Nicholls drops opener at Memphis, 42-17

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 22 Nicholls State University football team notched touchdowns in its opening drive of each half against Memphis, but the Tigers scored 32 straight points in between as the Colonels fell in their 2021 opener, 42-17, Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

The Colonels scored on a 10-yard touchdown catch by K.J. Franklin from Lindsey Scott Jr., and Scott had one rushing TD in the third to end the Memphis run. Gavin Lasseigne added a 35-yard field goal in the fourth to wrap up the scoring.

The Tigers, which won their 16th consecutive game at home, racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense with 322 on the ground. Memphis scored in each of its first nine drives, however, the defense kept them out of the endzone five times, resulting in field goals.

Senior Dai’Jean Dixon had a strong showing with seven receptions for 107 yards. It marked his 10th 100-yard effort for his career, trailing Mark Carrier’s record of 11.

On defense, Kevin Moore III paced the squad with seven tackles while three players had six – Hayden Shaheen, Kevin Johnson and Zack Bernard. Making his Colonel debut, cornerback James Tobin IV had five stops and a pair of pass breakups.

Nicholls took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 11 plays to silence the 30-plus thousand fans. The biggest play was a 21-yard grab by Dixon and Scott capped it with a perfect fade in the corner to Franklin, who totaled five receptions for 38 yards.