THIBODAUX, La. – It was another record-breaking day for the No. 17 Nicholls State University football team at home as the Colonels scored touchdowns on their first nine drives en route to a 75-45 victory over No. 13 UIW Saturday afternoon on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium.
The 75 points for Nicholls (4-1, 3-1 SLC) was a school record for most in a Southland game, surpassing the mark of 63 scored against Texas State in 1993. Quarterback
Lindsey Scott Jr. tied the single-game record with five touchdown passes with his final one going to
Dai'Jean Dixon, who set a new program all-time career mark with 25 touchdown receptions. Scott also added a rushing touchdown to tie the single-game record for TDs responsible for, which he tied in the last home outing against Lamar.
Even without star running back
Julien Gums who was out with an injury, the Colonel offense piled up 614 yards and 350 on the ground in the win, which was the fifth straight in the series against the Cardinals (3-1, 3-1 SLC). The victory was also the fifth consecutive at home against a ranked opponent.
While it was the offense that ultimately stole the show, the Colonels received a huge boost on special teams thanks to
Dontaze Costly. With Nicholls leading 20-17 early in the second quarter thanks to two Costly touchdown catches, the speedy wideout returned a kickoff 90 yards for the first Colonel kickoff touchdown return since 2013. Following another TD by UIW, Nicholls went on to score 41 consecutive points for a 68-24 advantage in the third quarter.
The Colonels pulled most of their starters and UIW scored three straight touchdowns to close the deficit to 68-45 with seven minutes remaining in the game. UIW attempted an onside kick and after Nicholls recovered, Scott subbed back in and hit Dixon for the record-breaking TD catch.
Dixon had a quiet day overall with four receptions for 43 yards but etched his name in the record book once again. Two weeks ago, he became the all-time leader in receptions and now only needs 71 yards to move to No. 1 on the receiving yards list. All three records – receptions, touchdowns catches, and receiving yards – were held by Hall of Fame receiver Mark Carrier.
Scott completed 17 of 21 passes for 264 yards and rushed for 81 on eight carries. With Gums sidelined, San Antonio native
John Carrington III picked up the slack and rushed for a career-high 135 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries.
Ronnie Jackson also found the end zone on the ground, scoring the final touchdown of the decisive spurt.
UIW racked up 580 yards in the loss, but over 200 came in the fourth quarter. Freshman quarterback Cameron Ward had 39 completions on 65 passes for 470 yards and six touchdowns. The Colonel defense bottled up Kevin Brown in the backfield for 48 yards on 10 carries. He came into the game averaging 167 yards rushing with a 14 yard-per-carry average.
Defensively, Moore led Nicholls with nine tackles and had one of the three forced fumbles.
Chris Thomas,
Pig Cage, and
Giovanni LaFrance each had a sack while
Jordan Jackson hauled in an interception. Cage's sack in the second quarter went for a 20-yard loss and led to a short field after a punt into the wind. Nicholls followed with two touchdown catches – 11 yards to
Al'Dontre Davis and 16 yards to
K.J. Franklin, for a 55-24 halftime lead. Franklin led Nicholls with five receptions for 81 yards.
On special teams,
Gavin Lasseigne knocked in two short field goals and made eight extra points. Freshman
Tyreke Boyd had a highlight hit on a kickoff, giving Nicholls the ball on a forced fumble to help fuel the 41-point barrage.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will head to Lake Charles for their final road test, taking on McNeese at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 3.
