Nicholls State University football team is experiencing the growing pains associated with new beginnings, which is only more reason why they need our support Saturday.

Head football coach Tim Rebowe inherited a 0-12 team riding a 16 game losing streak when he was hired in Nov. 2014. That number has swollen to 19 games after the Colonels dropped the first three games this season by a combined score of 10-115.

“We never want to be satisfied with the way we play,” Rebowe said. The team always gets back to work in the film room on Sunday after Saturday games, which Rebowe said does not allow the negatives to dwell in the players minds for too long.

The Colonels are putting up a fight. However, losing their only Southland Conference game to the University of Incarnate Word with a score of 20-10 does not reflect how close the actual game was. The referee called back an interception returned for a touchdown by Darius Knight, which would have given the Colonels a 17-13 lead with under four minutes in the fourth quarter, and points were taken off the board after a phantom block in the back call.

Rebowe has preached patience when it comes to this football program. This team has invested in youth, with 27 players getting their first experience on the collegiate level in the first two weeks. In two to three years, the freshman players that Rebowe, defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki and offensive coordinator Rob Christophel have recruited to fit in their systems will be seasoned juniors and seniors with invaluable experience under their belts.

The team was pleased Rebowe with the progress he saw from them in the week two loss from the week one loss, but they did not steadily increase this past weekend. Instead, the Colonels took a step back in the rushing and passing totals in the 48-0 loss to the University of Colorado. Much of that has to do with Nicholls moving up in the level of competition, as the Buffalos play in the power 5 conference PAC-12, but Rebowe said a lot of it had to do with his own team’s shortcomings.

“We found some positives to move forward,” Rebowe said. “Now we have to focus on getting ready for a very good McNeese squad for our home opener.”

There are many reasons for students to pack John L. Guidry stadium on Saturday: homecoming, the game leaves your night free because it’s in the middle of the day and it’s the first home game. As the homecoming shirt says, we must be “All In,” which means supporting this team and this University’s athletic programs, no matter what their records are.

Fans measure growth in wins and losses, but that is an unfair metric for this situation. A brand new coaching staff starting from scratch must be afforded unlimited time to iron out imperfections, something Rebowe knows takes time.

“Good things come to those who wait,” Rebowe said, “but geat things come to those who work. We just have to keep chopping wood every day.”