• The Nicholls State University football team kicks off its 51st season of competition with a road game at FBS South Alabama. The Colonels and Jaguars will be battling for the fourth time since 2010 and for the first time since a thrilling overtime contest in '16. The matchup will air on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM with Paul Boron and Seth Thomas on the call. 

• Last year at this time, Nicholls, along with a million Louisiana residents, was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The storm hit Sunday prior to the opener at Memphis and the team was able to regroup and leave town Wednesday to head to Tennessee. The team stayed on the road for 10 days before finally heading home after the Sept. 11 game against Louisiana. In 2012, Hurricane Isaac postponed the Colonels' opener at Oregon State and Nicholls' game the following week against South Alabama served as its season opener. 

• Including the 2012 matchup, Nicholls and South Alabama have squared off three times in the last 10-plus years. The last meeting came in 2016 where the Jaguars escaped with a 41-40 overtime victory in Ladd-Peebles Stadium.  In a game that saw six lead changes, Nicholls went ahead in the fourth on a 16-yard touchdown catch by Damion Jeanpiere Jr., and converted a 2-point try for a 34-27 advantage. But South Alabama pieced together a late touchdown drive to force overtime, scoring with 16 seconds remaining. USA then scored another TD in the first possession of OT and Nicholls answered but elected to go for the win with a 2-point try. The Colonels tried to throw the first time and failed but was given another play due to an offside, then Dontrell Taylor was stuff on a rush attempt. Despite his last rush, Taylor, who ended his career ranked No. 3 on the all-time rushing list, notched his first career 100-yard game in his true freshman campaign.

• Nicholls will be looking to knock off an FBS program for the fifth time since 2000. The last victory for the Red and Gray came in an overtime win at Kansas to start the '18 season. The Colonels lost the following year at Kansas State and then went 0-2 last fall against Memphis and Louisiana. Although Nicholls fell short against the Ragin' Cajuns, they took UL down to the wire in a 27-24 loss. The Colonels also had close calls in 2016, dropping a 26-24 game at No. 9 Georgia before their 41-40 overtime loss at South Alabama. The other three victories were against Arkansas State ('01), Rice ('07) and Western Michigan ('13).

4 -- The 2022 roster features four players from the state of Alabama. All four are in their first season with the Colonels, including Mobile natives DL Anthony Brown (McGill-Toolen) and DB Willie Butler Jr. (Saraland). Hailing from up north are DB Eli Ennis (Ohatchee) and QB Jakob Foss (Huntsville/Grissom). 

6.0 -- Defensive lineman Perry Ganci led the Colonels with 6.0 sacks last season and 9.5 tackles for loss. The All-Southland First Team honoree ended the year with 1.5 sacks in the River Bell win at Southeastern. A total of 15 different players had a sack last season and nine return for the '21 campaign.

8 -- Eight members of the 2022 roster have already earned a college degree. Suiting up as college grads are Dominic Brocato, Chase Brown, Kohen Granier, Mikhail Hill, Logan Scott, Glen Thurmond, James Tobin IV, and Baylee Trusty.

10 -- Nicholls had 10 players named to the Preseason All-Southland Team. The Colonel offense had five first-team selections – running back Collin Guggenheim, tight end Lee Negrotto, receiver K.J. Franklin, center Evan Roussel and placekicker Gavin Lasseigne. Second-team selections were quarterback Kohen Granier and offensive tackle Mark Barthelemy. The defense had three selections, led by first-team defensive lineman Perry Ganci. Linebacker Hayden Shaheen and defensive back Jordan Jackson were second-team honorees.
 

103.3 -- Sophomore running back Collin Guggenheim ended the '21 campaign with five consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts, and set a program single-season rushing record with 103.3 yards per game. What was even more impressive is that his season average included a game where he had no carries, one with a single carry and another with seven.  

... give the Colonels their third win in their last five season-openers.
... improve head coach Tim Rebowe's record in openers to 4-4 overall and 2-4 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, 17-42 at Memphis '21).
... give Nicholls a 24-27 all-time record in season openers.
... be the fifth win for Nicholls over an FBS team since 2000.
... give Nicholls its first win vs. the Sun Belt under HC Rebowe. Colonels have lost the previous four matchups (47-0 at ULM '15, 41-40 (OT) at South Alabama '16, 24-3 at Texas State '19, 27-24 at Louisiana '21).
... improve the Colonels' record to 2-1 vs. Alabama programs under HC Rebowe (40-41 OT at South Alabama '16, 31-14 vs. North Alabama '21).

LAST MEETING
Sept. 24, 2016
South Alabama 41, Nicholls 40 (OT)

MOBILE, Ala. – After two touchdowns by South Alabama – one in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, and the other to take the lead in the extra period - the Nicholls State University football team went for the win after scoring on their possession in OT, but the Colonels were stopped twice on two-point conversion attempts as South Alabama escaped with a 41-40 victory Saturday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

(RECAP)
 

IN THE POLLS

Although the squad received votes in the coaches poll, Nicholls enters the season outside the Top 25 Preseason Poll for the first time since 2017. 

- The Colonels cracked the rankings in the '17 campaign for the first time since 2007. Since then, Nicholls had been ranked or receiving votes in each poll up until mid-October of '21 when the team started off 2-4 which included a pair of FBS losses and two setbacks against FCS ranked opponents.
 

GUMS GOES FOR HISTORY
Senior running back Julien Gums has his sights on two program career rushing records - yards and touchdowns. 

- Gums enters the season with 2,556 career rushing yards, needing just 103 to surpass Josh Son's mark (2,658).
- He also has 32 career rushing TDs, trailing Chase Fourcade's 35. 
- In his last full season in 2019, Gums set single-season rushing records with 1,232 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named All-Southland First Team.
- Gums set the school career record with his 10th and 11th 100-yard games last season. He rushed for 139 yards against North Alabama, then put up 105 yards on just six carries in the opening quarter versus HBU.
- He also put his name in the record book during the spring, rushing for four touchdowns against Southeastern to tie the school record.
 

3️⃣. More. Days. #uNit pic.twitter.com/joJhpkDbEx

— Nicholls Football 🏈 (@Nicholls_FB) August 31, 2022

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