No. 12/12 Nicholls Colonels (3-2, 2-0 SLC) vs. Northwestern State (0-5, 0-2 SLC)
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | Central Arkansas Notes
TV: Cox Sports TV
Video Stream: ESPN+ (Available only outside of CST territory) (Link)
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans Tunein | 100.3 FM KLRZ | 105.9 FM KBZE
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Order online or call 985-448-4790
Gameday Information
FIRST FIVE
• The No. 12 Nicholls State University football team will play its second consecutive game at home when the Colonels host rival Northwestern State on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. The Colonels will aim for their first 3-0 start in the Southland under head coach
Tim Rebowe and push their home winning streak to eight in a row. The game will air on Cox Sports TV and will be available online outside of CST territory on ESPN+.
• Nicholls is coming off its best showing of the season in its 34-14 win over then-ranked No. 10/11 Central Arkansas in the home debut last weekend. The Colonels pitched another first-half shutout on their home turf with a 20-0 lead against the Bears and led 34-7 in the waning seconds. The victory snapped an eight-game losing skid against UCA and was the third win over a ranked team since the beginning of last year. Nicholls has won 12 consecutive regular season games in Thibodaux dating back to the start of 2017 and the only loss at Guidry was the '17 playoff game.
• Northwestern State will be the second straight team Nicholls has faced coming off a bye week. The Demons come to Thibodaux searching for the first win of 2019 after suffering two losses in Southland play - HBU and Southeastern Louisiana, and three nonconference setbacks. Their most impressive showing was at nationally-ranked FBS power LSU in Week 3 where the Demons led 7-3 after the first quarter and trailed just 24-14 at the break.
• Nicholls and Northwestern State are set for their 47th matchup all-time with the Demons holding a 28-18 advantage. Despite the losing record, Nicholls has cut into the deficit with three consecutive wins over the Demons. After dropping the first matchup in Coach Rebowe's inaugural season, Nicholls won at NSU in '16 (31-14), at home in '17 (14-10), and last year in Natchitoches (28-10). The Colonels have never won four in a row against the Demons in the all-time series.
• Although no teams in the Southland Conference have played more than three league games, only two programs have yet to suffer a loss - Sam Houston State (3-0) and Nicholls (2-0). Four SLC teams are currently ranked in both polls, with Nicholls leading the way at No. 12. Last week's opponent, Central Arkansas, dropped to No. 16 while Sam Houston State (24/25) and Southeastern Louisiana (25/23) round out the Southland ranked teams.
BY THE NUMBERS
57 - With his 57th career touchdown pass in the win against UCA,
Chase Fourcade is now just two away from setting a new program career record. Already the all-time leader in passing yards, Fourcade is aiming to break another one of Doug Hudson's records - 58 TD passes.
2,000 - Dontrell Taylor nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season and now has his sights on 2,000 for his career. With 1,909 yards rushing, Taylor needs 91 to become only the eighth Colonel to reach the mark.
10,000 - QB
Chase Fourcade entered the season ranked 10th in the Southland Conference for career total offense and now is just the seventh player in conference history to reach 10,000 yards for a career. Fourcade needed 220 entering last week's matchup with UCA and eclipsed the mark by halftime with 221 yards passing and 45 yards on the ground.
SCOUTING THE DEMONS
• Northwestern State is coming off a bye week and comes to Thibodaux seeking its first win of the season. The Demons are 0-2 in the SLC with losses to HBU and Southeastern Louisiana.
• NSU is led by quarterback Shelton Eppler. After five games, Eppler ranks 16th in the FCS with 281.8 yards passing per game, and is second in the nation with an average of 30.6 completions.
• Wide receiver Quan Shorts has a pair of 100-yard games this season, including 110 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions in the last game against Southeastern Louisiana. Shorts is third in the country with 9.3 receptions per game, and is also 11th with five TD catches.
• Brad Laird is in his second season as head coach of the Demons. Last year, NSU won three of its last four games and finished with a 5-6 overall record to close out his inaugural campaign.
A WIN OVER NORTHWESTERN WOULD...
... give Nicholls a 3-0 start in the Southland for the first time in school history.
... be the fourth straight win in the series against Northwestern State - another first.
... give the 2016 class its second four-game sweep of a Southland opponent. The seniors went 4-0 against SFA and are 3-0 against Northwestern State, UIW, HBU, and Lamar.
... give Nicholls its 13th consecutive regular-season win at home.
... improve Rebowe's record to 17-6 in Thibodaux.
... give the Colonels their 25th league win under Rebowe and up his record to 22-8 in last four years in the Southland.
LAST MEETING
Oct. 6, 2018
No. 12 Nicholls 28, Northwestern State 10
NATCHITOCHES, La. – The No. 12 Nicholls State University football team used a familiar formula - running the ball and a stout performance by the defense - to pick up a 28-10 victory over Northwestern State Saturday night at Turpin Stadium. (
RECAP)
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls has three wins on Oct. 12, and all three are against Northwestern State. The last meeting against NSU came in 2013 and the Colonels won in Thibodaux, 33-21. The win was the last SLC victory before a 17-game losing streak in conference.
| YEAR |
OPPONENT |
W/L |
SCORE |
H/A |
| 1974 |
Northwestern St. |
W |
7-0 |
H |
| 1985 |
Southern |
W |
25-22 |
H |
| 1991 |
Sam Houston St. |
L |
28-19 |
H |
| 1996 |
Northwestern St. |
W |
19-17 |
A |
| 2002 |
Stephen F. Austin |
L |
17-14 |
H |
| 2013 |
Northwestern St. |
W |
33-21 |
H |
LAST OUTING
Oct. 5, 2019
No. 15/16 Nicholls 34, No. 10/11 Central Arkansas 14
THIBODAUX, La. – Playing for the first time at home this season, the No. 15/16 Nicholls State University football team put on an impressive performance against No. 10/11 Central Arkansas with a 34-14 victory Saturday evening on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. (
RECAP)
THE REAL N-S-U
The rivalry between Nicholls and Northwestern State features a wooden "N-S-U" trophy, which has resided in Thibodaux for the last three seasons. Although the series stretches back to 1973, the trophy was created by the student government leaders and became up for grabs starting in 1993. The series has been back and fourth since the trophy was introduced, with neither team winning more than three consecutive games. The Demons did win six straight on the field from 1997-2002, but their 2000 win was forfeited. The Colonels also had a win erased in 2003.
THE GUIDRY GRIS-GRIS
Along with the Colonels winning 12 consecutive regular season games at home and 12 of its last 13 in Guidry Stadium, Nicholls has jumped out to a hot start in the last five games. The defense has allowed just two touchdowns and 17 total points in the first halves, while the offense has scored 140 points. Including the season opener, the Colonels have posted first-half shutouts in the last three Southland home games.
.
NO MAS!!
With the win over Central Arkansas, the Colonels have officially put to rest every losing streak against Southland Conference opponents. UCA had won eight straight against Nicholls including wins against head coach
Tim Rebowe's squads in 2015 and '16, but after a two-year break, the Colonels' 34-14 win last weekend ended the drought. Last season, Nicholls snapped an 11-game skid against Sam Houston State. The other losing streaks that ended under Coach Rebowe were eight games against Stephen F. Austin (stopped in '16) and McNeese ('17), five games vs. Lamar ('15) and four vs. Southeastern Louisiana ('15).
TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online to avoid long lines at the gate on the day of the game.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
STAYING SOCIAL
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@Nicholls_FB).
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