As a sophomore in 2016, defensive lineman Kenny Dotson made one of the most iconic plays in recent Colonel history. In front of 90,000 raucous fans at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, Dotson chased down future NFL running back Nick Chubb and stripped the ball, giving Nicholls a momentum-changing turnover.

Nicholls State University, a 55-point underdog, came up short in its upset bid against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs by the score of 26-24, but one thing was for sure - the Colonels had arrived.

Dotson had his own coming-out party a year earlier in a 48-0 loss at FBS Colorado. An injury in the game inserted him into the lineup, and he quickly made a name for himself, recording four tackles in seven plays in the first quarter. He's been a starter ever since.

As an all-Baton Rouge Area honoree and two-way player at Plaquemine, Dotson received a pair of offers to continue his career and had to make a decision. Go to Central Arkansas, a program coming off a couple of recent appearances in the FCS playoffs, but over 600 miles away, or stay close to home and look to build something with a new coach, Tim Rebowe, who was taking over a team that had lost 18 consecutive games. The hour-drive from his hometown was appealing, and so was his desire to play defense.

"Coach Rebowe helped me realize coming to Nicholls was the best decision," Dotson said. "The energy he had and with him bringing in a new staff made it feel like a new culture. I felt like it was a good move to come to Nicholls, and Central Arkansas was far away from my family. I kinda felt like Sully (Laiche) was coming too because he was a great player at Lutcher."

Laiche did join the Colonels a year later, and the two have been keeping opposing quarterbacks up a night ever since. The duo headline the defensive line, aka Nasty Boys, and both rank in the top 25 in the FCS for active career leaders in sacks. Laiche is third with 25.5 and Dotson has 17.0 to rank 25th. This season, the Colonels are No. 2 in the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss.

Defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki first took notice of Dotson at Colorado, seeing him chase down guys down the field for tackles. While Dotson is one piece of an extremely talented unit, he believes Rybacki deserve a lot of the credit.

"I feel like it's Coach putting us in the right place, and we execute the plays he calls. All we do is go full-speed and work a move."

One of Dotson's most notable game's was last year at Stephen F. Austin. The Colonel offense ran all over the Lumberjacks for over 400 yards rushing, but Dotson and the defense also did their part in the 34-13 victory - just the third on the road in the all-time series. Dotson racked up eight tackles and a career-high 3.5 sacks, and went on to earn defensive player of the week for the Southland and Louisiana Sports Writers Association, while also earning national honorable mention.

"I'll never forget that game, it felt like high school days," Dotson said. "We ran defensive line games on them. I was hyped after that game."

Dotson comes from a family full of athletes, including his twin brother, Kevin, who was an All-Sun Belt selection as an offensive lineman for Louisiana-Lafayette last season. His father, Kelcy, played as a linebacker for the Ragin' Cajuns and his mother, Denise, ran track for McNeese. Doston's uncles, Alvin and Dennis McKinley, played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. Needless to say, there's no lacking when it comes to striving to live up to his family members.

"It's motivation. But my uncles always gave us advice and insight on how to improve our game. I still call them and talk to about defensive line moves."

Having a twin is unique in itself, but the Dotson brothers lined up next to each other in high school on the offensive front, helping Plaquemine to a 12-2 record and its first semifinals appearance since 1961.

"I played center and Kevin was at left guard, so we always have the connection and chemistry between us. We would always get together and would work on our game."

Kenny also served as the Green Devils' long snapper in high school, and actually thought that would be his way into playing football in college and possibly the NFL. He was always reminded by his father 'You gotta practice that long snap because colleges pay for that too.'

Well, Dotson decided to go a different route with the help of Coach Rebowe, but still desires to reach the next level.

"If I get a chance, I will try to play professional football either in the NFL or the CFL. I think the CFL would be exciting to see how football is in Canada." There has not been a lack of excitement in football in Thibodaux since Dotson arrived on campus. Nicholls is looking to go undefeated at home in the regular season for the second straight year, and is aiming for back-to-back playoff appearances. Being one of the 100-plus Louisiana natives on the roster, Dotson believes the local ties has been a major factor in the atmosphere upswing.

"It gives us the extra home energy we need because it brings fans in from all over the state, and not just the local Thibodaux area," Dotson said. "The atmosphere here is great and I would love anybody to experience what we have here with Coach Rebowe."