• The No. 22/23 Nicholls State University football team begins its 50th season with a trip north against the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. It will be the second meeting between the programs after Memphis claimed a 31-10 victory in 2008. The contest will air on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.

• Nicholls headed for Memphis two days earlier than normal after Hurricane Ida took a toll on southeast Louisiana on August 29. The storm was one of the strongest to hit the Pelican State with winds measured at 150 mph as it made its way through Lafourche Parish. Notably, when the Colonels last faced off against Memphis on Sept. 20, 2008 it was under eerily similar circumstances, as back-to-back hurricanes Gustav and Ike ultimately delayed the start of Nicholls' football season by over two weeks. It resulted in the Tigers hosting the Red & Gray for an impromptu kickoff to the '08 campaign. 

• The Colonels welcome back nearly every starter from the spring season as all 11 on the record-breaking offense return, as well as nine on defense and both kicker and punter. Led by quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr., the offense averaged an astounding 48.7 points per game and was third in the nation in rushing (263.4 ypg). Scott was the leading rusher (79.6) and was followed closely by Julian Gums (77.8), who led the team with eight touchdown runs. Also a major part of the offense were All-American honorees offensive lineman P.J. Burkhalter and wide receiver Dai'Jean Dixon. The Colonels scored more than 50 points three times which included 87-, 75-, and 55-point games.

• FBS teams are not rare opponents for the Colonels as Nicholls has played one every season since 2005, not including the 2021 spring season where FBS teams played in the fall. Following 2018's win over Kansas, the Colonels have won four times against the FBS since 2000. The win over the Jayhawks snapped a nine-game skid against the FBS, but the Colonels seemed due for a breakthrough. Nicholls was a 55-point underdog at No. 9 Georgia in 2016 and actually led in the third before the Bulldogs squeaked out a two-point victory. Later that season, South Alabama tied the game at the end of regulation and scored in the overtime, then Nicholls answered with a touchdown and went for the win on a two-point conversion but came up short. The Colonels then faced Texas A&M in 2017 and after Nicholls tied the game late in the fourth quarter, the Aggies scored the next 10 points for a 24-14 victory. The Red & Gray did not have the same solid showing in '19 with losses at Kansas State and Texas State.

4 - Julien Gums ended the spring with an impressive showing in the River Bell Classic as he found the end zone four times on the ground, tying the program single-game record. At 230 pounds, Gums has proven to be tough to stop inside the 5 as his TDs were from 1, 3, and two from 4 yards. With his performance, Gums now has 30 for his career and is five behind recent QB Chase Fourcade's 35 for the all-time record.

11 - With the extra year granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colonels welcome back 11 Super Seniors for the 2021 season. On offense, All-Americans P.J. Burkhalter and Dai'Jean Dixon are back to bolster the offense, along with starters QB Lindsey Scott Jr., right tackle Jair Joseph, and TE David Mosley. On defense, Kevin Moore and Kevin Johnson both started last season, as did Ty'Ree Evans.

105 - The 2021 roster features 105 players from Louisiana, with most coming from a 50-mile radius which includes New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the River Parishes. The Colonels have had the most Louisianans in Division I football by a wide margin over the past few seasons.

2,800 - Standout wide receiver Dai'Jean Dixon enters the fall with 2,800 yards receiving for his career.Recently named to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watchlist, Dixon  is looking to become only the sixth player in Southland history to reach 3,000.

... give Coach Rebowe his 39th career win, which would tie Sonny Jackson's program mark.
... give the Colonels their third win in their last four season-openers.
... improve head coach Tim Rebowe's record in openers to 4-3 overall and 2-3 vs. FBS (0-47 at ULM '15, 24-26 at No. 9 Georgia '16, 26-23 at Kansas '18, 14-49 at Kansas State '19.
... give Nicholls a 24-26 all-time record in season openers.
... prevent the Colonels a third consecutive loss. Nicholls has not lost three in a row under Rebowe since going 0-5 to start his inaugural 2015 season.
... be the fifth win for Nicholls over an FBS team since 2000.
... give Nicholls a 1-1 mark against AAC programs. The Colonels played instate foe Tulane for the first time in program history in 2018, falling to the Green Wave at Yulman, 42-17. Nicholls has faced UCF, South Florida and Tulsa before they were members of the AAC.

LAST MEETING
Sept. 20, 2008
Memphis 31, Nicholls 10

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Nicholls and Memphis were knotted with 10 each at halftime, but the Tigers outscored the Colonels 21-0 in the second half to get their first win of the season in front of 22,167 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Nicholls' only touchdown came in the second quarter when sophomore Kyle Hughes blocked a Memphis field goal that senior Lardarius Webb returned 70-yards for the score.

(RECAP)
 

FAMILIAR FACES

The matchup between Nicholls and Memphis will have a few people returning to their previous home. 

- Colonel offensive lineman Mikhail Hill and Titus Jones both transfered from Memphis. Hill will be suiting up for his third season for the Red and Gray while Jones is in his first.
- Memphis Senior Offensive Analyst Sammy Joseph is in his first year with the Tigers after serving as running backs coach in Thibodaux from 2018-2020.
- Colonel safety Dewayne Betts Jr. is a native of Memphis. He attended KIPP Collegiate before making his way to South Alabama in 2020.
- Memphis has 8 Louisiana natives on its roster with six from the southeast part of the state. Leading returning tackler Quindell Johnson is a graduate of Edna Karr in New Orleans and Nicholls has five Cougars on its roster, highlighted by wideout Dai'Jean Dixon.

HURRICANE HISTORY

Hurricanes unfortunately are ingrained with Louisiana as much as Mardi Gras and jambalaya and with the Colonels being in Thibodaux, they've had to deal with storms several times throughout their history.

- Since 2004, Nicholls had five games canceled due to hurricanes, damage from hurricanes, or the threat of hurricanes. 
- Nicholls had its contest against Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2004 canceled due to Hurricane Ivan, and were unable to play two games in 2005 against Utah State and Western Carolina due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 
- In '05,  Nicholls had an inspired performance in the eventual opener at Indiana, nearly knocking off the Hoosiers in a 35-31 setback. 
- The Colonels had their games against New Mexico State and Bowie State canceled in 2008 due to Gustav and Ike before opening the season at Memphis.
- For the 2012 opener, Hurricane Isaac went through Thibodaux the week prior to the matchup at Oregon State. Nicholls was unable to travel and the game was postponed until the end of the regular season. 
- Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday night, resulting in nearly 1 million Louisiana customers without power. Despite the destruction, the team was able to load up on Wednesday morning and head to Memphis.

HURRICANE RELIEF

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— Nicholls Football 🏈 (@Nicholls_FB) September 3, 2021