Colonels to visit LSU for historic matchup

The Nicholls State University football team concludes its tour of in-state FBS teams to start the season with the program’s first ever trip to Tiger Stadium to take on nationally-ranked LSU under the lights. Both teams are searching for their first win after tough losses in the opening weekend. Kickoff in Tiger Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+/ESPN+ and can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.

Nicholls is coming off a 25-17 setback at Louisiana Tech which was the Colonels’ 10th straight loss to an FBS program. The defenses took center stage in the wet and rainy conditions as Nicholls came up with five takeaways while LA Tech limited the Colonels to 200 total yards and one offensive touchdown. The units even accounted for the game’s first points when LA Tech recorded a safety on the Colonels’ first offensive play before Nicholls took its only lead on an interception return by defensive lineman Rasheed Lovelace. The Red and Gray kept it a one-score game until the fourth quarter but a late rally came up short.

Saturday’s matchup with LSU will be the Colonels’ fourth meeting with an SEC school. The first came in a winless 2014 under the previous coaching staff and things did not fare well for Nicholls in a 73-7 loss at Arkansas. But just two years later in Tim Rebowe‘s second season, the Colonels nearly spoiled Kirby Smart’s home debut at Georgia in a 26-24 loss to the No. 9 Bulldogs. Nicholls held a 14-13 lead in the third before the Bulldogs scored the next two touchdowns. The Colonels rallied for 10 unanswered but fell short in pulling off the upset. The defense had a memorable performance which included limiting future NFL running back Nick Chubb to 80 yards rushing on 20 carries. A year later in front of 100,000 fans at Texas A&M, Nicholls fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter before shutting out the Aggies in the next two and eventually tying the game at 14-14 early in the fourth. But Texas A&M found the end zone with seven minutes to go and then added a field goal in the final seconds for a 24-14 win.

Nicholls will be looking for its fifth win over an FBS school since 2000 after claiming victories against Arkansas State (’01), Rice (’07), Western Michigan (’13) and Kansas (’18). The win over the Jayhawks came in overtime, 26-23, in the 2018 opener and sparked the first of two consecutive Southland title runs for the Colonels under Tim Rebowe. But the Colonels have lost eight of the last 10 by at least 20 points with the two exceptions being Saturday’s 25-17 loss at Louisiana Tech and a 27-24 setback at Louisiana in 2021.

A WIN OVER LSU WOULD…

… give the Colonels its fifth win over an FBS program, snapping a 10-game skid. The last victory was in 2018 at Kansas.
… be the first FBS win over an in-state school. The Colonels fell to 0-12 since 2000 after their opening loss to Louisiana Tech.
… improve the Colonels’ record to 1-3 against SEC schools (73-7 at Arkansas, 2014; 26-24 at No. 9 Georgia, 2016; 24-14 at Texas A&M, 2017).
… be the program’s first victory over a nationally-ranked FBS team.
… just be the Tiger’s second loss in their last 66 games against nonconference opponents in Tiger Stadium.
… snap the Tigers’ 36-game winning streak against Louisiana opponents.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 — Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Rasheed Lovelace recorded his second career interception and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown in the opening quarter at LA Tech. Nicholls totaled two defensive touchdowns in the 2023 championship season.

3 — Junior receiver Quincy Brown hauled in his third career touchdown pass as a Colonel as Nicholls made a late rally at LA Tech. Trailing 25-10 with 2:17 remaining, Brown came down with a highlight 27-yard catch in the end zone as he was surrounded by three defenders.

3 — Junior linebacker Eli Ennis won SLC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career. Ennis moved to the inside this season and racked up 10 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in the opener against LA Tech.

4 — Nicholls has four wins over FBS programs since 2000, with the last coming in 2018 with an overtime victory at Kansas. Under Coach Rebowe, the Colonels had close calls at No. 9 Georgia (26-24), Texas A&M (24-14) and Louisiana (27-24), and also fell in overtime to South Alabama (41-40). The other three victories were against Arkansas State (’01), Rice (’07) and Western Michigan (’13).

4 — Kylan Dupre sent off a nine punts at LA Tech and had a personal best four inside the 20. The Catholic High product averaged 43.6 yards a punt and had a long of 63.

5 — Nicholls registered five takeaways in the opener at LA Tech with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Colonels ranked in the Top 10 in turnovers gained last season as well as eighth in the nation with 16 interceptions.

93 — The Nicholls roster features 93 Louisiana natives, which is the most of any Division I roster this season. The Colonels have held the distinction for most of Tim Rebowe‘s career, usually having at least 90 players from the Pelican State.

2,518 — After rushing for 79 yards at LA Tech, running back Collin Guggenheim climbed up to No. 3 on the Colonels’ all-time rushing list with 2,518 yards. Guggenheim will now have his sights on Josh Son who has 2,658 yards for the No. 2 spot.

IN THE POLLS
Nicholls made its return to the national rankings in 2017 after being unranked for nearly a decade. Head Coach Tim Rebowe‘s squad then had an impressive stretch of being ranked or receiving votes until the ’21 campaign.
– For the first time since 2021, the Colonels began the season as a ranked program. Despite the loss to LA Tech, the Colonels moved up a spot to No. 22 in the Stats Poll and are No. 25 in the Coaches Poll.

RESCHEDULED
Nicholls and LSU were set to play for the first time ever in the 2020 season but the game ended up being canceled due to the COVID pandemic. LSU canceled its nonconference games that season while the Colonels took part in the FCS Spring season.
– Nicholls is the only Division I football program in Louisiana to have never played LSU.