No. 15 Nicholls Colonels (2-2, 1-1 SLC) vs. Lamar Cardinals (1-3, 0-2 SLC)
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2:35 p.m. CT 
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | Lamar Game Notes (PDF)
Audio: 100.3 FM KLRZ |   105.9 FM KBZE
TV: Eleven Sports (DirecTV 623)  |  Cox Sports TV (Lafourche Parish Charter 324/815) (Affiliates (PDF))
Stream: Southland Digital Network (Link)
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Order online or call 985-448-4790

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FIRST FIVE
• The Nicholls State University football team will play at home for consecutive weeks, hosting Lamar University on Sept. 29 for its annual Family Day game at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. The Colonels will aim for their seventh consecutive regular-season home win on the new turf following their opening win over top 25 Sam Houston last week. The game, scheduled for 2:30 p.m., will be aired on Eleven Sports, as well as Cox Sports TV regionally, and will be streamed on the Southland Digital Network. The radio broadcasts include ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM and KBZE 105.9 FM.

• Nicholls is coming off one of the biggest wins at home in recent history as the Colonels defeated then-ranked No. 11 Sam Houston State, 27-7. The Colonels went ahead 10-7 in the second quarter on a 12-yard touchdown catch by Damion Jeanpiere, Jr. and never looked back, finishing the game with 24 unanswered points. The win snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Bearkats that dated back to the Colonels' championship season in 2005. It was also the first ranked win against an FCS opponent since 2008.

• Lamar brings an 0-2 record in conference play, but the Cardinals' losses are by a combined seven points. LU opened league play with a shootout at home against Northwestern State, rallying from a 28-0 deficit before ultimately falling on a blocked extra point with two minutes remaining. Last week against Southeastern Louisiana, Lamar was within three late in the fourth quarter before the Lions chewed up most of the clock and kicking a field goal for a 30-24 victory.

• Saturday's contest between Nicholls and Lamar will be the 11th all-time meeting between the programs, with the Colonels holding a three-game winning streak. The teams played three times before Lamar brought back football in 2011, and the Cards won the first four meetings through the '14 season. However, Nicholls head coach Tim Rebowe has defeated LU all three of his years, including a 30-28 win in Beaumont in his first season. The victory in '15 ended a 17-game road losing streak for the Colonels.

• The Southland continues to have a strong presence in the FCS Top 25, with four teams ranked in both polls - AFCA Coaches Poll and STATS FCS. Nicholls is No. 15 in both polls following its top 25 win over Sam Houston, which dropped to 19/21. McNeese still heads the foursome with an 11/10 ranking, with Central Arksansas right behind at 12/t-13.


BY THE NUMBERS
11 - The Colonels have three wins over ranked teams since the beginning of the 2008 season, and all three opponents happened to be ranked No. 11. The Bearkats headed to Thibodaux as the 11th-ranked team in both FCS polls, and in 2008, the Colonels defeated No. 11 teams in back-to-back weeks - at McNeese (38-35) and home vs. Central Arkansas (20-17).

17.0 - The Colonel defense has recorded 17 sacks through four games, ranking fourth in the FCS with 4.25 per game.Evan Veron ranks ninth in the nation with 5.0, and is followed closely behind by Kenny Dotson (4.0) and Sully Laiche (3.5). Nicholls had 6.0 sacks in the win at Kansas, which were the most for the program in a single game since the 2009 season (9 vs. Duquesne).

20 - The Colonels not only snapped an 11-game losing streak in the series against the Bearkats, but the 20-point margin was the second largest win for Nicholls. The Red and Gray defeated Sam Houston in 1994, 24-0, and last Saturday's win matched the margin from the Colonels' previous victory, 37-17, in 2005.

