October 14
October 14, 2008October 16
October 16, 2008
Finally!
Those are the words the Nicholls State Colonel football team can breathe as they finally get to play at home Saturday against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
The Colonels fell 36-28 to Northwestern State in Saturday’s opening Southland Conference match-up of the season.
After coming back from a 16-point deficit in the first half to take a 22-21 lead to the locker room, the Colonels were outscored in the second half.
The Colonels (0-3, 0-1 SLC) have put that loss behind them and look to use this weekend as a chance to finally get over the winless hump.
Head coach Jay Thomas commended his team’s efforts against the Demons, but he understands there is still work to be done.
“The guys played hard, and we played real well,” he said. “Turpin Stadium is always a tough place to go play.”
He certainly feels the Colonels are capable of competing, as they erased an early 16-point deficit in the first half to take a 22-21 lead at halftime.
The biggest thing Thomas said the Colonels have to improve on is capitalizing on any scoring opportunities the opponents give them. However, he feels just being able to play in front of the home crowd will be enough to get his team ready.
“We had our opportunities in the game and capitalized on some, but we missed out on some key ones,” the fifth-year head coach said. “The team is definitely looking forward to playing in front of the home fans for a change next week.”
Despite the loss, Thomas noted bright spots for the Colonels in the loss to the Demons.
Senior Lardarius Webb finished the night with 178 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 78-yard touchdown. He also finished with 214 all-purpose yards.
Also, senior quarterback Chris Bunch played arguably the best game of his Colonel career, going 4-for-15 for 100 yards and a touchdown, and carrying the ball 12 times for 95 yards.
Ross Schexnayder added two field goals (27, 36) and is now 4-4 on the season.
Defensively, junior Garrick Spain recorded 10 tackles (nine solo) and redshirt freshman Anri Stewart added six tackles in the effort.
The Colonels’ first two scoring drives were made possible by two 50-plus yard kickoff returns by Nicholls’ special teams unit. Both resulted in the two field goals by Schexnayder as the offense struggled to move the ball down field. Webb was responsible for the first return of 52-yards, and true freshman Cornell Howard made due on the second by scampering 54-yards.
In between Schexnayder field goals in the first quarter, the Demons reached paydirt on a 46-yard pass play from John Hundley to Dudley Guice. The scoring drive went a total of 60-yards on four plays and used 1:50 off the clock. It was also the first Northwestern State touchdown against Nicholls since the 2005 season.
The Demons added to their lead in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 1:24 mark. Byron Lawrence did the honor and Robert Weeks followed with the point after for Northwestern State to take the 14-6 lead. The drive used 3:06 off the clock, and covered 48-yards on six plays.
Hundley continued to have success against the Colonel defense as he found Gordon Freeman for the 2-yard strike early in the second quarter. Weeks added the PAT to cap off the five-play, 30-yard scoring drive that resulted from a senior Vincent Montgomery fumble. The touchdown gave Northwestern State a 21-6 lead, and 14 unanswered points.
However, the Colonels’ offense settled in and got in a groove as they ended the first half with 17 consecutive points to take a 22-21 halftime lead.
Schexnayder connected on a 20-yard field goal at the 9:39 mark, which was followed by a powerful Nicholls defensive stand to put the offense back on the field.
With that series, senior Chris Bunch found junior Antonio Robinson down the left side for a 63-yard scoring reception. Schexnayder added the PAT to cut into the Demon lead and make the score 21-16 at the 7:28 mark.
Robinson, a former junior college teammate of Bunch’s, had four receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
After forcing another punt, the Colonels cashed in on what could have been a disastrous situation when Bunch over-pitched junior A.J. Williams in the backfield on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. The Demons failed to recover the loose ball, but senior Colonel Isa Hines scooped it up and fully extended to cross the plane for the score. Schexnayder added the PAT, and Nicholls took the lead 22-21 at the 3:13 mark. Neither team scored for the remainder of the half.
The third quarter was dominated by special-teams play, which was responsible for both teams’ points during the 15-minute period. Weeks nailed two field goals in the quarter with the first testing his leg from 48-yards, but he made it with ease to retake the lead 24-22 at the 10:29 mark.
Nicholls’ Webb took all momentum back with his 78-yard kickoff return following the Weeks field goal, giving the Colonels the 28-24 lead. Weeks made his second field goal of the quarter at the 7:16 mark with this one coming from 43-yards out. The field goal was made possible by a seven-play, 36-yard drive.
The Demons padded their lead in the fourth as Sterli Endsley ran it in from 10 yards out to put Northwestern ahead for good, but then Branch failed to convert on the two-point conversion and the Demons were left hanging on to a six-point advantage. But Northwestern State would get on the board once more before the end of the night as Weeks put one between the uprights from 29 yards out for a 36-28 lead to finish out the night.
Thomas said it would be up to all of the athletes to step up again if the Colonels wanted to remain competitive against the Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks enter Saturday’s game 3-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. They defeated Kentucky Wesleyan Saturday 49-0.
When the Colonels take the field Saturday, they’ll be the last Division I institution to play a home football game this year, Thomas said.
The team hopes the loss to the Demons was a lesson they can carry into the remainder conference play, as they look towards the remainder of the season.
Nicholls State quarterback Chris Bunch was a bright spot in the Colonel’s offense against the Northwestern State Demons Saturday. The Colonels play their first home game of the season Saturday against Stephen F. Austin. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
