Festivals abound in October
October 19, 2011
Grand Réveil Acadien!
October 19, 2011
The giant on-field scoreboard resting on the natural grass track of the Nicholls State practice field is blank.
It’s been off for a while now as managers approach the giant object and begin to lug it off the field.
Its work for the day is done.
The Colonels have just gone through a rugged, two-hour practice to prepare for their opponent, the scoreboard precisely timing each session of the day’s work.
Colonels players follow suit and are jogging their sweat-soaked bodies into Barker Hall where the team’s locker room is located.
For one man, the two hours of grinding isn’t enough.
Nestled in the back corner of the practice field, Colonels sophomore quarterback Landry Klann’s work for the day is just getting started.
The signal caller is practicing technique, tossing passes to a couple receivers he asked to stay after practice, anything to polish his craft and turn the Colonels’ season around after being named the team’s starter.
“Landry just has a relentless work ethic, both on and off the field,” Nicholls State coach Charlie Stubbs touts. “I like that.”
“I just work,” Klann says, brushing away the notion that he’s going above and beyond his duty. “This is my job.”
Klann’s rise to the playing field this season wasn’t expected.
The 6-feet, 3-inch passer played eight games as a true freshman in 2010, tossing for 391 yards and a touchdown, while completing 35-of-60 passes.
His efforts were enough to catch the eye of Colonels coach Charlie Stubbs who decided Klann would be a big part of the team’s plans in future seasons.
To protect those future interests, Stubbs was going to redshirt Klann this season and allow returning starter LaQuintin Caston to share the job with freshman Beaux Hebert, who was redshirted last season.
That meant Klann had to take fewer reps in practice because he wasn’t a major part of the team’s game plan.
The San Antonio native never wavered, saying from day one he dedicated himself to getting better, whether he was on the field or not in 2011.
“I knew that if I used this year wisely, with the redshirt and everything like that, then I knew it could be very beneficial to me,” Klann said. “Once that really registered and stuff, it really became easy. I just was making the most of the opportunity and getting to prepare and see everything from the sideline.
“And it was a slower pace and better for learning, because I didn’t get hit if I was wrong from the sidelines.”
Somewhere in the blur that is an 11-game college football season, things changed and the quarterback’s learning and progression was put to the test.
Caston, out with a concussion, not 100 percent.
Hebert, out with a shoulder injury, also not 100 percent.
Klann was thrust into action.
“With the injuries to the other guys, we didn’t know what direction necessarily to take,” Stubbs said. “But I talked to Landry and he was super excited to finish up his supposed-to-be redshirt year competing and going.”
Klann wasn’t the only person ‘going’ in his first start, the Colonels offense moved briskly, as well.
In his first game action of the season, Klann completed 19-of-26 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown.
He also used his feet to his advantage, rushing for 35 yards and a touchdown.
As a whole, Nicholls’ offense posted 31 points and accumulated 375 yards of total offense.
“Many could tell instantly why I redshirted him,” Stubbs said. “Because he has an excellent future here. … You can tell he really paid attention with limited reps during the first half of the season. He came in and the game wasn’t too big for him.”
Klann’s second start wasn’t near the success the first was, but Stubbs said the sophomore will be given an opportunity to play through the remainder of the season.
The coach said Klann brings a leadership that the Colonels haven’t had in Stubbs’ one and a half years with the program.
“He brings that something we’ve been lacking, that true leadership,” Stubbs said. “He’s got some moxxy about him. … He tries to encourage and motivate the other players, which is something we definitely need.”
Junior defensive lineman Edet Udoh agrees, saying the team rallies around its new starting quarterback.
“Landry just has that leadership quality,” Udoh said. “I see that he shows signs of greatness and I’m behind him 100 percent. He came with that spark and he energized us. … He makes us all better.”
With the second half of the season looming, it will take a strong leader to turn things around in Thibodaux.
Nicholls has limped to a 1-6 start to its season.
The slow start comes during a time in the program in which the Colonels had high expectations for the season after winning its final three games in 2010.
Part of the Colonels’ problem has been an inability to deal with adversity.
Nicholls has competed in close to every game this season. But inability to handle negative plays has cost the team wins.
Against UL-Lafayette, a blocked field goal caused the team to fold. In Klann’s first start against Central Arkansas, it was a combination of mental mistakes and miscues that left the team one yard short of victory.
Literally one yard, the Colonels were stopped at the goal line going in for what they hoped would be a last-second, game-winning touchdown.
“When we lose momentum, we’ve just had a really hard time getting it back,” Stubbs said. “We need to fix that. When things are going good, we’re fine. But in every game, something catastrophic happens and we’re just not able to recover.”
But no one within the Colonels locker room believes folding is an option.
The team hopes to have a similar strong finish in its role as spoiler in the conference championship chase.
“We still have [four] great opportunities,” Stubbs said.
“We’re making progress,” Udoh added. “We’re headed in the right direction.”
A lot of the optimism is there because of the team’s new quarterback.
Maybe with a little more work after practice, a ‘W’ will be within reach.
Either way, the Colonels believe they’ve found the second half spark they need in Klann.
“I’m anxious to see where he goes from here,” Stubbs said.
Nicholls State sophomore quarterback Landry Klann shows his posture at a recent practice. Klann is the team’s third starting quarterback this season, providing the team leadership it hasn’t previously had, according to coach Charlie Stubbs. CASEY GISCLAIR
