Nicholls Colonels at HCU Huskies
Houston, Texas (Husky Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 3 -- 6 p.m. CT 
ESPN+: LINK 
Live Stats: Link
 


• The Nicholls State University football team continues its stretch of Texas opponents with a trip to Houston for a matchup with the HCU Huskies on Saturday, Oct. 3. Both squads are 1-1 in Southland play and looking to snap a two-game skid. Nicholls' league win came at home against UTRGV while HCU captured a road victory at Southeastern. Kickoff inside Husky Stadium is slated for 6:00 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

• The Colonels hold a 10-2 record in the all-time series against HCU, coming off a 31-7 win at home in last year's meeting. Nicholls used four first-half interceptions to build a 17-0 lead at halftime and then responded to HCU's lone scoring drive with two unanswered touchdowns. In the previous matchup, Nicholls had its nine-game winning streak in the series come to an end with a 24-21 loss in its last trip to Houston in 2024. The Colonels had a chance to force overtime but missed a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. 

• Nicholls suffered its first home loss of the season, falling 49-18 to nationally-ranked Lamar. The Cardinals raced out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of 40-yard touchdown passes, and after the Colonels scored, LU found the end zone two more times in the first quarter. Lamar led 42-7 before halftime and went on to claim its first victory in Thibodaux since 2014. Nicholls totaled 329 yards and 19 first downs but struggled on third down, converting just 3 of 15.  Jordan Smith continued his strong season with six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, and Shane Lee rushed for a season-high 64 yards on nine carries. For the defense, Kennon Loftin turned in another double-digit tackle effort while Skylar Husband notched his second interception of the season. 

• HCU brings an identical record into the matchup at 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the SLC. The Huskies made headlines in Week 0 as they defeated one of the preseason favorites, Southeastern, in Hammond, Louisiana. The Huskies' conference loss came on the road as well in a 30-23 overtime setback at UIW. Like the Colonels, HCU also has two FBS losses including a 63-14 decision last weekend at North Texas. Saturday's contest will be the second home game this season for the Huskies.
 

A WIN OVER HCU WOULD...

... improve the Colonels' all-time record against HCU to 11-2.
... be the first road victory for Nicholls since 2024, snapping a 12-game drought
... give Nicholls a 5-2 all-time record at Husky Field
... be the first road win for second-year head coach Tommy Rybacki

BY THE NUMBERS

2 -- Safety Skylar Husband became the first Colonel with multi interceptions after picking up his second of the season against Lamar. The Colonels have six picks on the year by five different players. 

11 -- The Colonels have created 11 turnovers this season, ranking seventh in the FCS. Nicholls had six turnovers against MVSU -- three picks, two fumbles and a botched kick return, a fumble recovery at Kansas State, and two more interceptions and another fumble against UTRGV. Last game vs. Lamar, Skylar Husband notched his second interception of the season. In 2025, Nicholls finished 17th in the FCS with 21 turnovers gained.

39 -- Linebacker Kennon Loftin has the third most tackles in the Southland with 39, averaging 7.8 per outing. Loftin racked up a career-high 12 tackles and added an interception against UTRGV, earning SLC Player of the Week. He led the Colonels against Lamar with 11 stops.

43 -- Freshman Kingston Phan booted his long field goal of 43 yards right before the half against Lamar. His previous long was 42 yards. So far this season, he is 4-for-4 in field goals. 

43.3 -- Sophomore punter Pharrell Harewood turned in one of his best outings in his young career, averaging 43.3 yards on seven punts last game against Lamar. He also had a punt of 54 yards to match his season long.

64 -- Running back Shane Lee totaled a season-high 64 yards rushing on nine carries against Lamar, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. In last year's matchup vs. LU, Lee had 109 yards on just three carries before leaving with an injury.

92 -- For the second straight year, the Nicholls roster features 92 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. 

LAST MEETING
Nov. 1, 2025
Nicholls -- 31
HCU -- 7

THIBODAUX, La. - Another all-around performance by the Nicholls State University football team led to a second-straight 31-7 victory at home as the Colonels cruised past HCU on Homecoming on Saturday afternoon at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. (FULL RECAP)

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