University football team rallied back from an early 14-0 deficit against Texas A&M to even the score in the fourth quarter, but the Aggies did just enough to put the game away as the Colonels fell, 24-14, Saturday night in front of 100,276 fans at Kyle Field. (
RECAP)
A WIN OVER PRAIRIE VIEW A&M WOULD...
... improve Nicholls' home record to 2-0 for the first time since 2013
... give Nicholls its 21st win over a SWAC program (20-10)
... put the Colonels at 2-1, their best start since 2007
... give
Tim Rebowe his 10th career victory and first nonconference win
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 8-5
... keep the Colonels' chances of being undefeated at home for only the third time in program history ('75 -- 5-0, '05 -- 4-0)
WEEKLY AWARDS
The Colonels picked up two weekly honors after their close contest with SEC's Texas A&M.
Damion Jeanpiere Jr. took the Southland's Offensive Player of the Week after torching the Aggie defense with 174 yards on five receptions. On defense,
Allen Pittman racked up 16 tackles to take the LWSA's weekly honor.
SACK IT TO ME
After two games, Nicholls is 4th in the FCS with 8.0 sacks.
Terrell Encalade leads the way with 3.0, ranking 5th, and
Sully Laiche has 1.5. Laiche was 12th in the FCS last season with 9.5 sacks. He had three games with 2.0 or more sacks, highlighted by a 3 sack day against UIW. He started the 2017 season with a sack, causing a fumble on the play, and added a half-sack at Texas A&M to give him 11 sacks in 13 career games.
SEC
With eight national titles since 2006, it's hard to argue against the Southeastern Conference being the premiere league of college football. Since 2014, the Colonels have matched up with three SEC teams and nearly came away with two victories. After a blowout 73-7 loss in the winless '14 campaign, Nicholls went into Georgia to start '16 and was defeated, 26-24. The Colonels took the lead in the third before UGA held on for the two-point victory. Against Texas A&M, the Colonels tied the Aggies at 14-all in the fourth before the Aggies scored the game's final 10 points. The Colonels' next matchup with an SEC program will be in 2020 against LSU.
KEEPING IT 100
WR
Damion Jeanpiere Jr. had just one 100-yard game in his first two seasons, but has started 2017 with back-to-back 100 yard-games. He started with a 3-catch, 145-yard effort against McNeese, scoring on 62- and 77-yard touchdowns. At Texas A&M, he struck for 174 yards on 5 receptions, highlighted by a 54-yard catch in the fourth. Jeanpiere is second in the FCS with 319 yards on just eight grabs.
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.
