No. RV/25 Nicholls Colonels (5-4, 4-2 SLC) vs. HBU Huskies (4-5, 1-4 SLC)
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | HBU Game 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. 25 Nicholls State University football team plays host to HBU for the first of its final two home games of the regular season. The Colonels are looking to stay in contention for the Southland Conference title, while HBU hopes to regain some of its early season magic. The game will serve as the Hall of Fame Game, as well as Military and First Responders Appreciate Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will air on Cox Sports TV and ESPN+.
• Nicholls bounced back from two straight losses to snag at hard-fought win at UIW last weekend, 27-23. The Colonels led at the break and saw UIW go ahead in the fourth quarter. But running back
Julien Gums carried the team on the ensuing possession, rushing for 68 of the 74 yards on the drive, and put Nicholls back on top with a 1-yard touchdown run. The defense then came up big after UIW drove into Colonel territory in the final minute. With less than 30 seconds remaining and no timeouts at the 26, UIW was sacked by
Sully Laiche and they could only fire off one more pass as time expired.
• HBU has lost its last four games after being ranked for the first time in school history.The Huskies nearly defeated FBS UTEP, then won on the road at South Dakota. But after they reached the Top 25 at 4-1, they lost a close game against UIW and have since lost the last three by at least two touchdowns. HBU suffered a 52-13 loss at home against Southeastern Louisiana to close out October before heading into last weekend's bye.
• The Colonels seniors will be going for another sweep as Nicholls has a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series thanks to its current four-game winning streak. HBU picked up the program's first Southland Conference victory in 2014 against the winless Colonels, but head coach
Tim Rebowe returned the favor the following year with his first career win, which also ended Nicholls' 23-game losing streak. The next two meetings ended in dramatic fashion with the Colonels winning in double overtime in Houston in '16, then
Chase Fourcade and
Dai'Jean Dixon connected on a 44-yard touchdown pass as time expired for the Colonel victory in '17. Last season, Nicholls led by as much as 34 in the second half before winning, 41-20.
• The Southland Conference continues to be jumbled in the upper half of the standings, with Central Arkansas still leading the way with a 5-1 record. UCA is now the only Southland team ranked in both polls after Nicholls dropped three spots in the coaches following its win over UIW. The Bears, ranked No. 6/7, will try to fend off three two-loss teams - Nicholls, Sam Houston, and Southeastern Louisiana - with three games to go. Nicholls is ranked No. 25 in the STATS FCS Poll, while four other teams are receiving votes in either poll.
BY THE NUMBERS
31.5 - Senior defensive lineman
Sully Laiche continues to climb the Southland all-time sacks list and currently sits at sixth with 31.5 sacks. Laiche missed the first two games and has since started in six, recording at least a sack in all but one. With another 1.0 sack, he would move into a tie for fourth. Laiche is also just 1.5 behind Wagner's Cameron Gill for the FCS active leader.
33 -
With all of the quarterback records locked up,
Chase Fourcade is also eyeing the all-time program record for rushing touchdowns. With his rushing TD last weekend at UIW, Fourcade notched his 32nd career touchdown on the ground and puts him one behind the school record. Broderick Cole, who played from 2004-07, crossed the goal line 33 times as he racked up 2,111 yards.
300 - Senior linebacker
Allen Pittman enters the matchup with HBU needing only 10 tackles to reach 300 for his career. No other Colonel has more tackles this decade, and the 300 would put him within striking distance of the program Top 10 list (325). Pittman is also 10th on the FCS active career list in total tackles.
2,000 - Dontrell Taylor nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards last season and now has his sights on 2,000 for his career. With 1,967 yards rushing, Taylor needs 33 to become only the eighth Colonel to reach the mark.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
• HBU heads to Thibodaux aiming to snap a four-game skid. The Huskies were the talk of the league after the first month, racing out to a 4-1 record and even cracked the Top 25 poll for the first time in school history.
