Thibodaux, Louisiana (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Thursday, November 17 at 6 p.m. CT
Nicholls Game Notes (PDF) | Southeastern Game Notes(PDF)
TV: ESPN+ LINK
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM | TuneIn
Live Stats: Link
Promotion: Senior Day / Lights Out (Wear Black)
• The Nicholls State University football team ends the 2022 season with the annual River Bell Classic against rival Southeastern on Thursday, Nov. 17. Although the teams have squared off four times since 2019, this will be the first Classic in Thibodaux to end the year since the 44-0 shutout by the Colonels in 2018. The matchup is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff and will air on ESPN+ and ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.
• The River Bell Classic is the definition of a rivalry game as the 32 meetings have been split with 16 wins each. Southeastern took two in a row last year with wins in the spring season and in the first meeting in the fall -- both in Thibodaux -- but the Colonels ended 2021 with a 45-42 victory in Hammond. Although Nicholls was without its star wide receiver Dai'Jean Dixon and all-time leading rusher
Julien Gums in the finale, Nicholls received a record performance from
Collin Guggenheim as he rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns. The 44-0 shutout by Nicholls in 2018 gave the Red and Gray their first of two consecutive titles, then the 2019 matchup was for not only the Bell, but the winner received the Southland championship and the auto-bid to the playoffs. The Colonels won a thriller in Hammond, 28-27, and SLU joined them in the postseason with an at-large berth. The game was not played in 2020 and SLU reclaimed the River Bell in the spring, winning a shootout, 52-45, in Thibodaux. Then in the first fall matchup, the Lions won another high-scoring affair on the road with a 58-48 win, although it was not for the rivalry trophy. The Colonels brought the Bell back to Thibodaux after Southeastern missed a field goal as time expired to close out an eventful 2021.
• The Colonels notched a second straight home victory with a 12-10 win over Southland newcomer Texas A&M-Commerce last weekend. Nicholls fell behind 10-0 through the first quarter before pitching a shutout the rest of the game.
Gavin Lasseigne put the Colonels on the board with a field goal in the second quarter before
Kohen Granier and
Al'Dontre Davis hooked up for a 25-yard touchdown in the third to even the score. Neither offense scored the rest of the game but Nicholls recorded a safety in the fourth when
Eli Ennis forced the Lion quarterback out of the back of the end zone.
• Southeastern heads to Thibodaux on a four-game winning streak after knocking off previously undefeated Northwestern State, 23-7. The Lions are 4-1 in conference play and are in a three-way tie with Northwestern State and UIW, who play each other Saturday. A win by the Lions against Nicholls would secure at least a share of the Southland Conference title and the automatic berth into the FCS playoffs. A loss knocks SLU out of the title race as the NSU/UIW winner would be the outright champions.
A WIN OVER SOUTHEASTERN WOULD...
... give Nicholls a 17-16 advantage in the all-time series against Southeastern and an 8-7 mark vs. the Lions at home.
... be the third win for the Colonels in the last four River Bell Classics.
... improve the Colonels' record in November to 18-6 under head coach Tim Rebowe.
... secure a winning record in conference for the sixth time under Rebowe -- '16 (5-4), '17 (7-2), '18 (7-2), '19 (7-2), and '21 (5-3).
... give Nicholls a 29-12 record at home in the Rebowe Era.
... notch a seventh consecutive winning record at Guidry Stadium. Nicholls was 1-3 in 2015.
... clinch an outright Southland championship for the winner of Saturday's UIW/Northwestern State matchup.
BY THE NUMBERS
7 -- Running back
Julien Gums has enjoyed success in the River Bell Classic, averaging 107 yards per game in his three games against the Lions. Gums has rushed for seven touchdowns vs. SLU, highlighted by a four-touchdown game in the spring '21 matchup. He rushed for 121 yards and two TDs in his first Classic in '18 before totaling 133 on 18 carries in '19. Gums is averaging 6.4 yards per carry over the three games.
8.0 -- True freshman
Eli Ennis leads the defense with 8.0 tackles for loss this season, helped by 4.5 over the last three games. He recorded a safety in the fourth quarter to lift the Colonels to their 12-10 win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Ennis leads the Southland in conference play with 1.4 TFLs per game.
12 -- Nicholls scored 12 points in the victory over Texas A&M-Commerce (12-10) which were the fewest amount of points for a Colonel win since 1983. The Red and Gray defeated Southeastern 6-0 to close out the season.
13 -- Thursday will serve as Senior Day for 13 members of the Colonel Football team. Playing in their final game will be --
Dominic Brocato,
Chase Brown,
Aaron Calcote,
Al'Dontre Davis,
Deondre Diggs,
Kohen Granier,
Julien Gums,
Mikhail Hill,
Ja'Cobey Lee,
Zakk Mckeehan,
Glen Thurmond,
James Tobin IV and
Baylee Trusty.
13 -- Already the program's all-time leading rusher, running back
Julien Gums needs just 13 yards on the ground to move into the Top 10 of the Southland Conference's all-time career rushing list. After three straight 100-yard games, Gums is up to 3,334 for his career and trails two rushers from former members -- UTA's Derrick Jensen (3,346) and Sam Houston's Corey Avery (3,348) for ninth and tenth.
14 -- For the second straight game, a Colonel racked up 14 tackles as linebacker
Brandon Lairy set a new personal best with 14 stops in the win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Lairy was all over the field, registering 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble. In the previous game at Lamar, defensive linemane
Perry Ganci had a personal best 14 tackles.
266 -- Running back
Collin Guggenheim ended 2021 with an amazing five-game stretch of at least 100 yards rushing, and none was more impressive than his performance in the River Bell Classic. Guggenheim rushed for a school Southland record 266 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries in the Colonels' 45-42 victory over Southeastern. Guggenheim's total was not only the program's most in a single game in SLC history, but it was the highest output vs. a Division I opponent and second most overall.
LAST MEETING
Nov. 18, 2021
Nicholls 45, Southeastern 42
Colonels reclaim River Bell in 45-42 win at No. 15 Southeastern
HAMMOND, La. - Behind a career night from freshman running back Collin Guggenheim, the Nicholls State University football team won its third River Bell Classic out of the last four with a thrilling 45-42 victory against No. 15/12 Southeastern Thursday night at Strawberry Stadium. (FULL RECAP)
