No. 19 Nicholls clips UIW on Homecoming, 48-21

THIBODAUX, La. – Junior quarterback Chase Fourcade accounted for five touchdowns for the second straight home game and the Nicholls State University defense had a dominating performance against first-place UIW, as the Colonels rolled to a 48-21 victory on Homecoming Saturday evening at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium.

No. 19/20 Nicholls (5-3, 4-2 SLC) piled up 566 yards of offense, with 408 coming in the first half. Dontrell Taylor (117 yards, six carries) started the game with a 66-yard touchdown run en route to his second 100-yard effort in the last three games. The run set the tone for the big day for the Colonels on offense, which fueled a commanding 38-7 advantage at halftime.

Fourcade finished with 266 yards and four touchdowns on 15-of-18 passing. His pin-point accuracy led to a new single-game record in completion percentage at 80 percent (16-20), which surpassed the previous mark of 78.8 percent set in 1983 against Southwest Missouri. He also added 42 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.

The Colonel defense contributed to the fast start, with Laryon James recovering two fumbles by UIW quarterback Jon Copeland in the first quarter. UIW drove into the red zone on their opening possession, but Copeland mishandled the ball and James scooped it up. On their next drive, Ahmani Martin forced a fumble on a sack and James came away with the ball at the UIW 6. Both turnovers led to the first career touchdown catches by tight end Jordan Talley from 6 and 8 yards.

With Nicholls leading 21-0, the Cardinals got on the board before the end of the quarter on a 2-yard catch by Phillip Baptiste. But Nicholls quickly answered with a 42-yard touchdown catch by Gabe Fuselier.

Midway through the quarter, Nicholls added three points on a 29-yard field goal by Lorran Fonseca. The drive was set up by a fourth-down stop from the defense and a 47-yard rush by Taylor on the second play.

Before the break, Fourcade and Damion Jeanpiere, Jr., who had 127 yards receiving on three receptions, hooked up for a long 70-yard pass. Fourcade followed with a 10-yard scoring run for a 38-7 lead.

In the third, Foucade and Jeanpiere connected again, this time for a 48-yard touchdown to put the count at 45-7. Jeanpiere caught the ball in the flat, shook a defender and raced down the sideline for his second touchdown of the year.

UIW scored in the third after recovering their own fumble in the end zone. For the rest of the game, Nicholls went to its backups as the team matched its third-largest margin of victory in conference since joining the Southland.

Copeland threw for 392 yards and three scores on 32-of-47 but was sacked six times by six different Colonels. The defense had a total of eight players with four or more tackles, led by safety Khristian Mims with six. Nicholls also held the league’s leading rusher, Ra’Quanne Dickens, to 24 yards on seven carries.

UP NEXT

The Colonels head to Houston for their final road game, taking on HBU on Saturday (Nov. 3). Kickoff at Husky Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will stream on the Southland Digital Network.