MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 22/23 Nicholls State University football team notched touchdowns in its opening drive of each half against Memphis, but the Tigers scored 32 straight points in between as the Colonels fell in their 2021 opener, 42-17, Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The Colonels scored on a 10-yard touchdown catch by
K.J. Franklin from
Lindsey Scott Jr., and Scott had one rushing TD in the third to end the Memphis run.
Gavin Lasseigne added a 35-yard field goal in the fourth to wrap up the scoring.
The Tigers, which won their 16th consecutive game at home, racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense with 322 on the ground. Memphis scored in each of its first nine drives, however, the defense kept them out of the endzone five times, resulting in field goals.
Senior
Dai'Jean Dixon had a strong showing with seven receptions for 107 yards. It marked his 10th 100-yard effort for his career, trailing Mark Carrier's record of 11.
On defense,
Kevin Moore III paced the squad with seven tackles while three players had six –
Hayden Shaheen,
Kevin Johnson and
Zack Bernard. Making his Colonel debut, cornerback
James Tobin IV had five stops and a pair of pass breakups.
Nicholls took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 11 plays to silence the 30-plus thousand fans. The biggest play was a 21-yard grab by Dixon and Scott capped it with a perfect fade in the corner to Franklin, who totaled five receptions for 38 yards.
Nicholls limited Memphis to a field goal on their opening drive, but following a Colonel punt, the Tigers scored a touchdown for a 10-7 advantage.
It was all Memphis in the second quarter as the home team scored two touchdowns and two more field goals for a 29-10 advantage at the break. Joe Doyle was 5-for-5 in field goals, with his longest coming from 38 yards in the third to cap the 32-point spurt for the Tigers.
Dixon played a part in the touchdown drive for the Colonels, catching passes of 22, 13, and 5 yards. On second and goal from the 5, Scott scrambled and muscled his way in for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
Doyle kicked his final field goal in the third for Memphis, and then in the fourth, Calvin Austin III ended the scoring for the Tigers with a touchdown catch.
The Red and Gray finished with 299 yards of offense, averaging 3.4 yards per carry for 100 yards rushing.
Julien Gums led the way with 48 yards on 13 attempts. For Memphis, Brandon Thomas was the top rusher with 147 yards and a touchdown.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will play another FBS opponent next Saturday (Sept. 11), taking on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Kickoff at Cajun Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN3.
