Darlene Smith-Moore
September 14, 2016
Patrick Landry
September 14, 2016
One of the biggest upsets in the history of college football nearly took place this weekend in Athens, Georgia.
And it was Nicholls State University that stood just a couple plays away from completely shocking the entire college football world and sending College Football Playoff prognostications into a tizzy.
The Colonels were 55.5-point underdogs on Saturday against Georgia – the always-powerful program which entered the game ranked No. 9 in the country.
But Nicholls never faltered, and fought the Bulldogs tooth and nail the entire game.
The final score was 26-24 in favor of Georgia, which improves to 2-0 on the season.
But while the Colonels were defeated on the scoreboard, it’s hard to argue that the team was victorious in proving to the world that they are a rebuild program that now has to be taken very, very seriously in year two under coach Tim Rebowe.
“It’s a tough game,” an emotional Rebowe said just minutes after the matchup ended. “I’m just proud of our players. They fought hard, played hard. … We found out some things tonight about our team.”
“They played outstanding football. We have a lot of respect for their program,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart added. “They took the game to us in a lot of respects, and they were really ready to play.”
Things didn’t look good early for the Colonels.
Georgia took its opening drive straight down the field – a five-play, 67-yard drive capped on a 6-yard touchdown run by All-American halfback Nick Chubb, which put the Bulldogs on top 7-0.
Georgia added another score in the second quarter – a short field goal by kicker William Ham to go up 10-0.
But the Colonels never let up, and in many ways, they got the better of the Bulldogs in the final 40 minutes of the game.
The Colonels got their first points of the game right before halftime – a four-yard run from Dontrell Taylor, which sent the game to halftime with Georgia on top 10-7.
“Halftime was reaffirming,” Rebowe said. “We were so unknown. It was a new year, and we didn’t know how we would look. We had some guys really step up. … We found out a lot.”
One of the guys who stepped up was a young quarterback who gave Colonels fans a glimpse into what may be an incredibly bright future.
Saturday marked the first start in the career of touted true freshman quarterback Chase Fourcade – a standout who landed in Thibodaux after a decorated, championship-winning career with Rummel.
Fourcade said he struggled early, but settled in as the game went on. He finished 9-of-19 with 99 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed four times for 27 yards.
It is not yet known if he’s the team’s full-time starter.
Tuskani Figaro, who was pegged to be the starter throughout the offseason, did not play in the game.
“(He) did a great job,” Rebowe said of the freshman quarterback.
“It was a good first game for us to take into next week.”
But it was nearly a win.
Georgia scored first in the second half on another short kick by Ham, which gave the Bulldogs a 13-7 lead.
But then the Colonels struck back.
Nicholls answered the field goal with a touchdown – an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 20-yard pass from Fourcade to Jarrell Rogers, which gave the Colonels a 14-13 lead and which sent shockwaves through the college football landscape.
“It was maybe surprising to you in the press, but it wasn’t to us,” Chubb said. “We knew these guys came out here to play for their first game of the season. We expected them to come with a lot of energy and they showed it.
“Those guys are good. They played their tails off today.”
Georgia battled back late in the third, getting two-straight touchdowns to go back on top 26-14 – scores that many thought would be the death knell to the Colonels chances.
But Nicholls wouldn’t take no for an answer turning two Georgia turnovers into 10 points – a 26-yard field goal from David McKey and a six-yard touchdown pass from Fourcade to C.J. Bates, which made the score 26-24 in favor of Georgia with 3:42 to play.
The Colonels had chances to get the ball back and make things interesting, pinning the Bulldogs deep inside their own territory in the final drive of the game.
But Georgia converted multiple third-down conversions in the final drive, which allowed Goliath to seal its victory over David.
After the game, Rebowe and others had a bittersweet tone. Sure, the Colonels would have loved to win the game, and the fact that they got so close and came up short was disappointing.
But the Colonels also weren’t afraid to acknowledge that a line in the sand has now been drawn and this result proves that Nicholls football can do anything if the team buys in and accepts where the program is headed.
As the Colonels arrived back in Thibodaux on Saturday night, they were greeted by loyal Nicholls fans who turned out to show their appreciation to the team – one which Rebowe said can continue to get even better in the weeks to come.
“We’re going to have to watch this film and there’s still areas where we can get better,” Rebowe said. “But we’re awfully proud of our guys. They left everything out on the field for us today.”
The Colonels will play their home debut on Saturday – a conference-opening tilt with Incarnate Word.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at John L. Guidry Stadium.
Morgan City native and Nicholls senior Josh Singleton tries to turn the corner during Saturday’s game against Georgia. Despite being 55-point underdogs in the game, Nicholls played tough and challenged the Bulldogs for the entire game, falling 26-24 in one of the biggest surprises of the college football weekend.
The Nicholls State University defense gets amped up before Saturday’s game at Georgia. The Colonels played well defensively, limiting Georgia halfback Nick Chubb to fewer than 100 yards. The Colonels take on Incarnate Word this weekend.
