Nicholls Colonels at No. 22/RV UIW Cardinals
San Antonio, Texas (Benson Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 14 -- 3 p.m. CT 
ESPN+: LINK 
Live Stats: Link

• The Nicholls State University football team will play its final road game of the season, heading to San Antonio for a matchup against nationally-ranked UIW. The Colonels picked up their first road victory in two years earlier this season and will look for its second straight win in a row after their thrilling 32-31 win last week against East Texas A&M. UIW is the league's hottest team, riding a four-game winning streak following its win at Southeastern. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

• Behind a thrilling second-half comeback, Nicholls rallied from a 17-point deficit to earn a dramatic 32-31 victory over East Texas A&M on Homecoming. Trailing 24-7 at halftime, the Colonels erupted for 25 second-half points, highlighted by a 26-yard fumble recovery touchdown from Kasai Jones, a 37-yard scoring connection from Chase Richardson to Greg Donaldson and a 30-yard field goal by Kingston Phan to even the contest. After East Texas A&M reclaimed the lead late in the fourth quarter, Richardson capped a 65-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run before connecting with Chantz Babineaux on the two-point conversion to give Nicholls the lead with 47 seconds remaining. The Colonel defense sealed the comeback on the ensuing possession as Kevin Martin Jr. intercepted the Lions on their first play from scrimmage. Richardson led the offensive effort with 119 rushing yards and 135 passing yards, while Patrick Gales added 104 yards on the ground for his second consecutive 100-yard performance. Martin Jr. paced the defense with seven tackles and the game-sealing interception.

• UIW enters the matchup coming off wins over UTRGV, McNeese, Northwestern State and Southeastern, looking to sweep the Southland Louisiana schools in its fourth consecutive contest against the Pelican State. The Cardinals, ranked No. 22 in the media poll, feature a balanced offensive attack that averages 38.5 points and 475.5 total yards per game, including 303.3 passing yards and 172.2 rushing yards per contest. Quarterback Emmett Brown has been stellar this season, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,811 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Jayden Hibbler leads the rushing attack with 607 yards and six touchdowns.

• The series between Nicholls and UIW has been closely contested as the Colonels hold a slim 7-6 advantage in the all-time series. The teams combined for four consecutive SLC titles from 2021-24 with UIW claiming titles in '21, '22 and '24 and Nicholls going undefeated in '23. The Colonels won on the road against the No. 4 Cardinals in '23 but UIW avenged the loss the following season. Last year in Week 0, Nicholls gave Tommy Rybacki his first career win with a 20-6 victory against another Top-5 ranked UIW squad. In six games in San Antonio, each team has won three times. 
 

A WIN OVER UIW WOULD...

... improve the Colonels' record to 8-6 against the Cardinals.
... give Nicholls a 4-3 edge in the series for games played in San Antonio.
... secure multiple road wins for Nicholls in a season for the first time since 2023.
... put the Colonels at .500 in league play. Nicholls has finished .500 or better in nine of the last 10 seasons.
... be the fifth win for the Colonels -- their most since 2023 (6).
... be the second ranked win over UIW in as many games under Tommy Rybacki.
... give Nicholls a fourth Top 25 win against UIW. The Cardinals were ranked in the Spring '21 season, '23, and in '25.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 -- Kasai Jones recovered his second fumble of the season in the win against East Texas A&M and returned it 26 yards, sparking the second-half comeback. It marked the first defensive touchdown for the Colonels this season. 

18 -- The Colonels have created 18 turnovers this season, ranking 15th 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 interceptions and another fumble against UTRGV. Skylar Husband notched his second interception of the season against Lamar and in the last home game, Nicholls recovered two fumbles. Husband notched his third pick of the year on the final play in the win at NSU, and Charlie Diedrich added one against McNeese. Gary Bailey Jr. and Kevin Martin Jr. added picks against East Texas A&M while Kasai Jones returned a fumble for the team's first defensive touchdown of the season. In 2025, Nicholls finished 17th in the FCS with 21 turnovers gained.

25 -- The Colonels limited East Texas A&M to 25 yards rushing last week. It marked the second time this season that the defense held an opponent to less than 100 yards (UTRGV, 63y). The 25 yards was the fewest allowed since holding UIW to 16 yards in the 2025 opener. 

42.7 -- Sophomore Pharrell Harewood is now averaging 42.7 yards per punt, which ranks 27th in the FCS. Including his league-long 78-yarder, Harewood has 16 punts of 50 yards or longer which is six more than the No. 2 player in the SLC. 

50 -- Freshman Patrick Gales reeled off the longest rush for the Colonels this season, going for 50 on a carry in the second quarter against East Texas A&M. Gales has rushed for over 100 yards in his last two games and found the end zone for his first career TD last week.   

78.2 -- Quarterback Chase Richardson has quickly established himself as one of the top rushers in the SLC as he currently ranks first in the league with 78.2 yards rushing per game. Richardson has the fifth-most rushing yards at 469 despite playing in only six games. Richardson has rushed for 100 yards or more in three straight games.

LAST MEETING
Aug. 23, 2025
Nicholls -- 20
No. 5/4 UIW -- 6

THIBODAUX, La. - Paced by a stifling performance by the defense, Nicholls State University football longtime defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki earned his first career victory in his head coaching debut as the Colonels defeated No. 5/4 UIW, 20-6, Saturday afternoon in a Week 0 Southland Conference showdown on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium in front of 8,779 fans. (FULL RECAP)

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