No. 15/16 Nicholls Colonels (2-2, 1-0 SLC) vs. No. 10/11 Central Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SLC)
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | Central Arkansas Notes
TV: None
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans Tunein | 100.3 FM KLRZ | 105.9 FM KBZE
Video Stream: 100.3 FM (Link)
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Order online or call 985-448-4790
Gameday Information
FIRST FIVE
• The Nicholls State University football team makes its home debut with a top 15 matchup against No. 10/11 Central Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 5 on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. The home opener against the Bears is the latest for the Colonels since 2008 when they had their first two games canceled due to Hurricane Gustav. Kickoff at Guidry Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM and on the radio on 100.3 and 105.9 FM KBZE.
• Nicholls will hope to repeat its success from last year's home opener as Central Arkansas comes into town ranked and holding a lengthy winning streak in the series at eight games. In 2018, the Colonels' first game in Thibodaux was against No. 11 Sam Houston State, which had won 11 consecutive matchups against Nicholls. The Colonels cruised to a 27-7 win over the Bearkats for their first win over a ranked team since 2008.
• The Colonels wrapped up September and their nonconference schedule last weekend with a 24-3 loss at FBS Texas State. The teams played to a 3-3 tie at the break before the Bobcats scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half.
Kevin Moore III paced the Colonel defense with a career-high 14 tackles, while
Gunnar Jones made his first career field goal. Both of Nicholls' losses this season came against FBS programs.
• Central Arkansas made headlines in the opening weekend with a fourth-quarter comeback victory at FBS Western Kentucky. Trailing 28-14 heading into the final quarter, UCA scored three touchdowns in an eight-minute span and hung on to pick up the FCS' first upset of the season. The Bears went on to claim two more comeback wins - at Austin Peay and at home against Abilene Christian. The lone loss for UCA was two weeks ago in a solid showing at Hawaii.
• Nicholls and Central Arkansas will be playing for the first time since 2016 and the Colonels hope to improve its 2-9 record all-time against the Bears. After a nonconference win in 2000 by Nicholls, the teams have played in 10 Southland matchups since 2007 with UCA winning all but one. The Red and Gray prevailed in '08 with a 20-17 victory but have lost the last eight to Central Arkansas. Colonel head coach
Tim Rebowe suffered the last two losses in a pair of close decisions. In his first season, the Colonels rallied in a 34-31 loss at home with a Hail Mary coming up short at the end of the game. For the 2016 matchup, Nicholls got the ball back with two minutes to go before an interception on fourth down sealed a 31-24 win for the No. 13 Bears.
BY THE NUMBERS
2,000 - Dontrell Taylor nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season and now has his sights on 2,000 for his career. With 1,885 yards rushing, Taylor needs 115 to become only the eighth Colonel to reach the mark.
3,990 - The Colonels have an eight-game losing streak in the series against Central Arkansas, which spans 3,990 days. The teams have met up only 11 times and Nicholls won two of the first three matchups, but the last win for the Colonels came on Nov. 1, 2008 in Thibodaux. The victory was the second of back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked teams with McNeese being No. 12 and UCA No. 11.
10,000 - QB
Chase Fourcade entered the season ranked 10th in the Southland Conference for career total offense and now needs 220 yards to reach 10,000. Fourcade, who recently cracked the SLC's top 10 list for passing yards, would be just the seventh player in conference history to reach the milestone.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
• Central Arkansas comes to Thibodaux with a 3-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the Southland. The only loss for UCA this season was two weekends ago in Hawaii.
• UCA is led on offense by the dynamic duo of quarterback Breylin Smith and wide receiver Lujuan Winningham. Smith has two 300-yard games already, highlighted by a two-touchdown, 367-yard effort in the Southland win at Abilene Christian. Winningham ranks fourth in the FCS with 132.5 yards per game, helped by a 222-yard, three-touchdown outing in the FBS win at Western Kentucky.
• Despite playing two FBS opponents, UCA ranks second in the Southland in scoring defense with 27.3 points allowed per game. Their best defensive showing was at Austin Peay where they gave up a single touchdown in a 24-16 win.
• The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, who was one of the most decorated quarterbacks in UCA history. Brown is in his second season at the helm after serving as offensive coordinator for four years. He was a three-time All-American quarterback for Central Arkansas after passing for 100 touchdowns and over 10,000 yards.
