No. 10 Nicholls seeks 2-0 start in matchup at Tulane

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University football team heads to the Big Easy for another first-ever meeting – a Saturday night matchup with the Tulane Green Wave. Kickoff against the in-state foe is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3. The historic matchup can be listened to on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM, as well as KBZE 105.9 FM.

• Nicholls heads to Yulman Stadium after claiming the program’s first victory against a Power 5 school last Saturday at Kansas. The Colonels outgained KU on offense, 329-255, and led for most of the fourth quarter before special teams mistakes allowed the Jayhawks to score 10 points for a 20-17 advantage. Nicholls tied the game with less than a minute remaining on a 43-yd field goal by Lorran Fonseca, and after limiting KU to 3 points in the first possession of overtime, the Colonels closed it out as QB Chase Fourcade rushed from 4-yards out for the game-winner. The win snapped a 9-game skid against FBS programs.

• The win over Kansas vaulted Nicholls seven spots in each FCS poll, placing the Red and Gray at No. 10 in the coaches poll, and 11th in the STATS FCS media poll. In last year’s 8-4 campaign, the Colonels never reached higher than No. 17. Also, the No. 10 ranking in the highest for the program since joining the Southland in 1991. The Colonels ranked 13th during the 2007 season, which also started with a win over an FBS program (Rice).

• The Colonels swept the Southland Conference weekly awards for the first time since 2008. RB Kendall Bussey had an outstanding debut for the Colonels to earn the award for offense, rushing for 123 yards on 28 carries. Bussey scored on a 40-yard dash up the middle in the third quarter to break a 10-all tie. On defense, DL Sully Laiche was honored after recording 2.0 sacks, and four of his five tackles went for loss. The defense held KU’s rushing attack to 56 yards for the game. A two-time SLC honoree last year, K Lorran Fonseca was 2-for-2 in field goals and his 43-yarder with 47 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 20-20.

• Not only does the 2018 Nicholls Football roster feature over 100 players from the state of Louisiana, but head coach Tim Rebowe has developed a pipeline into New Orleans. On the Colonels’ full roster, a total of 32 players represent the 504 area code. The offense features a heavy NOLA influence with quarterback Chase Fourcade (Metairie/Rummel), running back Kendall Bussey (New Orleans/Newman), wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon (New Orleans/Edna Karr), offensive lineman Ryan Hanley (Metairie/Rummel), and tight end David Mosley (New Orleans/Rummel).

BY THE NUMBERS
0 – Despite the schools being only separated by 60 miles, Nicholls and Tulane have never met on the gridiron. The Universities play each other regularly in baseball and tennis, and this past season, Nicholls was unable to hold onto a lead over the Green Wave men’s basketball team in a 76-69 loss.

6.0 – Nicholls registered 6.0 sacks in the win at Kansas, getting two each from Sully Laiche and Evan Veron. The six sacks are the most for the program in a single game since the 2009 season when the Colonels had nine against Duquesne.

7 – Nicholls added seven FBS transfers to the squad this season. Joining the team are OL Alex Anderson (Texas), DB Jerrion Burton (New Mexico St.), RB Kendall Bussey (Texas A&M), DB Alonzo Craighton (Minnesota), DL Emanuel Dayries (Arizona State), WR Gabe Fuselier (UL-Lafayette), and TE Bry’Kiethon Mouton (LSU). Four saw action in the win at Kansas (Anderson, Bussey, Dayries, Fuselier).

28 – RB Kendall Bussey was expected to make an impact in his debut with the Colonels, and he did just that. Bussey ran the ball 28 times against the Jayhawks, rumbling for 123 yards, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown. He picked up eight of the Colonels’ 17 first downs, which included a 10-yd grab.

SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE
• Tulane opened its season last Thursday with a 23-17 overtime loss to ACC member Wake Forest. The Green Wave was forced to go for a long fourth down on their possession before Wake ended the game on a 1-yard touchdown run.

