SAN ANTONIO, Texas - With a mix of big plays on offense and defense, the Nicholls State University football team held the lead over No. 22 UIW in the third quarter, but the Cardinals scored three unanswered touchdowns to keep their winning streak going as the Colonels were defeated, 42-24, on Saturday evening at Benson Stadium.
Nicholls (4-7, 3-5 SLC) found itself down 21-10 right before halftime but
Preston Welch subbed in at quarterback and lofted a touchdown pass to
Devin Scura with 33 seconds remaining. The defense came up clutch five minutes into the third when
Charlie Diedrich picked off a pass and returned it seven yards to give the Colonels their first and only lead of the day.
UIW responded with an Emmett Brown touchdown pass to regain the lead, and after blocking a field goal, the Cardinals used another Brown TD toss to go up 35-24. UIW found the end zone one last time with two minutes remaining in the game to make the final, extending their winning streak to five games and remain undefeated at home.
The Colonels finished with 385 yards with 263 coming on the ground, but had four turnovers and struggled on third down by going 4 of 16. Freshman
Patrick Gales rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries while quarterback
Chase Richardson had 74 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game in the first half.Â
UIW established its running game early, passing the ball just once as they marched down the field on the opening drive for a 7-0 lead. Richardson fumbled on a rush on the Colonels' first possession, but the defense stopped the Cardinals on a fourth-down try to get the ball back.
Later in the quarter, Brown tossed his first touchdown pass of the night, finding Jacob Emmers for a 35-yard score.
On the next drive, the Colonels picked up a third-down conversion on a 15-yard catch by
Chantz Babineaux before moving into UIW territory after a personal foul. Five plays later, Richardson found a seam and raced 33 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, the Colonels caught UIW by surprise with an onside kick as
Wyatt Guidry's bouncer was recovered by
Prystyn Cambre. Nicholls turned that into a 35-yard field goal by
Kingston Phan to make the score 14-10.
UIW went up by 11 after a rushing touchdown by Lontrell Turner, but Nicholls answered right before the end of the half. Gales set up the scoring drive with a 48-yard rush deep into Cardinal territory. Welch found Scura down the sideline for both of their first touchdowns as a Colonel.
The Colonels' opening drive of the second half stalled at midfield, but the defense stepped up with its second defensive touchdown in as many weeks. Brown tried to throw a short pass over the middle and Diedrich snagged it for the pick-6. The freshman also had a fumble recovery earlier in the game off a big hit on the quarterback by
Kasai Jones.
The defense forced UIW to punt on the next possession, but allowed touchdown drives on the next two possessions as the Cardinals pulled away.
Jones led the Colonels with 12 tackles and his sack/forced fumble. Diedrich and fellow freshman
Kevin Martin Jr. added eight tackles each.
For UIW, Brown threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns while Jayden Hibbler rushed for 115 and had the first TD of the day.
Up Next
Nicholls will host the annual River Bell Classic on Thursday, Nov. 19 against Southeastern. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Before the game, the Colonels will recognized their 2026 Senior Class.
