With one week separating the Nicholls football team from the season opener at Georgia, they continue to put in the work that will allow all of their parts to run smoothly.

The Colonels have been committed to the success of the 2016 season throughout the entire summer. More football players than ever before decided to stay in Thibodaux instead of going home once spring classes ended. On campus, the athletes were able utilize the weight room and train alongside each other with the guidance of strength and conditioning coach, Greg Carrasquillo.

“We had about 75 guys stay here for the summer working out. It goes a long way for the team chemistry and comradery, working out together, and pushing each other,” Head Coach Tim Rebowe said.

Senior offensive lineman Chris Bordelon and senior defensive back B.T. Sanders feel passionately about their work over the summer and how it will affect their team as they gear up for game play next Saturday, September 10.

“That’s what this summer was all about. We had a lot of guys stick around and a lot of people improved,” Bordelon said. “Coach Greg put us in the right direction. We know we have to put in the work for it to show on the field.”

Sanders, who was named Second Team All-Southland and Second Team All-Louisiana last season, said the driving force behind the defensive efforts throughout their summer and preseason training has been a “relentless effort.”

“I like winning and I like success,” Sanders said. “We want to multiply the successes we had last year and add to that.”

In order to build on the progress made last season, the Colonels know they must focus on the fundamentals of the game. Sanders noted that when a player is tired, all a player has left are basic fundamentals to rely on.

“It all comes back to fundamentals,” Bordelon said. “Once we get into the swing, we’re going to start clicking, and we’ll know what else we need to work on.”

Offensive Coordinator Rob Christophel emphasized technical skills and the fundamentals of each position with his athletes during fall camp. He believes these skills are the building blocks that will solidify the team as a whole.

“You can’t build a house if you don’t know how to put a hammer and a nail together,” Christophel said.

Because this weekend is the Colonels bye week, they will continue for 10 straight weeks without a break. Where some coaches see this as a negative, defensive coach Tommy Rybacki sees it as a great opportunity to come out one step ahead of the competition.

He is excited to have this extra week built in the schedule before the first game to work on positional development and continuing to examine the “big picture” before narrowing down the focus to preparing for Georgia specifically.

“They all love to play. When you really love what you’re doing, you’re able to give a lot of effort towards it,” Rybacki said. “What’s exciting to me is having them out there playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

Beginning his second year with the Colonels, Rebowe decided to tackle fall camp from a different angle. Camp lasts for 2 weeks and includes training sessions, meetings, and team meals each day. Rebowe tried split-squad practices in order to separate the returners from the newcomers as well as limiting the days where the players trained twice a day. Rebowe’s aim was to challenge the team and give his players what they needed to prepare them, but not to push them over the edge.

“Our philosophy as coaches is we want to get all the horses to the race,” Rebowe said.
Rebowe places a great importance on the roles of both returning players and newcomers alike. Although new players will depend on the leadership of the veterans to help them ease into the fold, the team will benefit from the impact of 26 fresh new players and the depth they will add to the program.

“Each year the team has to figure out its identity,” Rebowe said. “A lot is mentioned about getting knocked down and being able to get back up and we want to find out who those guys are. We want to know who is going to step up when those lights turn on.”