• Willie Fritz is in his third season at the helm of the Green Wave, compiling a 9-16 record. Fritz has strong ties to the Southland, serving as head coach of Sam Houston State from 2010-13. He led the Bearkats to 40 wins during his tenure and two national runners-up.

• The Green Wave offense is headlined by redshirt junior wide receiver Terren Encalade, who had touchdowns catches of 52 and 74 yards en route to racking up 189 yards receiving against Wake Forest. Encalade’s older brother, Terrell, was a force for the Colonel defensive line last season with 10 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in his senior campaign.

• Jonathan Banks is in his second year as starting quarterback for Tulane. Against Wake, Banks approached his second career 300-yd game with 281 yards in the setback. Last year, he threw for nearly 1,800 yards and tossed 12 touchdowns. Over the summer, Banks served as a camp counselor alongside Colonel QB Chase Fourcade at the Manning Passing Academy.

• The Green Wave defense broke up nine passes against Wake Forest. P.J. Hall, no, not the one from Sam Houston, led the squad with 11 tackles.

A WIN OVER TULANE WOULD…
… give the Colonels their first 2-0 start since the 2007 season, which also began with an FBS win over Rice.
… be the fifth win over an FBS team since 2000.
… improve Coach Rebowe’s overall record to 18-18. He started his career 0-5.
… give Nicholls its first victory versus a Willie Fritz-led program (0-4 vs. SHSU in 2010-13).
… give Coach Rebowe his second win over an FBS team (1-5).
… be program’s first season with multiple FBS wins.
… improve Coach Rebowe’s record vs. Louisiana schools to 5-6.
… be the Green Wave’s first loss against the Southland (14-0: 7 vs. SLU; 6 vs. NSU; 1 vs. McNeese).

ON THIS DATE IN COLONEL HISTORY …

• The Colonels post a 3-4 record on Sept. 8 but have won only once on the road. The last contest came in 2012 when Hurricane Isaac postponed the Colonels’ opener at Oregon State, and Nicholls began its campaign at South Alabama, falling in a low-scoring affair.

YEAR OPPONENT W/L SCORE H/A
1973 Tennessee-Martin W 7-0 H
1979 Livingston W 21-14 A
1984 Troy L 26-7 A
1990 UL-Lafeyette L 24-21 A
2001 Jacksonville St. L 34-15 A
2007 Southern Arkansas W 31-13 H
2012 South Alabama L 9-3 A

LAST OUTING
Sept. 1, 2018
No. 17/18 Nicholls 26, Kansas 23 (OT)

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Nicholls State University football team notched its fourth-ever win against the FBS and first against a Power 5 school as a 4-yard touchdown run by Chase Fourcade gave the Colonels a 26-23 overtime victory at Kansas Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. (RECAP)

NOTES FROM LAST GAME
– Won opener for second straight time (25-27 all-time), knotting Rebowe’s first-game record to 2-2;
– First win vs. P5 program, snapping 9-game FBS skid
– Fourth program win over FBS;
– Southland’s eighth win vs. FBS this decade and first since Central Arkansas’ win vs. Arkansas State (’16);
– Scored on team’s first drive – 9 plays, 78 yds;
– RB Bussey rushed for 123 in his first career game;
– Fonseca’s 43-yd FG was his ninth of 40-or-longer.
– Defense had six sacks; it’s most since 2009.

DOWN SOUTH IN NEW ORLEANS
Although Saturday marks the first meeting between Nicholls and Tulane, the Red and Gray have played five games in the city. The rivalry against Southeastern Louisiana featured three contests at The Dome in the 70s, and twenty years later, Nicholls hosted back-to-back Gridiron Classics in ’98 and ’99 at Tad Gormley.

