Preston Joseph Hebert Sr.
October 28, 2008
Olive "Nookie" Sonnier Pitre
October 30, 2008
Nicholls State head football coach Jay Thomas, drenched in Gatorade, stood on the field at Cowboy Stadium in sheer relief as the clock dwindled down to all zeros.
The Colonels, who entered the game winless, weren’t supposed to keep the game against the 11th ranked McNeese State Cowboys close, much less take the win.
But they did.
As his team celebrated in jubilation, the “Pride of NSU” band played the fight song and alma mater while other members of the team bowed their heads and prayed.
After all, it’s been a long season for the Colonels. The team has been through everything this season, as they have lost two weeks of the season due to storms, have had to play three-straight games on the road, suffered a heartbreaking loss in the home opener and have struggled in the second half to finish games. Things finally came together Saturday.
Saturday’s performance was a complete football game for four quarters, a sound defensive effort, and most importantly, a 38-35 conference win on the road.
“I’m very proud of our team, it’s been a long year,” Thomas said. “We’re very proud of our guys, the way they came out and played tonight. We came out and finished a game for the first time this season.
Not only was the three-point win the first of the season for the Colonels, it was the first win in Lake Charles since 1998 and the first win over the Cowboys since 2005.
“We just didn’t do enough to win,” McNeese State head coach Matt Viator said. “Give Nicholls credit, they came out and made the big plays when they needed to. I know they wanted this win bad and they came here and earned it.”
The biggest key to the victory was a strong second half effort by the Colonels. For the first time all season, the Colonels held their opponents in check in the second half, outscoring the Cowboys 16-11.
The defense had a little something to do with that.
At halftime, the Cowboys had managed 98 yards rushing. By night’s end they totaled 120, only running for 22 yards in the second half.
“We took it back old school,” senior defensive back Lardarius Webb said. “We played hard. We went hard at practice and worked on finishing games. The defense came out and had a complete game.”
The biggest contributor on offense was quarterback Chris Bunch who knotted four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing) in the effort. Bunch’s two passing scores were to junior Antonio Robinson, a teammate of his at Rainey River Community College in Florida.
Robinson finished with two receptions for 71 yards. Bunch finished 3-for-4 passing for 79 yards and eight carries for 38 yards.
“I just had that feeling tonight to go to that side,” Bunch said. “They had a corner on that side, and I felt like he was beating him all night, so we kept going and going and eventually he was going to get it and that’s what we did. I credit the offensive line, they did their job and gave me time.”
Junior Marlin Meeks (six carries, 68 yards) led the team in rushing while Webb led all defenders with six tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Cowboys started the scoring with a touchdown on their opening drive of the game. The Southland Conference’s leading rusher Toddrick Pendland (15 carries, 93 yards, 1 touchdown) did the work from 39 yards out to cap off an 83-yard, six play drive. Blake Bercegeay added the extra point for McNeese State to go up 7-0 at the 13:02 mark of the first quarter.
However Nicholls responded. Senior Vincent Montgomery scored from 1-yard out and the Ross Schexnayder extra point tied the game, 7-7, at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter.
The first quarter ended with both teams tied 7-7, but the first play of the second quarter started a momentum swing for the Colonels as senior Chris Noble stripped Pendland of the ball and Webb recovered it at the McNeese 24-yard line. It only took three plays for the Colonels to score as Bunch found the end zone for the first time with a via a six-yard run up the middle. Schexnayder missed the extra point, and the Colonels led 13-7 with 13:35 to play in the second quarter.
On the ensuing drive, the Cowboys responded quickly. Quarterback Mark Fontenot found wide receiver Richard Connor open down the right sideline, where he later found the end zone. Bercegeay added the point after, and the Cowboys took the 14-13 lead at the 13:15 mark.
Both teams eventually nailed field goals, as Schexnayder hit a 37-yard field goal to take the 16-14 lead at the 10:26 mark of the second quarter, and Bercegeay made good on a 21-yard attempt to retake the 17-16 lead at the 7:02 mark.
After a Colonel punt, McNeese State responded back with a touchdown when Cowboy quarterback Derrick Fourroux dove across the plain for the 1-yard score. Bercegeay added the extra point to make the score 24-16 at the 4:29 mark.
Before halftime, Bunch scored again, this time a 5-yard run with 2:35 left to play. The score was the result of a four-play, 57-yard drive that was aided by a 45-yard run by Meeks. A failed two-point attempt made the score 24-22 at halftime.
After the intermission, the Colonels’ offense stalled to open the half, and the Cowboys responded with a 30-yard Bercegeay field goal at the 9:19 mark to go up 27-22.
The Colonels then followed with a touchdown of their own when Bunch found Robinson in the corner of the end zone from 13 yards out to go up 28-27 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
“I just want to thank God, my offensive line and my quarterback,” Robinson said. “All of them came to play today.”
The two connected again, from 58 yards out and the Colonels extrnded their lead. Schexnayder added the extra point as Nicholls went up 35-27 at the 8:04 mark of the fourth quarter.
With less than three minutes to play, Schexnayder added another crucial kick, this time from 37 yards out to put the Colonels up 38-27. The kick proved to be the game winner.
The final score of the game came when Derrick Fourroux (15-for-27, 216 yards, 1 touchdown) found wide receiver Steven Whitehead in the back of the end zone with 1:01 left on the clock to make the score 38-33. The Cowboys converted the two-point try to cut it within three, 38-35, with 1:01 left.
On the ensuing onside kick, the ball bounced right to Colonels senior Patrick Gordon, who held on and sealed the fate of the Cowboys and possibly put the Colonels right back in the conference mix.
“We do respect the tradition here,” Thomas said. “They have a good football program. As far as the (conference) race it’s going to be a barn burner down to the end. We have to show up ever Saturday and play and continue to get better.”
Nicholls State’s Jerald Watson flies over McNeese State’s Jamelle Juneau Saturday at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles in an effort to score. The Colonels picked up their first win of the season 38-35 over the No. 11 ranked Cowboys. * Photo by Brad Puckett/American Pres
