RV/RV Nicholls Colonels at No. 15/15 UIW Cardinals
San Antonio, Texas (Benson Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 12 -- 6 p.m. CT 
ESPN+: LINK 
Audio: ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM   |   TuneIn  
Live Stats: Link
 

• The Nicholls State University football team begins its title defense with a trip to San Antonio to face nationally-ranked UIW for the teams' Southland Conference opener. The Colonels and Cardinals were atop the preseason poll and both notched multiple FCS wins in nonconference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.

• Nicholls wrapped up its nonconference slate with another convincing victory but this time on the road in a 51-7 win at Southern. Coming off a 66-0 win at home over Mississippi Valley, the Colonels raced out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter against Southern and never looked back. Helped by four second-quarter turnovers, Nicholls added two more TDs before the half and two in the third doe a 51-0 advantage. Pat McQuaide threw for a career-high four touchdowns with Christian McNees hauling in two, and Collin Guggenheim rushed for two TDs. On defense, Laurence Sullivan Jr. had two interceptions and was named SLC Defensive Player of the Week.

• UIW enters the matchup winners of its last two. The Cardinals opened the season with a win over Northern Colorado but lost two straight to Top 10 opponents in No. 1 South Dakota State and No. 8 Southern Illinois. UIW bounced back with a victory over Northern Arizona before taking down Prairie View A&M last weekend, 56-28. Quarterback Zach Calzada heads a Cardinal offense averaging 438.4 yards  per game which ranks 12th in the FCS. His top target has been Jalen Walthall who is third in the FCS at 113.8 receiving yards per game.

• The series between Nicholls and UIW has been a tight one with the Colonels holding a slim 6-5 advantage, which is probably one reason Saturday's matchup was selected as Stats Perform  FCS Game of the Week. With the series starting in 2014, UIW took the first two before Nicholls won five straight under Coach Rebowe. The Cardinals then won three straight which helped UIW earn back-to-back titles in 2021 and '22. Last season, the teams squared off in a battle of the unbeatens in early November with the Colonels leaving San Antonio with a 45-32 victory. Nicholls went on to earn its sixth league title in the last six years.


A WIN OVER UIW WOULD...

... give Nicholls a 7-5 lead in the all-time series with a 4-2 mark on the road.
... push the Colonels' SLC winning streak to seven games which would be the longest in school history. Nicholls won six straight in 2017.
... give Nicholls a 7-3 record in Southland openers under Rebowe.
... be the third victory for the Colonels in their SLC road opening game under Rebowe.
... improve Rebowe's record vs. Texas schools to 32-16.
 

BY THE NUMBERS

4 -- Quarterback Pat McQuaide threw a career-high four touchdown passes in the win at Southern. McQuaide found Christian McNees, Quincy Brown and Treylin Whaley for first-half TDs. Before leaving the game in the third, he connected with McNees for another touchdown. His previous best was three in the home finale against Lamar last season. 

69.2 -- The Nicholls defense has been one of the best in the FCS against the rush, averaging 69.2 yards rushing per game despite facing two FBS opponents. The Colonels rank 4th in the FCS after holding MVSU to -7 yards rushing and Southern to 32.

110 -- Nicholls dominated MVSU and Southern in its last two contests, outscoring the two teams by a combined 110 points. The Colonels shut out MVSU, 66-0, and held a 51-0 lead late at Southern before the Jaguars scored a TD in the final minutes. 

2,895 -- Running back Collin Guggenheim is looking to become just the second Colonel to reach 3,000 career yards rushing. After totaling 99 yards at Southern, Guggenheim now has 2,895 yards rushing to go along with 31 rushing TDs.

RUMBLE IN THE RIVERWALK

This week's FCS Game of the Week will feature the Nicholls Colonels visiting the 15th-ranked UIW Cardinals on Saturday night at 6 PM in San Antonio.#GTL pic.twitter.com/amviUXDTzM

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) October 9, 2024

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