Colonels earn bid to FCS Playoffs

Members of the Nicholls State University community thought the Colonels had to win Thursday against Southeastern Louisiana to punch a ticket into the Football Championship Playoffs.

But as it turns out, the Colonels had nothing to worry about. They were in the field all along.

Nicholls lost 21-17 against Southeastern – a tough defeat that had many thinking that the team’s season would end in heartbreak in Hammond.

But despite the loss, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee decided on Sunday morning that Nicholls had done enough to play a playoff game, rewarding the Colonels with a spot in the coveted 24-team field.

Nicholls will face South Dakota on Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium – the fourth time the Colonels reach the postseason in their history.

Kickoff for the game is set for 3 p.m. and it will be broadcast live on ESPN 3.

“We’re just excited,” coach Tim Rebowe said. “I was excited for the group. When they saw their name go across that screen, there was just a lot of emotion by a lot of people. It was well-deserved. These guys have been working hard. And look, everybody in the country works hard. But our body of work in getting eight wins, I think it’s well deserved.”

The Colonels will be facing an opponent that’s entering postseason play devoid of momentum.

The Coyotes won their first six games of the season, including an eight-point win over Bowling Green – an FBS opponent.

But since that time, South Dakota has leaked oil.

The Coyotes enter the playoffs, having lost four of their past five games, including three straight.

But some of the losses have some against some of the top teams in the country, including a close, hard-fought 31-28 loss against South Dakota State on Saturday.

The Coyotes are balanced, possessing the ability to both run and pass.

Quarterback Chris Streveler is one of the best quarterbacks in the FCS.

For the season, he’s completed 258-of-390 passes for 3,236 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions.

By comparison, Nicholls quarterback Chase Fourcade is a good player, but he has only completed 141-of-263 passes for 2,084 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“Chris is among our leaders,” Coyotes coach Bob Nielson said earlier this season. “He has a good sense for the pocket and a good awareness to keep his eyes down the field. He’s a really good player. We are awfully comfortable with him running our offense.”

In the running game, the Coyotes utilize a committee approach.

Streveler is a comfortable runner, owning 635 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. When the Coyotes hand off the ball, their top weapons are Michael Frederick (686 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Kai Henry (578 yards, 6 touchdowns).

For the season, South Dakota has 2,285 yards rushing with 27 touchdowns.

By comparison, they only have allowed 1,879 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns.

Defensively, the Coyotes are hit or miss. They’ve allowed fewer than 10 points in four of their 11 games.

But lately, they’ve been gashed and have allowed 30 or more points in four or their past five games.

But at this point, that’s all semantics for members of the Nicholls community who are just grateful to be chosen for a 12th game.

Rebowe said he wanted to thank the Southland Conference’s committee, which made cases for all of the league’s teams before the selection committee. The conference got three teams in the field.

Rebowe said the ability to be at home also feels good, too.

Nicholls was undefeated on their home field this regular season and now, they’ll have the opportunity to defend that perfect record in a high stakes game – one of the biggest games in the history of the Colonels’ program.

Rebowe said he hopes a big crowd turns out to support the team, though that shouldn’t be a problem.

In the final stretch of the season, the Colonels were overflowing Guidry Stadium and last Thursday against Southeastern, the team sold its full allotment of tickets and filled the stadium.

“To be at home,” Rebowe said. “That’s just the icing on the cake.”

Nicholls football

Follow Casey on Twitter for more. 

https://twitter.com/casey_gisclair