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The Nicholls State football team will have some big shoes to fill on the offensive line this season.
Gone are its two starting tackles from a season ago, Abasi Salimu and Eric Alt. Salimu, a two-year starter starter at Nicholls and the anchor of the team’s offensive line the past two seasons, left the Colonels after starting every game at left tackle in his two seasons at the school after transferring from San Jose State. He is now vying for a roster spot with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
Alt, meanwhile, started every game at right tackle as a senior last year.
With Salimu in particular gone, the person the Colonels now view as the anchor up front is senior left guard Rafe Plaisance, a local product of South Lafourche High School in Galliano, where he was named All-District his senior year and garnered an All-State honorable mention.
“He’s by far the leader of the offensive line now,” Nicholls coach Charlie Stubbs said. “We expect great leadership from Rafe.”
That’s largely because Plaisance started all 12 games last season alongside Salimu and will be counted on to do the same again this season. According to Nicholls offensive line coach Matt Clark, what’s most impressive about Plaisance is how conscientious he is on the field
“He’s very smart,” said Clark. “He can get us directed and let everybody know where they’re supposed to be going on certain plays. He’s a great teammate and a great young man to just be around. On the field, he’s just a strong football player. When he gets his hands on people, they don’t move and he’s got them.”
For his part, Plaisance says he’s looking forward to stepping up this year and providing the team with the same senior leadership as his former teammate, Salimu.
As a senior, he knows there’s more responsibility involved now and that he is expected to lead.
“There’s a little more pressure to go out and lead the offense, sure,” Plaisance said. “Losing Abasi, he was a great leader and we all looked up to him because he knew he was going to have a career NFL-wise, so it makes you step up in turn. I believe I’ve answered the bell so far.”
As promising as things look for Plaisance now, it wasn’t always this way for the Cut Off native.
After starting six games as a true freshman, Plaisance had to sit out the entire season the following year due to ineligibility. What could have easily deterred Plaisance only served to motivate him and strengthen his will and resolve, he said.
“It was tough, but I still got to practice with the team and ran through scout team (drills),” Plaisance recalled of missing his sophomore year. “I just put my head down and continued to try to get better every day. It definitely helped me out through my junior year. There are a lot of things I need to work on, but I believe this summer I worked on them and now I’m just excited to have a good senior season.”
The Colonels are hoping the entire offensive line can come together and solidify as it heads into the season. Expected to join Plaisance on the line are juniors Chris Bordelon and Brandon Holmes and seniors Caleb Cline and Ryan Zeller.
Plaisance said he believes the entire unit has stepped up and pulled its weight thus far in camp.
“We have a solid starting five right now and are just looking to grow it,” Plaisance said. “Our interior three – with Brandon Holmes, Caleb Cline and I – all are leaders and we’ve been around here for years, so we’re all taking our place and now we’ve got in (the rest of) these guys the right way.”
The strength of the line is, of course, integral to any team’s offense and the number of points it can put up, and last season the Colonels were capable of putting up points on any given night.
Nicholls went through a stretch last season when they scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games, and minus two lopsided losses to overpowering FBS opponents – Oregon and Louisiana-Lafayette – early in the season, the offense generally had productive showings last year.
Plaisance said he and his fellow linemen are using that as positive energy going into this season.
“We pride ourselves on going out and being a good offense, and now we’re working to be a great offense,” Plaisance said. “We haven’t arrived yet, but we’re working on it every day. We’re excited to go out there and continue to build off of things we did last year and improve on them.
“Last year, we didn’t finish in many situations. We had turnovers that cost us and hurt our defense. We need to go secure the ball, have long drives and help our defense get off the field.”
As fall camp progresses into its fourth week, each workout, scrimmage and two-a-day practice brings the team one day closer to its season opener at Air Force, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 30.
This will mark the third consecutive year that Nicholls has either opened its season or been scheduled to open it on the road against an FBS opponent.
As with Oregon last year, Plaisance said the Colonels are looking forward to the atmosphere of playing on the road against an FBS opponent.
Nicholls won last year against Western Michigan.
“We’re really excited for Air Force right now,” Plaisance said. “This will be my first time going to Colorado, and many of ours. We’re really excited to go play there and go see how we match up against FBS talent. That’s always something that motivates us.”
