Colonels down Houston Baptist

Several locals qualify for State Playoffs

November 7, 2018

Playoff Q’s and A’s

November 7, 2018

Nicholls was heavily favored to beat Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon in Texas.

It showed.

The Colonels took care of business early and often, not leaving anything to chance in a lopsided win.

Nicholls walloped the Huskies 41-20 on Saturday afternoon, generating 616 total yards of offense in a blowout that wasn’t as close as the scoreboard would indicate because of a late flurry by Houston Baptist.

In victory, Nicholls improved to 6-3 on the season and 5-2 in Southland Conference play. They’re well in the thick of things in the chase for a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

Coach Tim Rebowe said earlier in the week on his weekly radio show that he wanted his team to peak and play its best football at the right time of the season.

It’s hard to argue that the Colonels did that against the Huskies — especially early in the game.

Nicholls got one of its best signs of the season early in the game, taking the ball on its first drive 30 yards down the field on a scoring drive capped with a 56-yard field goal from Lorran Fonseca to take a 3-0 lead.

Kicking has been a huge bugaboo for Nicholls at times this year, but Fonseca showed his leg on that play, which motivated the team for the rest of the first half.

After a defensive stop, Nicholls didn’t settle for a field goal on its second drive, marching 45 yards on 6 plays with a touchdown drive capped by a short run from Kendall Bussey to go on top 10-0 — a score which held through the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Nicholls delivered the knockout punch.

They extended their lead to 17-0 on a 66-yard drive capped by by a pass from quarterback Chase Fourcade to Dontrell Taylor.

Fourcade was magnificent on Saturday, making plays in every phase. He completed 24-of-30 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 13 times for 39 yards and two scores in the win.

On the other side of the ball, Nicholls was flawless, limiting Houston Baptist to negative-21 yards rushing on 21 attempts — the most dominant showing for the team up front all season.

With the Huskies punting or having empty drives over and over throughout the first half, Nicholls continued to pounce.

The Colonels added a field goal midway through the second quarter to go up 20-0, then capped the half with an 80-yard touchdown drive on a 2-yard pass from Fourcade to Dai’Jean Dixon to push ahead 27-0.

In the second half, Nicholls softened a touch, but the Huskies never got close to making the game dramatic.

The onslaught continued in the third quarter when the Colonels opened the half with a 6-yard run from Fourcade to go up 34-0.

After that score, the Huskies got on the board for the first time on a long touchdown pass from Bailey Zappe to Terry Tillmon to cut the advantage to 34-7.

But Nicholls didn’t stand idle, taking that touchdown back on a run from Fourcade to go up 41-7 at the end of the third quarter — the final score of the day for the Colonels.

In the fourth quarter, Nicholls played reserves and the Huskies took advantage, getting a punt return touchdown midway through the quarter to cut the lead to 41-14, then a one-yard score in the final minutes to send the game to its final margin.

But Nicholls was dominant.

The Colonels rushed for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the win with the usual multi-faceted attack.

Taylor had 9 carries for 104 yards, while Bussey pushed forward for 64 yards and a score on 12 carries.

Freshman Julien Gums had 8 carries for 42 yards, while backup quarterback Charles Brooks made some late-game plays, pushing forward for 40 yards on 8 carries.

Tahj Smith and Mason Boudreaux also got work late in the game, as well, logging positive carries for the Colonels.

But the victory wasn’t the only positive thing that happened to Nicholls on Saturday.

Southeastern Louisiana beat McNeese State 23-6 on Saturday, which catapults Nicholls into a three-way tie for first-place in the Southland with Incarnate Word and the Cowboys — all with 5-2 records.

All three teams have the same record and have beaten one another, which complicates the standings, but if the Colonels win out and end up tied with just Incarnate Word, they would be the champion because of a head-to-head victory. If Nicholls ties with just McNeese, the Cowboys would win the crown for the same reason — a head-to-head victory over the Colonels.

The Colonels will take on Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium — another chance to pad their playoff resume.

Kickoff for that game is set for 3 p.m.