A WIN OVER CENTRAL ARKANSAS WOULD...
... give Nicholls a 2-0 start in the Southland for only the second time in school history (2007).
... snap an eight-game losing streak against UCA - the longest vs. any opponent in the SLC.
... be
Tim Rebowe's first win over the Bears (0-2). Colonels fell to UCA in '15 and '16 before the teams took a two-year break in the conference schedule.
... give Nicholls its 12th consecutive regular-season win in a row at home.
... improve Rebowe's record to 16-6 in Thibodaux.
... give the Colonels their 24th league win under Rebowe and up his record to 21-8 in last four years in the Southland.
... be the third win over a ranked team since the start of the 2018 season;
... put the Colonels' record in SLC home openers at 14-15 and overall home openers at 27-21.
LAST MEETING
Nov. 12, 2016
No. 13 Central Arkansas 31, Nicholls 24
CONWAY, Ark. – Nicholls State University senior C.J. Bates set a new career-high with 187 yards receiving and added two touchdowns, but two costly turnovers by the Colonels led to a pair of scores by No. 13 Central Arkansas as Nicholls fell, 31-24, Saturday evening at Estes Stadium. (
RECAP)
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls is 4-1 all-time on Oct. 5 after winning its last two games on the date. The lone loss was a conference matchup against McNeese in the Colonels' first season in the Southland in 1991.
| YEAR |
OPPONENT |
W/L |
SCORE |
H/A |
| 1974 |
Baptist Christian |
W |
67-0 |
H |
| 1985 |
Bishop College |
W |
39-12 |
H |
| 1991 |
McNeese |
L |
21-3 |
H |
| 1996 |
Samford |
W |
10-3 |
A |
| 2002 |
FAU |
W |
33-22 |
H |
LAST OUTING
Sept. 28, 2019
Texas State 24, No. 9/13 Nicholls 3
SAN MARCOS, Texas – After being tied at the break, the No. 9/12 Nicholls State University football team allowed three unanswered touchdowns in the second half against Texas State as the Colonels fell to the Bobcats, 24-3, Saturday night on Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. (
RECAP)
AIN'T GOT NO HOME
Nicholls has spent the first month of the season on the road and with its Week 2 bye, is just now making its home debut in Week 6. The Colonels are one of only three teams in the FCS which haven't played a home game this season (excluding the Ivy League, which started on Sept. 21). Bethune-Cookman had its home game against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 7 canceled due to Hurricane Dorian, and Grambling has had three road games and a neutral contest so far. BCU will play at home this weekend while Grambling's first game is set for next Saturday.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Colonels dropped a few spots in the top 25 polls after falling to a second FBS opponent this season. Nicholls had reached No. 9 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, which was its highest ranking ever, before sliding down to No. 15 in this week's edition. The Colonels also fell from No. 12 to No. 16 in the STATS FCS Poll. The Colonels were ranked in each poll last season and reached as high as No. 10. Before the 2017 season, Nicholls had not been nationally ranked since 2007.
ONE MORE REMAINING
With the win over Sam Houston State last season, 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, but UCA comes to Thibodaux this weekend as the Southland's top-ranked team at No. 10/11. 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).
HOME SWEET HOME
One of the team goals under
Tim Rebowe has been to go undefeated at home. The Colonels completed the feat last year in dominating fashion, winning six games in John L. Guidry Stadium for the first time in school history. In the six wins, the Colonels outscored the opposition, 265-99. Nicholls was 5-0 in the regular season at home in 2017, but fell in the playoff game to South Dakota.
THE RETURN OF SULLY
Another key player missing from the Colonel lineup was defensive tackle
Sully Laiche. He missed fall camp with a back injury and sat out the first two games before making his debut in Week 4 at Stephen F. Austin. After playing limited snaps at SFA, Laiche started in the game at Texas State and had his first sack of the season in the Bobcats' first drive. He actually had two in the possession, but the first was negated after the Colonels accepted a 15-yard penalty. A Buck Buchanan Watch List recipient, Laiche entered the season as the active leader in career sacks with 25.5.
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
Follow the Colonels all season long on Twitter (
@Nicholls_FB) and Instagram (
@Nicholls_FB).
COLONEL GAMEDAY
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