Colonels ready for year 2 under Stubbs

Nicholls State football players aren’t afraid to admit that last season was sometimes a bit of a blur. That’s what happens when a first-year coach comes in and changes both a team’s offensive and defensive schemes.

“Last year, we wouldn’t pay attention to what the other team was doing very much,” sophomore quarterback Landry Klann said. “It was all making sure we were lined up right, making sure we were all about to run the same play and were on the same page.”

This year, players say the fuzziness is now crystal clear.

As a result, the Colonels believe victories are soon to follow.

After a year of transition from a triple option offense to a spread-out attack, the Colonels believe they are playing faster and without hesitation as they prepare to kick off year No. 2 of the Stubbs era tomorrow night against Evangel University at 6:30 p.m. at John L. Guidry Stadium.

With just more than 24 hours until kickoff, the mood around Thibodaux is the same for anyone asked, excitement.

“Our coaches have been helping us with a countdown, letting us know how many days we have until kickoff,” junior quarterback LaQuintin Caston said. “The anticipation is building, the mood is growing and it’s all about to burst. Everyone is just excited to get back onto the field.”

The Colonels finished Stubbs’ first season with a modest 4-7 record.

But dig deeper into the numbers and it’s easy to see why expectations are high in Thibodaux.

After a 2-7 start to 2010, Nicholls meshed late in the season and beat conference rivals Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana in consecutive weeks to finish the year.

“I’ve been ready to get back on the field since the very last game of last season,” junior linebacker Jordan Piper said. “Everybody around the program is anxious to see what we’re going to do. It’s an exciting time.”

Offensively, Nicholls returns three quarterbacks expected to see time under center.

Junior LaQuintin Caston is the primary returnee after completing 98-of-188 passes for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions last season.

Sophomore Landry Klann and redshirt freshman Beaux Hebert will also vie for playing time in Stubbs’ complex offensive system.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say they’ll all get game reps at some point during the season,” Stubbs said.

With the revolving door at quarterback, Nicholls also returns several offensive weapons from 2010, including halfback Marcus Washington and senior receivers Kenyad Blair and Joshua Warren.

The team also recruited several talented skill players in their 2011 recruiting class who may see burn in their true freshmen seasons.

“Coach Stubbs and our coaches have done a great job recruiting into the program the things that we need to be successful,” Hebert said.

The biggest difference offensively for Nicholls may come up front.

The Colonels struggled with offensive line youth and depth in 2010 and at times had problems protecting Caston.

But the Colonels inked several offensive linemen in the 2011 recruiting class.

The increased numbers have raised effort in practices, which Stubbs believes has made everyone better.

“We have a lot of young guys that are very eager,” Stubbs said. “So the biggest thing right there is we should have competition for positions and we should be able to sustain practices and games better by being able to have more kids available to play.”

Defensively, Nicholls returns a slew of contributors from last year’s unit, which had an up and down season in its transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 alignment.

The Colonels allowed 33.5 points per game last season, a stat that ranked near the bottom of the Southland Conference.

But Klann said he doesn’t believe the team’s defense is at fault for those statistics.

The sophomore quarterback said that blame should be attributed to the team’s offensive transition.

“Our defense was really good last year,” Klann said. “I expect them to be one of the best in the Southland this year. … Last year, we left them on the field too long. Anytime a team scored a lot of points on us, it was not because of them, it was because we couldn’t move the football and left them out there too long. Our defense is legit.”

One of the most prominent defensive returnees is Piper, who recorded 52 tackles after missing the first three games of the season with injury.

Joining him is First-Team All-Southland defensive back Bobby Felder, sophomore Jordan Hanberry and senior linebacker Shawn Elrod.

Running the field with so many familiar faces is a luxury most teams don’t have.

It’s a luxury the Colonels embrace.

“That’s a great advantage having all of those returning starters back,” Felder said. “That’s why a team is called a team. If you have a feel for the people around you, and if you and your teammates have gone through a lot of things together, you can sort of feel what the person next to you is going to do before they do it.”

“We’re comfortable,” Piper said. “We have a lot of guys with experience playing college ball. … By returning all of these starters, we’re all real close and we just have the ability to know what this person might do or what that person can’t do. … It’s a terrific thing.”

After tomorrow’s game, Nicholls will play road tilts with Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Western Michigan and UL-Lafayette, before leaping into Southland Conference play in a home tilt with Northwestern State.

Nicholls will host defending conference champion Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 22, before playing conference runner-up McNeese State on Nov. 5.

The Colonels hope to be one of those teams in 2011.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of the program.

“We’ve had so many people support us, people coming out and watching our scrimmages and stuff, it’s just such a big difference this year,” Piper said. “Even the coaches who have been here for a while can tell that the excitement is so much more now compared to where it was before. … It’s big time. It’s big time. We believe big things are ahead.

“We’re just ready to take the field and get it started.”

Colonels wide receiver Kenyad Blair breaks a tackle in spring practices. Blair is a returnee in 2011 as Nicholls hopes to have a strong season. CASEY GISCLAIR