All-Time in New Orleans
1975 vs. SLU W, 14-6
1976 vs. SLU L, 7-17
1978 vs. SLU L, 0-10
1998 vs. Mississippi Valley W, 41-26
1999 vs. Western Illinois L, 13-14

CRESCENT CITY CONNECTION
Along with having 32 players from the New Orleans area, the Colonel coaching staff has a pair of NOLA natives. Third-year cornerbacks coach Chris Thompson prepped at Holy Cross and went on to put together a Hall of Fame career at Nicholls. First-year running backs coach Sammy Joseph grew up on the Westbank and played at Shaw before splitting his collegiate career at Colorado/LSU. Both coaches had playing stints in the NFL, and Joseph’s two older brothers are coaches – Mickey (WR/LSU) and Vance (HC/Denver Broncos).

LOUISIANA’S BEST
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association hands out yearly awards for the state’s best collegiate players and coaches which include FBS programs LSU, Tulane, Louisiana-Lafayette, and LA Tech. For 2017, Nicholls had eight players named All-Louisiana, led by first-team DL Kenny Dotson and K Lorran Fonseca. Landing on second team were OL Chandler Arceneaux, QB Chase Fourcade, WR Damion Jeanpiere, Jr., DL Sully Laiche, LB Allen Pittman, and P Tyler St. Germain. But headlining the award winners was head coach Tim Rebowe, who was named Louisiana Coach of the Year.

GNOSAC AWARDS
Along with winning LSWA Coach of the Year, Tim Rebowe was also recognized by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee by being named Outstanding College Coach for the State of Louisiana. He was one of five individuals to be honored in their respective categories, and joining him was Kansas Jayhawk rookie Pooka Williams.

SASHAYED BY
QB Chase Fourcade had nine rushing touchdowns as a freshman and one last season, but none was bigger than his game-winner at Kansas. On the second play of overtime, Fourcade ran to the left side and pushed through the defense for a 13-yard gain. Then on second-and-goal from the 4, he ran the same play to the right, cut up the field and side-stepped a defender en route to the end zone.

THROW ME SOMETHING, MISTER
Wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere, Jr. has been a big-time threat since his first breakout game in 2015, climbing his way to the sixth-most receiving yards in school history. Jeanpiere has nearly perfected catching the deep ball, as displayed on his 55-yard catch at Kansas. Last season, he had 62- and 77-yard TD receptions against McNeese, and a 57-yd grab at Sam Houston. His biggest output came at Texas A&M where he had 174 yards on five receptions.

OKAY, KENDALL. WE FORGIVE YOU
One of the most notable transfers to join the Colonels this season was former Texas A&M running back Kendall Bussey. A native of New Orleans, Bussey was responsible for the go-ahead touchdown in last year’s matchup with the Colonels. With the game tied at 14, he broke free for a 41-yard run before scoring on a 2-yard rush. His lone TD was against Nicholls before his breakout performance against Kansas in the opener where he rushed for a career high 123 yards and had a 40-yard TD.

SULLY SULLY
Junior defensive lineman Sully Laiche continues to be quarterbacks’ nightmare as he added two more career sacks to his impressive total. In just 23 career games, Laiche has 19.0 sacks with six games of two or more sacks. In the win against Kansas, his 4.0 TFLs set a new career high for the Lutcher graduate.

CHASE 5K
QB Chase Fourcade needs just 60 yards passing to become only the third Colonel to reach 5,000 for their career. In addition, he is just the sixth Colonel to record 2,000 passing yards in a single season. The feat has been accomplished eight times, and Fourcade’s 2,482 yards as a freshman was the third most in a single season. With two more 2,000-yard seasons, Fourcade would leave Nicholls as the all-time leader in passing yards.

1. 3,627 – Doug Hudson (1986)
2. 2,491 – Bobby McDaniel (1987)
3. 2,482 – Chase Fourcade (2016)
4. 2,374 – Brad Zeller (1998)
5. 2,356 – Gordon Falgoust (1981)
6. 2,348 – Doug Hudson (1985)
7. 2,316 – Chase Fourcade (2017)
8. 2,049 – Landry Klann (2012)

UP NEXT
Nicholls ends its three-game road swing to start the year with its conference opener at McNeese. Kickoff against the Cowboys on Sept. 15 is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be aired on Cox Sports TV and ESPN3.