HBU Huskies at Nicholls Colonels
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, October 2 at 3 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | HBU Game Notes(PDF)
TV: ESPN3 LINK
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM | TuneIn
Live Stats: Link
Hurricane Relief Donation: Link
Tickets: Link
FIRST FIVE
• The Nicholls State University football team returned to a bit of normalcy last weekend in more ways than one. Not only did the Colonels make their way back to Thibodaux after being displaced due to Hurricane Ida, but they played in front of 7,000-plus fans and got back to their winning ways with a 31-14 win over North Alabama. The victory snapped a four-game skid and now the Colonels turn their attention to HBU for their Southland Conference opener. Kickoff at John L. Guidry Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN3 and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
• Nicholls holds a 16-15 overall record in its Southland Conference home openers, aided by the current five-game winning streak under Tim Rebowe. Since the 2015 loss against ranked McNeese, the Red and Gray notched wins over nationally ranked Sam Houston and Central Arkansas in '18 and '19, respectively, and blanked Lamar 55-0 in the SLC opener in the spring. In their last fall Southland opener in '19, Nicholls had no issue with No. 10 Central Arkansas with a 34-14 victory.
• Returning home for the first time this season, the Colonels got off to a slow start against North Alabama before scoring 31 unanswered points in the 31-14 win. Nicholls was in a bit of a funk in the early going with an interception, a missed short field goal, and several dropped passes. But after UNA went into the locker room with a 14-3 advantage, the offense accounted for two touchdowns in the third quarter while the defense limited the Lions to 14 yards of total offense. In the fourth, Kevin Johnson scored on a 53-yard fumble recovery off an Elinus Noel sack, and Lindsey Scott Jr. ended the scoring with a touchdown pass to Dai'Jean Dixon.
• The Colonels will be looking to extend its five-game winning streak against HBU, who come to town searching for its first victory of the early season. Despite the teams having met only six times, the series has bench chalked full of memorable moments. HBU's win in 2014 was the program's first Southland victory and in the next meeting, Nicholls won 38-17 for not only Tim Rebowe's first win as a head coach, but it snapped a 23-game losing streak. The next two meetings ended in dramatic fashion with the Colonels winning in double overtime in Houston in '16, then Dai'Jean Dixon caught a 44-yard touchdown pass, his only reception of the game, as time expired for the Colonel victory in '17. Although Nicholls won by 21 in the '19 meeting, Julien Gums broke the single-season record for rushing touchdowns while former quarterback Chase Fourcade set the mark in career rushing scores.
• The new-look Southland Conference will feature six teams squaring off in an eight-game schedule. Each program will have to play three teams twice with the Colonels set to face HBU, No. 14/15 Southeastern and No. 24/RV UIW in home-and-home matchups. The rest of the slate is a home matchup against Northwestern State and a road game at McNeese. The league did officially expand this week with the announcement of the addition of Texas A&M-Commerce starting in 2022.
BY THE NUMBERS
7 - The Nicholls defense racked up seven sacks in the win over North Alabama. The number matched the most for the unit in the Tim Rebowe era, tying the seven sacks in the '18 win at HBU.
10 - RB Julien Gums set a program record against North Alabama, notching his 10th career 100-yard rushing effort. In his fourth season, Gums entered the campaign tied with former teammate Dontrell Taylor with nine 100-yard games. Gums carried the ball 19 times against the Lions, rushing for 139 yards.
11 - WR Dai'Jean Dixon is seeking another record as he is tied with Mark Carrier for the most 100-yard receiving games in school history at 11. Dixon broke Carrier's all-time career marks of receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last spring and this season, set a new program record with 14 receptions while tying the single-game yardage mark of 198 in the near upset of Louisiana.
40 - In his seventh season at the helm, head coach Tim Rebowe is one victory away from becoming the all-time leader in wins in program history. With the victory against North Alabama, Rebowe tied the late Sonny Jackson's mark of 39. Coach Rebowe lost his first five games as a coach but notched his first career win against HBU in the 2015 season.
53 - The Colonel defense found the endzone with a crucial play in the fourth quarter against North Alabama, scoring on a 53-yard fumble recovery by Kevin Johnson. With Nicholls leading 17-10, freshman Elinus Noel III picked up a strip-sack and Johnson scooped it up and ran for the score. The last recovery for a TD was in the opening spring win over Lincoln.
105 - In his seventh season at the helm, head coach Tim Rebowe is one victory away from becoming the all-time leader in wins in program history. With the victory against North Alabama, Rebowe tied the late Sonny Jackson's mark of 39. Coach Rebowe lost his first five games as a coach but notched his first career win against HBU in the 2015 season.
A WIN OVER HBU WOULD...
... give Coach Rebowe his 40th career win, which would surpass Sonny Jackson's program mark.
... put Coach Rebowe's home record at 25-8. Three of the losses came in his first season ('15), but the Colonels defeated HBU that year for his first career win.
... give Nicholls a 6-1 lead in the all-time series. The Colonels lost the first-ever meeting in their 2014 winless season.
... be the sixth straight win in the series against HBU. Nicholls currently has winning streaks against UIW (5), Northwestern State (5), and former league members Lamar (5) and SFA (4).
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 24-11.
... put the Colonels at 17-15 in Southland home openers.
GUMS GETS GOIN'
Following a trend over the last two seasons, running back Julien Gums had a breakout game in his third outing as he rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries in the win over North Alabama.
- The Colonels' No. 3 all-time leading rusher carried the ball 24 times for just 69 yards in his first two games.
- In the spring season and in 2019, Gums rushed for over 100 yards in the third game after being held to under the plateau in the first two outings.
- Earlier this year at Northwestern State, he carried the ball a career-high 36 times for 156 yards and 1 touchdown in the third game of the spring.
- In 2019, he exploded at Stephen F. Austin for 135 yards and 3 TDs in a win over the Lumberjacks.
- With his 139 yards vs. UNA, Gums set a new program record with his 10th career 100-yard game.
- Needs just 32 yards rushing to move into No. 2 and 208 yards to become the Colonels' all-time leading rusher.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
While the offense consists of familiar faces from seasons past, the defense has had contributions from several newcomers this fall.
- Austin Peay transfer James Tobin IV slid into a starting cornerback position and leads the team with six pass breakups. Tobin recorded four in the win vs. UNA.
- Another former Governor, defensive lineman Jequaries Martin has 10 tackles, 1 sack, and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter at Louisiana.
- Safety Dewayne Betts Jr. transferred in from South Alabama and has been a starter, recording eight tackles.
- Linebacker Quinton Sharkey is a juco transfer from Kilgore College and has totaled six tackles.
- True freshman Elinus Noel III earned his first start at defensive tackle against North Alabama and had the game-sealing strip-sack that led to a defensive touchdown.
