MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Nicholls State University football team fell behind early in the first half at Kansas State before going on to drop the season opener, 49-14, Saturday night in front of 51,189 fans at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Kansas State (1-0) scored touchdowns on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead before a spirited opening to the third quarter gave Nicholls (0-1) some life. An impressive 5-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped on a 26-yard touchdown run by
Kendall Bussey, put the Colones on the board and then the Nicholls defense stuffed a 4th-and-1 deep in its own territory on the next possession.
But K-State put to rest any chance of a comeback quickly in the fourth with a long touchdown catch and a fumble returned for a score in a span of three plays, taking a 49-7 advantage.
Julien Gums added a late touchdown for the Colonels to make the final.
Kansas State rushed for 361 yards, with 210 coming in the first half. All four first-half touchdowns were on the ground by four different players. Nicholls totaled 276 yards of offense as K-State doubled up the Colonels with 573.
Allen Pittman had a busy day for the Red and Gray defense, finishing with 11 tackles. The three-time All-Southland selection also reached double figures in the Colonels' 2017 Big 12 game at Texas A&M where he had 16 stops.
Khristian Mims added nine tackles, while
Laryon James and
Kevin Moore III had eight each.
On offense, Bussey rushed for 54 yards on seven carries and
Dai'Jean Dixon had a solid outing with five receptions for 92 yards. Dixon had a 26-yard catch in the third to set up Bussey's touchdown run. With a 41-yard rush late in the fourth, Gums totaled 54 yards on 12 carries.
Chase Fourcade recovered after throwing an interception on his first pass, finishing with 126 yards on 10 of 18. On special teams,
Winston Jones averaged 44.2 yards on four punts with two downed inside the 20.
Gunnar Jones made both of his extra points in his debut.
For Kansas State, Skylar Thompson threw for 212 yards on 16 of 22 and 1 touchdown. James Gilbert paced the rushing attack with 115 yards on 18 carries.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will have Week 2 off before returning to action at Prairie View A&M on Sept. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for Nicholls football are available by visiting geauxcolonels.com or calling the Nicholls Ticket Office at 985-448-4790. The home opener is scheduled for Oct. 5 against Central Arkansas.