Cancelled games are starting to become a trend for Nicholls State football. After having to cancel one game last year and two already this year, the Colonels must learn to cope with their changes in schedule after major hurricanes.Dealing with playing nine games instead of the scheduled 11 doesn’t bother the Colonels, who say they are lucky to be able to even have a chance to play. With so many local and high school teams put of place, the Colonels feel fortunate to be able to stay home in Thibodaux.
“Since the summer coach (Thomas) has been talking to us about fighting adversity,” junior wide receiver Kenley Horton said. “We just keep in mind all of the teams that can’t have a season.”
Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said the Colonels love playing at home.
“We love playing in Thibodaux,” Kelly said. “I know when I was an opposing coach we didn’t like playing here. It’s a difficult place to play for opposing teams.”
The Colonels’ season opener against Division I-A foe Utah State was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina. Last Saturday, the Colonels’ scheduled Family Day game against No. 18 Western Carolina was also called off because of the threat from Hurricane Rita. The game against Utah State will likely not be rescheduled at this time, while the Western Carolina game is in the works to be reset during a future football season.
Last season, the Colonels cancelled a home game against Texas A&M-Kingsville due to the threat from Hurricane Ivan. After the cancellation, the game was not made up.
Despite the cancellations, the Colonels have learned to simply put everything behind them.
“We just have to pick up where we left off,” freshman running back Zach Morgan said. “Even though we practiced all week and couldn’t play, we still have to come out here this week and play.”
Coming into the season the Colonels had one of the toughest schedules in Division I-AA, with games against two division I-A schools and four teams expected to rank in the top 25 come game time. Losing two scheduled games is not what the Colonels planned, but with a full Southland Conference slate coming up, all is not lost.
“We missed two games, but we still have seven more to go,” Horton said. “We still have our whole conference schedule left to play, so right now our main focus is playing those games and winning conference.”
The Colonels found a way to make it back on the practice field despite having so many surrounding areas affected by the storm. With all the bad news aside, the Colonels enter their practices with a clear mind.
“The storms affected so many people around here,” Morgan said. “I have sympathy for everyone affected by these storms. We just have to come out here and try not to think about it because we still have to play.”
This season has had its share of mishaps for the Colonels, but with the season still young the attitudes around practice remain positive.
“We look forward to playing, and when it comes time to play we just have to strap up and we’re ready to go,” Horton said.
