• The Nicholls State University football team returns to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019, heading on the road to take on No. 14/17 Southern Illinois University. The Colonels ran the table in the Southland to earn the league's auto bid while SIU finished 4-4 in arguably the toughest conference in the FCS, earning an at-large bid to give the Missouri Valley Football Conference six teams. Kickoff in Saluki Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.

• Having already secured its postseason bid, Nicholls headed to Hammond, Louisiana last week with its sights set on the program's first outright Southland title. In a heated rivarly that's now tied at 17-17 following the Colonels' win, Southeastern gave Nicholls all it could handle in a 21-16 decision. SLU struck first with a touchdown on a fake field goal but Nicholls scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. Leading 14-13, Jaylon Spears crossed the end zone on a 73-yard catch-and-run in the third for the Colonels before the defense allowed only a late field goal in the third quarter that made the final. The five-point win was the lone single-digit victory for Nicholls in league play as they finished conference outscoring its opponents, 33.2 ppg to 16 ppg.  

• The Colonels will be making their fourth playoff appearance in the last seven seasons. Nicholls made its first postseason under coach Tim Rebowe in 2017 as an at-large, falling in a 38-31 battle against South Dakota. The Red and Gray secured the league's auto bid the following year and defeated San Diego, 49-30, but dropped a 42-21 matchup at 3-seed and national runner-up Eastern Washington. Nicholls repeated as league champs in 2019 and started the postseason with a 24-6 win over North Dakota. The Colonels then made the trip to face 1-seed North Dakota State and were defeated, 37-13, by the eventual national champions. Nicholls is 3-6 all-time in the playoffs with three appearances before Rebowe's tenure -- 1986, 1996, 2005. 

• Nicholls and Southern Illinois are meeting for just the third time in the programs' histories. The teams played a home-and-home in 1995 and 1997, with both squads defending their home turf. Southern Illinois won the first-ever meeting, 48-20, in Carbondale as part of the Colonels' winless 1995 campaign. After one of the NCAA's biggest turnarounds in '96 where Nicholls went 8-4 and reached the playoffs, the Colonels hosted the Salukis for their home opener and notched a 33-0 shutout in '97. Current head coach Tim Rebowe served as the defensive backs coach in both seasons.


A WIN OVER SIU WOULD...

... put Nicholls in the second round for the third consecutive playoff appearance. Colonels defeated San Diego in '18 and North Dakota in '19.
... be the fourth playoff victory in program history (3-6) -- 1-1 in '86; 0-1 in '96, '05, '17; 1-1 in '18, '19.
... be the second road playoff victory. In the first appearance in 1986, Nicholls won its opening game at Appalachian State but has since lost five in a row.
... give the Colonels a 2-1 edge in the all-time series. The teams played twice in the mid 90s with Coach Rebowe as an assistant at Nicholls (L, 48-20, '95... W, 33-0, '97).
... improve the Colonels' record to 21-7 in November under Coach Rebowe.
... give the Southland a seventh consecutive win in the opening round of the FCS playoffs. Included in the streak were the '18 (San Diego) and '19 (North Dakota) wins by the Colonels. The last time the SLC failed to win in the first round was 2017 (Nicholls lost to South Dakota, Central Arkansas lost to New Hampshire.

BY THE NUMBERS

9 -- The Colonels notched nine Southland Player of the Weeks this season. Running back Collin Guggenheim and safety Tyler Morton were two-time winners, while running back Jaylon Spears, quarterback Pat McQuaide, safety Devonte' Mathews, kicker Gavin Lasseigne, and punter Kylan Dupre each won the honor once. 

12 -- Running back Jaylon Spears registered 12 explosive plays this season (20-plus yards) en route to being named SLC Player of the Year. Included in those plays was a 69-yard touchdown against Lamar, an 88-yard catch-and-run vs. SEMO, and a  73-yard catch-and-run at Southeastern. 

13 -- Cornerback Kendarius Smith leads the Southland with 13 pass breakups this season. Smith has been locked in the last four games, totaling 10 with four coming in the win against HCU. His total is good for 11th in the FCS in passes defender. Smith is in his first season after transferring from East Mississippi.

16 -- Nicholls racked up 16 All-Southland selections -- the most ever in program history. The Colonels had six first-team honorees and 10 second-team recipients to go along with four superlative winners. The 16 selections edged the 2018 championship team's 15 honorees.

66.7 -- The Nicholls defense allowed a league-best 66.7 scoring percent in the red zone in conference play, surrendering eight touchdowns, two rushing (one via a fake field goal), and four field goals in 18 total trips. The unit also picked up three interceptions and a turnover on downs. For the season, Nicholls ranked 15th in the nation at 73 percent.

LAST MEETING
Sept. 6, 1997
@Nicholls -- 33
Southern Illinois -- 0

THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls running back Nakia Lumar rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns as the Colonels shutout Southern Illinois, 33-0, in their home opener.

Nicholls' defense held the Salukis to just 120 total yards, including 37 in the second half. The Colonels preserved the shutout by holding SIU inside the 10-yard line on four plays midway through the fourth quarter.

The Salukis gained possession of the ball when Nicholls quarterback Chris Ryan fumbled at the 7 and the ball was recovered by SIU defensive tackle Tavita Tovio.

Coe Bonner was stopped for no gain on first down, then quarterback Marcus Capone threw three straight incompletions.

The Colonels tallied 455 yards of total offense, including 277 on the ground. They dominated the time of possession battle, controlling the ball for 40:33.

In the first quarter, Lumar capped a 48-yard, eight-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to put the Colonels on the board. The 100-yard game was Lumar's seventh -- a new school record.

Nicholls quarterback Brad Zeller, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 168 yards, tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ira Jackson in the second quarter. Freshman kicker Kyle Leisher also added field goals of 40 and 26 in the period.

Nicholls linebacker Quincy Sorrell was named the ESPN/USA Today inaugural defensive player of the week. Sorrell had 10 tackles, including one for loss, and broke up two passes against the Salukis.

 

SLC OUTRIGHT CHAMPS

With the win over Southeastern, Nicholls secured its first outright championship since joining the Southland in 1991.

- Nicholls won three titles prior -- 2005, 2018, 2019, but all were technically "shared". The Colonels defeated all three teams it shared the regular season title with, earning the SLC's auto bid into the FCS playoffs.

- Under Rebowe, Nicholls posted three consecutive 7-2 campaigns in conference from 2017-19. In 2018, both Nicholls and UIW had two league losses, but the Colonels won the head-to-head, 48-21. The following season, Nicholls and Central Arkansas shared the crown with the Colonels winning the matchup, 34-14.

- Not only did Nicholls win its first outright title, but this year's Colonels are also the first to go undefeated in team history. The 2005 team had the fewest losses at 5-1.

- Nicholls has allowed double figures in points in two of 20 quarters in league play, both coming against UIW. The Colonels also have shutouts in eight of the quarters, not including the four points scored in the second by Lamar's defense/special teams.


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