Mike Tyson syndrome hurts the Saints
December 5, 2018
Colonels find their stride with big wins
December 5, 2018
BY Casey Gisclair
casey@rushing-media.com
The Nicholls State University football team’s journey toward a national championship ended on Saturday in a 42-21 loss at Eastern Washington.
But though the ride ended short of the team’s ultimate goals — there is absolutely, positively no doubt that the 2018 Colonels football season was a success — especially for the team’s senior class, which has single-handedly helped catapult the team from irrelevance to dominance.
“Those guys left it all on the field and with great leadership,” Colonels coach Tim Rebowe said. “We didn’t lose tonight, we just came up a little bit short. We have a special group, there was a bond in the locker room that they built. They came from nothing and taught each other how to win and how to build a program. I can’t say enough or thank them enough for what they did for Nicholls.”
Let’s go back to Nov. 2014.
The Colonels were not a good football team. They were an even worse football program.
Nicholls lost every game in 2014. Most were not competitive. Then-coach Charlie Stubbs resigned in the middle of the season for health reasons. His tenure likely wasn’t going to last much longer anyway because of the team’s lack of success.
The Colonels’ 2014 year ended with a thud — a 62-3 home loss against rival Southeastern.
That game was on Nov. 20. As reporters left John L. Guidry Stadium, they were informed that a press conference had been called for the next day to introduce the program’s new coach.
That’s the day that Nicholls turned itself around.
Rebowe came into this program and has worked relentlessly to help get it where it is today.
At his introductory press conference, he promised to recruit local. He promised to give his time and energy to the community. He promised to return Nicholls to the winner’s circle.
He’s done all three over time.
And he’s gotten a lot of help along the way, as well, from a talented group of players that he’s recruited to Thibodaux.
The most notable signee of the Rebowe Era, of course, is quarterback Chase Fourcade — a guy who has become the face of the Nicholls football program over the past several seasons.
But Rebowe and his coaching staff have also found several other diamonds in the rough — dominant program players who have made huge impacts on this team.
Where would the Colonels’ offense be without Dontrell Taylor, Kyran Irvin, Damion Jeanpiere, Dai’Jean Dixon and linemen Chandler Arceneaux, Eddie Houston, Ryan Hanley and others?
Where would that defense be without Sully Laiche, Corey Abraham, Evan Veron, Ahmani Martin and Hezekiah White, among others?
Where the future goes from here for the Colonels, one will never know.
But today, we wanted to thank the coaching staff, players and athletic administration for the ride that we’ve enjoyed for the past several months.
Congratulations, Colonels, on an amazing 2018 season — one which we will never soon forget.
You guys will forever be a part of local athletic history. •
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