• The Nicholls State University football team hits the road for the first of two straight weekends in Texas, heading to San Antonio to take on No. 18 UIW. Nicholls has won five straight against the Cardinals but the last two games in Benson Stadium have been decided by a touchdown or less. The game is set for an early 11 a.m. kickoff and will air on ESPN3 and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.

• Nicholls will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss against No. 11 Southeastern as the Colonels fell in a shootout, 58-48. A fast start which included a touchdown on their opening drive and a 3-and-out by the defense was thwarted when Southeastern scored three consecutive touchdowns. The Colonels clawed back to within three at 38-35 in the third quarter, but the Lions answered immediately with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score. The win by SLU was the second straight in Thibodaux and gave the Lions a 16-15 edge in the all-time series. 

• Nicholls and UIW will be meeting for the eighth time with the Colonels leading the all-time series, 5-2, thanks to its current five-game winning streak. The Colonels lost the first matchup under Coach Rebowe in 2015 in a close 20-10 decision but have since been victorious in each outing. The teams squared off in the spring with the Colonels setting a program high for points in a Southland game in a 75-45 win in Thibodaux. Lindsey Scott Jr. threw five touchdown passes while San Antonio native John Carrington had a career day with 135 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. 

• With the Colonels sliding out of the rankings, No. 18 UIW is one of two Southland Conference teams currently ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The Cardinals have rebounded from a season-opening loss to Youngstown State, going 2-0 in league play and notched an FBS win over former Southland member Texas State. Once again, UIW is powered by the reigning national freshman of the year, quarterback Cameron Ward. In his second season, Ward is averaging 327.2 yards passing and has 16 touchdown passes.

• The Southland Conference and Ohio Valley Conference announced earlier this week an alliance for the 2022 and '23 football seasons. With each league sporting six football members,  the planned collaboration will see institutions from each conference fill available nonconference dates on schedules in the next two years with a focus toward competitive balance and reasonable travel.

1 - WR Dai'Jean Dixon turned in another outstanding effort last weekend against Southeastern, finishing the game with 11 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns. With his impressive outing, Dixon ranks No. 1 in the FCS in receiving yards per game (125.4) and receptions (8.4). He also ranks 10th in TD catches with five. 

5 - After UIW joined the Southland, Nicholls dropped the first two meetings against the Cardinals but have since won five in a row. The Colonels have winning streaks of five games or more against three league members (6, HBU; 5, UIW & Northwestern State) and one former member (5, Lamar).

44 - Jordan Jackson recorded the first interception of the season for the Colonels and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Jackson's pick six was his third career interception and the first returned for a score since 2018 in the home win against Lamar on Sept. 29.

2,890 - QB Lindsey Scott Jr. has only played in 12 games for the Colonels but has already cracked the program's Top 10 list for career passing yards. Scott is averaging 240.8 yards passing per game and his 2,890 passing yards ranks ninth all-time in team history. Scott also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in rushing yards after recording his fourth consecutive 100-yard game.  

... be the seventh win over a ranked opponent in the Tim Rebowe era. Last was in the spring in the 75-45 victory against No. 13 UIW.
... extend the Colonels' winning streak against UIW to six games.
... give Nicholls a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series.
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 25-11.
... give the Colonels a winning record in road games vs. Texas programs (9-9). Losses include two FBS games (Texas A&M and Texas State).

LONE STAR NO MORE

RB John Carrington III was the only player from Texas on the 2020-21 roster but is now joined by three other players. The San Antonio native shined in his first career start in the spring, rushing for 135 yards and two TDs on 13 carries in the 75-45 win over No. 13 UIW.

- Texas natives on the 2021 roster include:

WR Lex Boucvalt (Austin)
LB Quinton Sharkey (Houston)
OL Joshua Echeverria (Waco)

- The four Texans match the most on a roster under Tim Rebowe as the 2015 team had four natives.

TACKLIN' TY'REE

In his second season with the Colonels, linebacker Ty'Ree Evans turned in one of his top performances with 9 tackles and 2.0 for loss in the win against HBU.

- He followed up with another 9-tackle game vs. SLU.
- Evans leads the team in tackles this season with 32 and has 23 solo. 
- Evans was third in on the team in tackles in the spring. He joined the team as a graduate transfer from Southern Miss.

With 1⃣1⃣ catches for 1⃣7⃣1⃣ yards & ✌️ TD today, Nicholls receiver Dai'Jean Dixon moves to 3⃣rd in career yards, t-4⃣th in career touchdowns & 9⃣th in career receptions❗️ #SouthlandStrong #GeauxColonels #FCS pic.twitter.com/NMQm3Nxjja

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) October 10, 2021