100 - Wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere Jr. has already put his name in the record books as the fifth all-time leading receiver, but he enters Saturday's game approaching another milestone needing just three receptions to reach 100 for his career. A consistent deep threat, he also has the third best yards per catch of anyone in the top 10 career receiving list (17.9). He also needs just two yards to surpass Marvin Dumas for fourth place on the receiving list.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
• Lamar is in its second season under head coach Mike Schultz. A native of Houston, Shultz has spent the majority of his coaching career in the Lone Star State, including his last stint as an offensive coordinator at Texas State.

• The Cardinals are coming off a 2-9 campaign and bring a 1-3 record to Thibodaux. LU opened the season with a lopsided victory against Kentucky Christian but have lost its last three game.

• Lamar features the Southland's top scoring (32.5 ppg) and rushing (230.2 ypg) offenses, fueled by quarterback Darrel Colbert, Jr. Through four games, Colbert has accounted for 13 touchdowns, with eight passing and five on the ground. He ranks fourth in the NCAA in points responsible for (20.0)

• Although LU has allowed points and yards on defense, the Cardinals are among the nation's best in causing turnovers. Lamar has recovered five fumbles so far this season to go along with five interceptions. One of the picks was returned for a TD last week as Davon Jernigan went 53 yards for the score in the first quarter against Southeastern Louisiana.


A WIN OVER LAMAR WOULD...
... give Nicholls its first win over a ranked opponent since 2008.
... snap an 11-game losing streak in the series, dating back to 2005.
... improve Coach Rebowe's overall record to 18-20. He started his career 0-5.
... be the Colonels' 11th victory in the all-time series (10-21-1), which was tied in '05.
... improve Coach Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools 13-6 (0-3 vs. Sam Houston).
... put the Colonels' record in SLC home openers at 13-15 and overall home openers at 26-21.
... give Coach Rebowe his 16th win in conference (15-13).


ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...

• Nicholls has an even 2-2 record on 9/29, last playing in 2001. The Colonels have alternated losses and wins, coming out on top in their last contest on the date, 20-16, at home against Samford.
 

YEAR	OPPONENT	W/L	SCORE	H/A
1973	Southeastern La.	L	10-0	A
1979	Tennessee Tech	W	13-10	A
1990	Texas State	L	33-30	A
2001	Samford	W	20-16	H

LAST MEETING
Sept. 30, 2017
Nicholls 41, Lamar 14

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University football team received a pair of 100-yard rushing performances from sophomores Kyran Irvin and Jeremy Rounds and the defense shutdown Lamar as the Colonels claimed their first road win with a 41-14 victory Saturday night at Umphrey Stadium. (RECAP)


LAST OUTING
Sept. 22, 2018
No. 15 Nicholls 27, No. 11 Sam Houston State 7

THIBODAUX, La.  – Following a three hour and 19 minute lightning delay, the No. 18 Nicholls State University football team put together a solid effort in all three phases in its home opener against No. 11 Sam Houston State and the Colonels picked up a 27-7 victory Saturday night at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. (RECAP)


NOTES FROM LAST GAME
- Second straight weather delay; 3 hour 19 minute delay prior to kickoff;
- First win vs. Bearkats since 2005, ending 11-game skid;
- Improved to 11-4 under Rebowe when scoring first;
- Rebowe is 3-1 in home openers
- Held Kats to 53 yards rushing on 30 carries;
- First time since 2009 Sam scored in single digits vs. FCS in regular season;
- Fourcade moved to second on all-time passing list;
- Jeanpiere moved to fifth on all-time receiving list;
- Veron and Dotson had 2.0 sacks each;
- Jeanpiere with 1st TD catch of the season;
- Evans and Martin recorded team's first INTs of season;


PICK'TURESQUE
The Nicholls defense did not have an interception through three games, but it decided to end the drought in an impressive manner. On the first play of the third quarter, cornerback Darren Evans used every inch of his 6-3 frame to dive on a slant for an interception. Later in the quarter with the Bearkats at the 2, QB Mike Dares tossed a quick out route to the left, and Ahmani Martin dove in front of the receiver and landed at the 1 to maintained the Colonels' 13-7 lead. 


