No. 7 Nicholls Colonels at Northwestern State Demons
Natchitoches, Louisiana (Turpin Stadium)
Saturday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes | Northwestern State Game Notes
TV: ESPN+ LINK
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM | TuneIn
Live Stats: Link
FIRST FIVE
• The No. 7 Nicholls State University football team continues its trek for a third consecutive Southland Conference championship with its first road test of the six-game league schedule. The Colonels will look for a rare road win in the series against Northwestern State, where the Demons hold a commanding 17-6 advantage. The game will air on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
• Nicholls won its Southland opener in convincing fashion against Lamar, shutting out the Cardinals in a 55-0 victory. The Colonels racked up 639 yards of total offense and scored touchdowns in their first eight drive. But as explosive as the offense was, the Colonel defense may have posted a more impressive outing. Lamar was limited to 91 yards of total offense, six first downs, and did not reach the 50-yard line the entire game. It marked the first shutout for the Colonels since the 44-0 triumph in the 2018 River Bell Classic against Southeastern Louisiana.
• Like last week's game against Lamar, Northwestern State will be playing its first game of the spring after wintry weather postponed its opener against the Cardinals two weeks ago. NSU is led by third-year head Coach Brad Laird, who like the Colonels, will have a new quarterback after losing Shelton Eppler to graduation. The Demon defense welcomes back All-Southland linebacker Ja'Quay Pough, who had 101 tackles in his first season in Natchitoches.
• Nicholls and Northwestern State are set for their 48th matchup with the Demons holding a 28-19 lead in the all-time series. Wins have been tough to come by in Natchitoches for the Colonels as the program has just seven victories in Turpin Stadium. Two of the wins make up half of Nicholls' current four-game winning streak as head coach
Tim Rebowe in 2-0 in Natchitoches.
• Two Colonels were recognized for their play against Lamar as quarterback
Lindsey Scott Jr. and linebacker
Hayden Shaheen earned weekly honors. Scott was voted Louisiana Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week after totaling six touchdowns against the Cardinals - three passing and three rushing - as Nicholls piled up 639 yards of offense. Scott threw for 232 yards and added another 108 on 10 carries. Shaheen missed the opener but showed no rust after leading the team with seven tackles, including two for loss. Shaheen closed out the first half with a big hit where he was credited with a forced fumble.
BY THE NUMBERS
0 - The Nicholls defense had a dominating performance in the win over Lamar, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard and just 91 yards of total offense. The shutout was the first for the Colonels' since their 44-0 win against Southeastern Louisiana in the 2018 River Bell Classic. Nicholls has had five total in Southland play, including the 58-0 win over NSU in 2007. Future NFL players Lardarius Webb and Kareem Moore each had two interception returns for touchdowns in the first half of that game.
6 - Quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. accounted for six touchdowns in the win over Lamar, tying Doug Hudson's single-game record for touchdowns responsible for. Scott had three passing TDs and three on the ground, leading Nicholls to touchdowns in each of its first seven drives. He left the game midway through the third quarter before the Colonels added one more TD on the next drive.
7 - True freshman defensive back Pig Cage has eight tackles through two games and seven have been behind the line of scrimmage. Cage was a highly-touted signee out of Rummel and is the younger brother of wideout Quincy Cage Jr. Pig is one of a handful of rookies playing for the Colonel defense.
50 - Another impressive stat for the Colonel defense was that it did not let Lamar cross midfield the entire game. The Cardinals had a 22-yard drive in the first quarter which put them at their own 49, and reached it again in the second period. But both drives ended in punts.
A WIN OVER NORTHWESTERN STATE WOULD...
... extend the Colonels' winning streak in the series to five games. Nicholls had never won four in a row before last season's victory.
... keep the N-S-U Trophy in Thibodaux for a record fifth-straight time.
... give Coach Rebowe his 37th career win, which is two behind Sonny Jackson's program record of 39.
... be the first 3-0 start for Nicholls since 1986 and just the fourth in program history ('75 & '79)
... give the Colonels their third 2-0 start in SLC play ('07 & '19).
... give Nicholls back-to-back wins in SLC road openers. Colonels won at SFA in '19.
... be the first March win for the Colonels in school history.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Colonels posted their highest ranking ever in this week's poll, moving up two spots to No. 7 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
- Nicholls ranked at No. 9 in the first edition of the Stats Perform FCS Poll, matching their highest ranking in school history.
- Last season, Nicholls entered the 2019 playoffs as the No. 19/19 team in the nation. The Colonels reached No. 9 in mid October, which is its highest ranking ever.
- Before the 2017 season, Nicholls had not been nationally ranked since 2007.
- The Colonels ended 2019 ranked No. 14 in both top 25 polls.
