• The Nicholls State University football team opens up Southland Conference play by hosting the newest league member, UTRGV, for the first time on Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. Both squads head into the matchup with a 1-1 overall record after falling to FBS programs last week. The game will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.

• The Colonels won their home opener against Mississippi Valley State to improve to 5-1 at Guidry Stadium under head coach Tommy Rybacki. Included in that record was a perfect 4-0 mark in league play last season. Nicholls started off the year by taking down Top 5 UIW, 20-6, then followed with wins over McNeese, HCU and Northwestern State. The Colonels' last home setback in Southland play was in 2024 when Southeastern kicked a field goal as time expired in a 19-16 decision.

• Nicholls and UTRGV will be meeting for the second time after the Vaqueros took last year's meeting, 28-21, in Edinburg. In the game, the teams traded touchdowns that resulted in a 14-14 tie in the third quarter, but UTRGV finally broke the cycle with back-to-back scores to double their lead. Nicholls got a Shane Lee touchdown with six minutes to go and forced a punt with less than a minute remaining but could not muster the game-tying drive. UTRGV finished undefeated at home in its inaugural season and finsihed at fourth in this year's Southland preseason poll.

• After promising starts in Week 0, both Nicholls and UTRGV were handed a loss against FBS programs. The Colonels had a P4 matchup at Kansas State and struggled against the Wildcats, falling 71-3. K-State built a 36-3 halftime lead before scoring five unanswered touchdown in the second half. Freshman Kingston Phan kicked a field goal for the Colonels for their lone points of the night. For UTRGV, the Vaqueros took on in-state UTSA at the Alamodome in its first FBS matchup in school history and fell 45-16. UTSA saw its largest lead at 31-3 in the third before the teams combined for 24 points in the final quarter.

A WIN OVER UTRGV WOULD...

... even up the all-time series against UTRGV at 1-1.
... push the Colonels' home winning streak to five games.
... improve the Colonels' home record to 6-1 under Tommy Rybacki.
... give Coach Rybacki his second straight win in as many Southland openers.
... put the Colonels at 1-0 in conference for the eighth time since Rybacki joined the coaching staff in 2015.
... even up Rybacki's record against Texas Southland schools to 3-3 (1-0 vs UIW, HCU; 0-1 vs UTRGV, Lamar, SFA).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 -- Cornerback Jhamal Shelby Jr. was tested only a few times at Kansas State and came away with two pass breakups. A transfer from Louisiana Tech, it marked the fourth time in his career that he recorded a pair of breakups. He tied for 29th in the FBS last season in passes defended.

3 -- 5th-year lineman Alex Villavaso recorded his third career forced fumble in the matchup at Kansas State. Villavaso stripped the running back in the second quarter for the Colonels' lone turnover of the night. 

4 -- The Colonel defense has not allowed a 200-yard passer for four straight games. Nicholls allowed just two 200-yard passers a year ago, with the last being UTRGV's Eddie Lee Marburger (247). The last opposing quarterback to throw for 200 yards was SFA's Sam Vidlack (262) on 11/2/24.

163.0 -- After two weeks, Nicholls is second in the Southland in passing defense at 163.0 yards. The Colonels allowed just 79 yards passing in their season debut against the Delta Devils before surrendering 247 yards at K-State. Last season, Nicholls ranked ninth in the FCS with 166.3 yards passing per game. Twice in 2025, the defense allowed less than 100 yards passing.

LAST MEETING
Nov. 11, 2025
UTRGV -- 28
Nicholls -- 21

EDINBURG, Texas -- The Nicholls State University football team fell short of its first road league win since 2023, dropping a 28-21 contest to UTRGV Saturday night at Vackar Stadium. (FULL RECAP)

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