• The Husky offense features one of the FCS' best passers, quarterback Bailey Zappe. In his junior season, he has already thrown for a whopping 2,947 yards and 29 touchdowns. He leads the FCS in completions and touchdowns, while ranking second in yards and sixth in completion percentage.
• Zappe's top two targets have been wide receiver Jerreth Sterns and Ben Ratzlaff. Sterns is second in the nation with 84 receptions and ranks 55th with 74.3 receiving yards per game. Ratzlaff is 22nd in the FCS with 87.9 ypg and is 11th with 10 receiving touchdowns.
• Like the Colonels, HBU features one of the league's premier defensive lineman, Andre Walker. A graduate of Brother Martin and native of Slidell, La., Walker leads the FCS with 13.5 sacks. He has recorded a sack in all but one game this season and had a career-high four in the win at South Dakota.
A WIN HBU WOULD...
... secure the program's third consecutive six-win season. The only other era to complete the feat was from 1984-86.
... guarantee the Colonels a winning record in Southland play for the fourth straight season. Before Rebowe's tenure, Nicholls had never posted consecutive winning seasons in the SLC. ... give the Colonels their 27th league win under Rebowe and up his record to 24-10 in last four years in the Southland.
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 21-10.
... give the 2016 class its fourth four-game sweep of a Southland opponent. The seniors went 4-0 against SFA, Northwestern State and UIW, and are 3-0 against HBU and Lamar. Nicholls does not play Lamar this season.
... give Nicholls a 5-1 lead in the all-time series with its fifth consecutive victory.
LAST MEETING
Nov. 3, 2018
No. 20 Nicholls 41, HBU 20
HOUSTON - A dominating all-around performance by the No. 20 Nicholls State University football team led to its second convincing win in a row as the Colonels defeated HBU, 41-20, Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium. (
RECAP)
ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY ...
• Nicholls has a 2-4 overall record on Nov. 9 and had its last three matchups on the date against Sam Houston State. After beating the Bearkats in 1996 and 2002, the Colonels fell to SHSU in '13. The loss was No. 4 of the program's 23-game losing streak.
| YEAR |
OPPONENT |
W/L |
SCORE |
H/A |
| 1974 |
North Alabama |
L |
17-8 |
A |
| 1985 |
Northwestern St. |
L |
20-14 |
H |
| 1991 |
North Texas |
L |
24-19 |
H |
| 1996 |
Sam Houston* |
W |
20-10 |
H |
| 2002 |
Sam Houston* |
W |
34-16 |
A |
| 2013 |
Sam Houston* |
L |
49-24 |
A |
LAST OUTING
Nov. 2, 2019
No 24/25 Nicholls 27, UIW 23
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Nicholls State University sophomore
Julien Gums rushed for a career-high 178 yards and his second touchdown put Nicholls ahead in the final minutes as the No. 24/25 Colonels hung on for a 27-23 victory over UIW on Saturday evening at Benson Stadium. (
RECAP)
SACK MASTER SULLY
A 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, the Buck Buchanan Watch List recipient has totaled six sacks in his six starts. Last weekend at UIW, he followed his two-sack week against ACU with six tackles, two TFLs, a sack, forced fumble, and stuffed a fourth-down attempt. His sack came on the second-to-last play of the game which kept the clock running and allowed UIW to only get one more pass off before time expired. Along with ranking among the leaders in the FCS in TFLs and sacks, Laiche has 31.5 for his career and ranks sixth all-time in the Southland. Laiche is a three-time All-Southland honoree, including earning first-team twice.
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
The 2019 Senior Class has already made history with two consecutive FCS playoff appearances, a Southland title, and a Power 5 win - just to name a few. But the group of signees, who were
Tim Rebowe's first recruiting class following a full year at the helm, has the chance to leave Thibodaux as the all-time winningest class. The Class of '88 racked up 28 wins in their four years, and the '19 seniors have tallied 27 victories midway through their final campaign.
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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here.
