LSU defense stiffens in Tigers’ blowout victory
October 9, 2013
Tarpons trying to find 2012’s offensive form
October 9, 2013
This wasn’t supposed to happen – at least not yet.
For Nicholls State quarterback Tuskani Figaro, this was supposed to be a redshirt season spent watching the Colonels’ offense largely from afar as quarterbacks Beaux Hebert and Kalen Henderson, both upperclassmen, led the team from behind center.
Instead, various injuries to both quarterbacks recently forced Figaro to step in and provide the Colonels’ offense with an immediate spark.
That spark came to fruition in a big way after Figaro received his first start at quarterback in Nicholls’ Week 5 game against Arkansas Tech.
With Hebert suffering from a shoulder injury sustained in the Colonels’ victory over Langston College the previous week, Figaro ran for a whopping 281 yards on 21 carries and threw for 94 more on 10-of-20 passing in the Colonels’ 44-34 victory over Arkansas Tech.
He accounted for five touchdowns total (three passing, two rushing), including an 88-yard run from scrimmage late in the fourth quarter to extend Nicholls’ lead to 10 and put the game out of reach.
With each new week in practice, Figaro has shown improvement, said Nicholls coach Charlie Stubbs, who called Figaro’s progression “tremendous.”
“He’s a very good runner, but he’s also getting better at the passing game,” Stubbs said. “He still makes a few mistakes, but that’s because he lacks experience. But he also can buy time in the passing game and extend plays, and that’s what he did on some of his touchdown passes. He was able to slide in the pocket and then make the throw.”
Figaro said his performance was largely a matter of taking what the defense gave him.
“I wish I would have had the reversal of it – 280 passing (yards) and 94 rushing,” he said. “But they gave me the run and I just took advantage of it. I had great holes from the blocking down the field, and that’s what made it a big game.”
The Colonels’ coaching staff trusts Figaro’s rushing abilities. The hope now is that he can also earn the staff’s trust in throwing the ball.
To that end, Figaro said it all starts in practice.
“If you perform right in practice, in game time they feel more comfortable calling the plays and certain routes and letting you go from there,” Figaro said. “A lot of that stuff starts in practice with just my footwork and my reads, things like that.”
For Stubbs as a play-caller, the trick is getting to a point where he doesn’t have to worry about overly protecting Figaro on passing downs.
“I want to call what’s there and not get into (being unsure of) whether he’s going to make this throw or this read,” said Stubbs. “It’s hard to call a game if I’m worried about making mistakes. That’s the biggest thing. I put him in tough situations during the week. But when he’s in there, you’ve got to play him to his physical strengths.”
Figaro’s strength is running the ball, but if his passing game continues to develop the way Stubbs hopes, it gives the offense a more balanced attack with him on the field. It also can serve as a decoy to keep opposing defenses on its toes, Figaro said.
“With my running game, certain teams if I’m in the game might assume a certain play is based on me running the ball here, and it could be a whole other thing,” Figaro said. “Just having the other team thinking twice about what type of defense they’re going to play, that’s always good.”
Figaro initially came to Nicholls from Crowley High School in Lafayette and played in three games as a true freshman a year ago before suffering a season-ending injury.
He also comes from some impressive blood lines. Figaro’s father, Cedric, was a linebacker at Notre Dame and spent parts of seven seasons in the NFL between San Diego, Cleveland and St. Louis. His uncle played basketball at Louisiana-Lafayette and was drafted by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
Having a supportive family with athletic ties has been a nice fall-back for Figaro.
“They’re supporting me and they are 100 percent behind me,” Figaro said. “They tell me when I mess up and pat me on the back when I do well. They want me be the best I can be, and that’s how the coaches and my teammates are as well.”
Now, coming off the biggest performance of Figaro’s career, neither he nor Stubbs said they worry about any pressure to duplicate his performance against Northwestern State, Nicholls’ opponent in the team’s Southland Conference opener and a game in which Figaro figures to see a significant amount of snaps in.
“There’s no pressure right now,” Figaro said. “I just have to listen to my coaches and trust the game plan because I know the plan is going to be good every week.”
“I don’t anticipate that at all,” added Stubbs. “I keep my thumb on him and all these guys in practice to hold them accountable. I’m very demanding on them because I want to see them improve. Right now, (Figaro) knows he’s a ways from being a real polished quarterback. But he is making some good progress.”
Nicholls State quarterback Tuskani Figaro makes a move during a game this season. The Colonels’ new starting quarterback is hoping to stay healthy throughout the rest of the season. With more experience, he and Nicholls aim to make a push for the Southland Conference Championship.
