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September 27, 2017
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September 27, 2017
Nicholls picked a bad time to play one of their poorest games in the Tim Rebowe Era.
The Colonels struggled mightily on Saturday against No. 3 Sam Houston State and the Bearkats made Nicholls pay a stiff price on the scoreboard.
Sam Houston beat the Colonels 66-17, dominating the game from start-to-finish with dominant offense and a stingy defense that showed the entire Football Championship Subdivision why many consider the Bearkats among the favorites to win the national championship.
“We didn’t want to be that team that would get a lead and get disinterested,” Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler said. “We got a lot of young guys to play in the second half, which was great. It was great to see us get a few three and outs and get the offense in the end zone. … I thought we played at a high level on all three phases and again, I think the team did a really good job about coming out of halftime.”
The Colonels were overwhelmed from the opening whistle.
Sam Houston got the ball first and struck in just two plays – a 56-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeremi Briscoe to receiver Nathan Stewart, which made the score 7-0.
In the early hole, Nicholls never recovered. After a few possession changes, Sam Houston struck again on a 38-yard run from Remus Bulmer, which made the game 14-0.
By the time the first half was over, the Bearkats’ team speed had completely overwhelmed Nicholls and the game had spun out of control – a 38-3 lead in favor of the home standing powerhouse.
“The wide outs were doing well and we got our running backs going,” Keeler said. “But the people we should recognize is the offensive line. They did a great job protecting and opening up holes. We are really pleased with how the offensive line is playing and was it was one of the bright spots today.”
In the second half, the outcome was never in doubt, but the Bearkats kept roaring, scoring three-straight touchdowns in the first 11 minutes of the quarter to balloon their lead to 59-3.
Nicholls had several chances at possession to try and get some momentum, but the offense never could get into a rhythm.
Quarterback Chase Fourcade was 11-of-24 in the defeat with 136 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The Colonels turned over the ball three times in the loss, which allowed for 14 Sam Houston State points.
The Bearkats didn’t much need the help, running 82 plays in the win for 619 yards.
Sam Houston was able to both run and pass, generating 258 rushing yards and 361 passing yards, while gaining 32 first downs in the win.
Bearkats quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe was huge in the win, completing 23-of-36 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns. His top target was receiver Nathan Steward, who caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores.
“We have the best receiving core in the country,” Briscoe said in the win. “So it’s fun to rely on not just one person, but all of them. It’s up to all of us as a whole unit to be in the zone and I think it’s only going to get better.”
In the fourth quarter, Nicholls got a little bit of a good feeling when Fourcade hit receiver Damion Jeanpierre on a 57-yard touchdown strike to make the score 59-10.
After Sam Houston State answered with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive of their own, the Colonels got the final points of the game on a one-yard touchdown run from Donnell Adair with 50 seconds left to send the game to its final margin.
With the loss, Nicholls is now 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in Southland Conference play.
The Colonels have won both of their games at John L. Guidry Stadium, but is 0-2 on the road, which is a trend that the team needs to fix before Saturday when the Colonels travel to Beaumont to take on Lamar.
The Cardinals are 1-3 so far this season, but are 0-2 in Southland Conference play.
They’ve played in Louisiana the past two weekend and haven’t had any luck, falling 35-28 at Northwestern State on Sept. 16 and then losing 49-21 at Southeastern on Saturday.
Quarterback Darrel Colbert Jr. leads the Cardinals offense, completing 66-of-118 passes with 738 yards and eight touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
But the Cardinals’ defense has been a bit of an Achilles heel this season, which could allow the Colonels to take advantage of some opportunities throughout the game.
Lamar allows 438.3 yards per game, including 265.8 yards rushing per game.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast online on ESPN3. It will also be radio broadcast on ESPN-New Orleans (100.3 FM).
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