Colonels use bye to prep for Northern Iowa

The Nicholls State Colonels actually had a bye weekend, which they don’t mind.

This time instead of watching the Weather Channel to track storms, they’ve been watching themselves – particularly last Saturday’s 31-10 loss to the University of Memphis Tigers.

The Colonels used the weekend to fine-tune their game plan before heading to Northern Iowa tomorrow night.

Head coach Jay Thomas said after losing two games to hurricanes, it was good to finally be able to play. He now has a better idea of where the Colonels stand, and has tape to see where things went wrong.

“It’s finally good to get started first of all,” the coach said. “I really feel like it’s good that we do have an open date because we have an opportunity to fix some things. Some of it is technical, some of it is scheme and some of it is personnel.”

One thing Thomas already knows is that the road to improvement is paved with conditioning.

Losing 14 preparation days to storms didn’t help the Colonels. Thomas said conditioning played a key factor in the loss to the Tigers. He felt the Colonels held strong for three quarters, tying the score at 10 before halftime and only trailing 17-10 entering the final quarter.

But conditioning reared its head in the fourth quarter. The worn-down Colonels’ defense allowed two Tiger touchdowns.

“They played off of our conditioning,” Thomas said. “They knew that we had missed a number of days of practices and two games. That was their fourth game. They came out in the two-minute offense the entire game and that played on our conditioning.”

Despite the loss, Thomas commended the team for its effort. The coach said he was encouraged by the close score; especially against a team that had played three games this season.

With the off week, it’s been back to the basics for the Colonels. The offense only ran 39 plays against Memphis, so Thomas said it has been important to re-evaluate player’s game readiness.

“We had an opportunity to evaluate (the team) and we hadn’t had that opportunity with the first two games cancelled,” he said. “Right now, there is the utmost sense of urgency that anyone can possibly have as a coaching staff and as a team. Everyone is anxious to fix the things we need to and get back to work.”

High on the list of priorities is incorporating the game plan for Nicholls State’s next opponent, the University of Northern Iowa Panthers.

The game will be televised on ESPNU beginning at 6:35 p.m. tomorrow night.

One concern in the Memphis game was the Colonels’ triple-option offense. Thomas said for it to work effectively, players have to stick with their assignments.

When the Colonels return to action Saturday, they will be in unfamiliar territory – a domed stadium against a nationally-ranked FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) school.

The Panthers are just three year’s removed from being the runner-up in the Division I-FCS championship.

This season, Northern Iowa is 2-2. Running back Corey Lewis (297 rushing yards, one touchdown), quarterback Pat Grace (33-for-52, 442 yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions) and receiver Johnny Gray (145 yards, two touchdowns) – all seniors – are the core of the team’s offense.

This Colonels may have more than a fierce offense and defense to contend with. The visiting team will have an earful.

Northern Iowa’s home field has been declared one of the loudest FCS stadiums in the country by opposing coaches. The last time the Colonels played in a domed stadium was 2005; they lost 26-13 to North Dakota State at the Fargo Dome.

Thomas is relying on players who were at that game to help newcomers who’ve never played in a domed stadium prepare.

“I don’t know if you can ever prepare for it because it’s like playing in an arena,” the coach said. “I talked to coaches that have been there (UNI Dome) and have experienced it. We have players on our team that went to North Dakota State so we’ll let them bring their wisdom. We know it’s going to be loud.”

“There is going to be maybe 20,000 or 25,000 people in an enclosed environment,” he added. “We know they like to rattle the keys every time the visitors get the ball. We’ve got to go over that mountain.”

Tomorrow night’s showdown is similar to a chase for the playoffs, Thomas said, since the Panthers regularly reach the FCS playoffs.

“It’s no different this year with them being ranked right now,” he said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge and a huge task for our team to go up there. It’s going to be a playoff-type setting. That’s what we talked about yesterday as a team. We get an opportunity to see what it’s really like.”

After tomorrow night, Thomas said he’ll have a better idea if the Colonels are ready for Southland Conference play. A strong showing against a ranked team like Northern Iowa in a televised game could give his team the confidence it needs going into the conference schedule.

“It’ll be fun,” Thomas said. “Now we can really see what we’re made of.”

Nicholls State junior running back Marlin Meeks looks for running room against Memphis last Saturday. The Colonels used a bye week this past weekend to correct their mistakes and prepare for the University of Northern Iowa Thursday night on ESPNU. * Photo courtesy of NSU