SACK MASTERS
Despite opening the season against two FBS programs and two ranked FCS teams, the Colonels enter this weekend ranked fourth in the nation with 17.0 sacks on the year. Nicholls had six sacks in the opener at Kansas, its most since 2009, and followed up with three at Tulane and McNeese. In the home opener, the Colonels added five more to the total. Evan Veron recorded his second 2.0 sack game of the year against Sam Houston and ranks ninth in the FCS with 5.0. Kenny Dotson also had 2.0 sacks to double his season total - good for 25th in the FCS, and Sully Laiche follows with 3.5. Joining the sack party so far this season have been Laryon James (1.5), Kevin Johnson (1.0), Tyler Johnson (1.0), and Ronald Ollie (1.0).


EVERYBODY GET YOUR VERON
Junior linebacker Evan Veron was moved to the SAM position for Tommy Rybacki's defense and so far, the move has paid off. Veron has spent the majority of his snaps in the opposition's backfield, leading the Colonels with 5.0 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. In addition to having the fifth-most tackles on the team with 17, Veron had a key fumble recovery at Tulane that setup a second quarter touchdown. 


CHASE'ING RECORDS
QB Chase Fourcade continues to rewrite the Colonel record book each week. Last week against Sam Houston, Fourcade moved up to second on the all-time passing list by surpassing Hall of Fame quarterback Brad Zeller (5,616). Against McNeese, his late touchdown toss moved him into sole possession of second with 34 touchdown passes. Two weeks ago at Tulane, he became just the third quarterback in program history to throw for 5,000 yards for their career . In addition, he is just the sixth Colonel to record 2,000 passing yards in a single season. The feat has been accomplished eight times and Fourcade's 2,482 yards  as a freshman was the third most in a single season. With two more 2,000-yard seasons, Fourcade would leave Nicholls as the all-time leader in passing yards.

1. 3,627 - Doug Hudson (1986)
2. 2,491 - Bobby McDonald (1987)
3. 2,482 - Chase Fourcade (2016)
4. 2,374 - Brad Zeller (1998)
5. 2,356 - Gordon Falgoust (1981)
6. 2,348 - Doug Hudson (1985)
7. 2,316 - Chase Fourcade (2017)
8. 2,049 - Landry Klann (2012)


STREAK BUSTING
With the win over Sam Houston State, Nicholls put to rest one of its two lengthy losing streaks against Southland opponents. The Colonels had lost the last 11 meetings against the Bearkats before the victory, and now have just the eight-game skid against Central Arkansas. The Colonels and Bears have not played since 2016 due to the schedule rotations. Other series streaks that have ended under head coach Tim Rebowe were eight-game droughts against Stephen F. Austin (stopped in '16) and McNeese ('17). 



SHARING IS CARING
The Colonels feature three All-Southland caliber players in their backfield and all three have received their share of the load. Texas A&M transfer Kendall Bussey leads the team with 240 yards rushing (3.9 ypc), while Dontrell Taylor heads the group with three rushing TDs and a 5.7 ypc average (170). Kyran Irvin, who was named All-Southland second team last season, is averaging 4.6 yards per carry with 134 yards. Bussey is the only one to have more than 15 carries in a game this year, and it resulted in a 123-yard effort in the win at Kansas. The carries were nearly split evenly between the three against Sam Houston - Irvin (14), Bussey (13), Taylor (13). 


THE SKINNY ON MCKENNEY
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Arron McKenney made  a name for himself in the passing game last week against Sam Houston State, finishing with three receptions for 51 yards. After redshirting in 2016 and missing last year with an injury, McKenney hauled in his first career catches in the win over the Kats. A graduate of St. James, McKenney made the catch of the game as he was able tap his foot inbounds after he leaped toward the sideline for a 22-yard grab.


NICHOLLS FOOTBALL ON TWITTER
For the latest news and in-game updates, be sure to follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_FB.