RV Nicholls Colonels vs. Northwestern State
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, October 30 at 12 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF)
TV: ESPN+ LINK
Audio: 100.3 FM ESPN Radio New Orleans | TuneIn
Live Stats: Link
FIRST FIVE
• The Nicholls State University football team returns home after a two-game Texas road swing, hosting rival Northwestern State on Saturday, Oct. 30 for Homecoming. The Colonels will be looking for their sixth consecutive win over the Demons as they head into the final month of the regular season. The game will kickoff at 12 p.m., airing on CST and ESPN+, and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
• Nicholls ended a mini two-game skid with its second victory over HBU this season, winning 44-14 in Houston. The Colonels jumped out to a 27-7 lead in the opening quarter and cruised to their first win away from Thibodaux. Lindsey Scott Jr. fueled the offense with a career-high 161 yards rushing to go along with 214 yards passing and totaled four touchdowns. Three of his scores came in the first quarter, highlighted by a pair of 40-plus yard runs. Collin Guggenheim also stepped in and rushed for a career-high 123 yards and scored on a 1-yard rush for the second time in as many weeks. Defensively, Nicholls limited HBU to 157 total yards on offense and even scored a touchdown as Tyreke Boyd return his first of two interceptions for a pick-6.
• Nicholls and Northwestern State will be battling it out for the 49th time, with the Colonels entering the matchup with a five-game winning streak. Nicholls dropped its first meeting under head coach Tim Rebowe in the rivalry in 2015 but claimed The Real N-S-U Trophy ever since. Although the Colonels have enjoyed more overall success than the Demons during the streak, the matchups have been competitive including two contests that were decided by a touchdown or less. Included in that was a 31-24 win in Natchitoches for the Colonels, which jumped out to a 21-7 advantage before having to stave off the Demons.
• Northwestern State is coming off a 51-14 loss at home to league frontrunner Southeastern. The setback put the Demons at 1-6 on the season, with their lone win coming in conference against HBU on the road. In fact, while NSU has just five wins since the start of the 2019 season, four have been on the road. The last road win for the Demons against Nicholls was a 37-21 victory in Tim Rebowe's inaugural 2015 campaign.
• Nicholls quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. was recognized for his performance in the win at HBU as he was named Southland Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week and earned Stats Perform FCS National Offensive honorable mention for the fourth time. Scott combined for 375 yards of total offense, scoring two rushing touchdowns while throwing for two more. Scott not only leads the Southland in rushing, but he ranks fourth in the FCS at 112.7 yards per game. His 161 yards at HBU was a career high and it was also his fifth 100-yard game of the season, matching the single-season school record.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 - Freshman Tyreke Boyd recorded two interceptions Saturday against HBU, returning the first for a 32-yard touchdown. It was the second touchdown return on a pick for the Colonels this season. Boyd is the first player to have two in a game since Jeff Hall had a pair in Tim Rebowe's first career win in 2015 (38-17 vs. HBU on 10/17)
8 - The Colonel defense limited HBU to just 8 yards rushing in the win Saturday in Houston. It was the third time this season Nicholls held an opponent to less than 100 yards rushing. The mark was the lowest since the team allowed -21 yards in the '18 win over the Huskies.
123 - Freshman Collin Guggenheim stepped in after Marquese Albert suffered an early injury at HBU, rushing for a career-high 123 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. It was Guggenheim's first career 100-yard game.
197 - WR Dai'Jean Dixon has been one of the top receivers all season and is eyeing his second career 1,000-yard campaign, needing just 197 yards to do so (803 yards receiving). Dixon ranks fourth in the FCS in both yards (114.7) and receptions (8.0) per game, and is ninth with 7 touchdown catches. In 9.5 games in 2019, Dixon racked up 1,044 yards, ranking second in the FCS at 116.0 yards.
492.6 - Nicholls upped its total offensive yards per game to 492.6, currently ranking fourth in the nation. The mark is nearly 30 yards less than they averaged in the seven-game spring season (521.6) but is 18 more than the previous full-season record set in 2018 (474.0).
A WIN OVER NORTHWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... extend the Colonels' winning streak in the series to six games. Nicholls had never won four in a row before the 2019 victory.
... prevent the Colonels from losing back-to-back home games for the first time since falling in the final two home contests in 2015, Rebowe's first season.
... trim Northwestern State's lead to 28-21 in the all-time series.
... be the 35th Southland Conference win under Coach Rebowe (34-21).
... improve the Colonels' record in October under Rebowe to 14-11.
MOUNT RUSHMORE
With Collin Guggenheim's 123 yards rushing at HBU, Nicholls has had nine 100-yard performances this season -- Lindsey Scott Jr. (5), Julien Gums (2), Marquese Albert (1) and Guggenheim (1).
- What's even more impressive, Guggenheim is the 15th different player in the Tim Rebowe era to have a 100-yard game.
- Much of the credit is due to the offensive line, led by coach Lee Roussel. One of six assistants who have been at Nicholls all seven seasons with Rebowe, Roussel's front has paved the way for one of the top rushing offenses in the FCS, currently ranking fifth in the nation at 246.0 yards.
