No. 22/25 Nicholls Colonels vs. --/RV West Georgia
Thibodaux, La. (Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium)
Saturday, Sept. 6 -- 6 p.m. CT
ESPN+: LINK
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Link
• The Nicholls State University football team will play its final home game until the end of October as the Colonels host West Georgia at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6 on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. Nicholls climbed into the rankings following a win over preseason favorite UIW and a strong showing at FBS Troy, while West Georgia is receiving votes after an impressive win at Samford in its season opener. The game will air on ESPN+ and can be listened to on 96.7 KCIL.
• The Colonels began last season in the Top 25 following their outright league championship, but fell out of the rankings after an 0-3 start to the year. But with a Week 0 win over No. 5/4 UIW and leading in the fourth quarter at Troy, the Colonels vaulted back into the Top 25 in both national polls. Nicholls was the lone team in the Stats FCS Poll to crack the Top 25 after being unranked in the preseason edition, claiming the No. 22 spot. The Colonels also jumped into the AFCA Coaches Poll at No. 25.
• The meeting with West Georgia will be the first between the schools. UWG was a Division II program but made the transition last year and competed in the United Athletic Conference.The Wolves won four games including two against D1 programs -- Samford and Southern Utah, and also had two losses by less than a touchdown. West Georgia opened the season with another win over Samford and did so in dominating fashion with a 34-3 road victory.
• While Nicholls has played a few night games at home in the last 10 years -- mostly the annual River Bell Classic on Thursdays -- the matchup with West Georgia is the first Saturday night game at Guidry Stadium since 2017. The Colonels hosted Prairie View A&M under the lights on Sept. 16 and came away with a 44-13 win over the Panthers.
A WIN OVER WEST GEORGIA WOULD...
... make Tommy Rybacki the second head coach in school history to start 2-0 at home. Gary Kinchen led Nicholls to wins in the Colonels' first two home games in 1972.
... give Nicholls its first 2-0 start vs. the FCS since 2021 where they notched wins over North Alabama and HCU. The 2021 season was the third straight year the Colonels started 2-0 vs. the FCS.
... put the Colonels at 2-0 at home for the second straight season.
... improve Nicholls' all-time record against teams currently in the United Athletic Conference to 10-15. This will be the first game vs. an UAC team as Abilene Christian (1-2), Austin Peay (3-1), Central Arkansas (3-9), and North Alabama (2-3) were in other leagues at the time.
BY THE NUMBERS
21 -- Quarterback Deuce Hogan has completed 21 passes in each of his first two games as a Colonel. At Troy, Hogan had a 77.8 completion percentage and threw his second TD pass in as many games.
45 -- With his first field goal at Troy, Gabriel Showalter set a new career long at 45 yards. He matched his previous best of 43 yards in the win at UIW in Week 0.
91 -- The Nicholls roster features 91 Louisiana natives, which is the most of any Division I roster this season. The Colonels have held the distinction for most of Tommy Rybacki's tenure on staff.
BROCK HONORED
Running back Miequle Brock Jr. was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
- Brock scored both of the Colonels' touchdowns at Troy and totaled over 100 yards of offense to help Nicholls lead in the fourth quarter against the Trojans. He gave Nicholls a 10-0 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and after halftime, caught a short pass and raced 58 yards for his second TD of the night.
- Brock finished the game with six receptions for 87 yards and rushed for 34 yards on seven carries. In just 11 career outings for the Colonels, his 58-yard score was his fourth touchdown of 50 yards or longer.
STAY SOCIAL
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