With the first Southland Conference title in school history already in the books, the defending champion Colonel football team looks to build on that success with an offense that gained over 400 yards in total offense last year.Although the team is looking to replace some key positions on offense, including replacing All-SLC quarterback Yale Vannoy, head coach Jay Thomas is confident that his players will have it together before the first game of the season against Southern Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 31.

“We’ve got a number of talented guys, and getting better is something that has to be done daily,” Thomas said. “As a team, we have to work together to make sure we can be as strong as possible for that opening game.”

With four of five starters returning on the offensive line, including preseason first team all-conference linemen Jacob Bender and Benjamin Gombossy, the Colonel offense has the potential to return as one of the best in the country.

Bender said he believes the offensive line is as strong as it has ever been, and with such an experienced core of players, yards should come easy.

“We take great pride in knowing that we can knock people around,” Bender said. “With the guys we have now, including the new guys, we know we can have the same success that we had last year.”

One area of the offense that most would consider under-utilized is the wide receiver position. Last season, Nicholls only amassed 51 passing yards per game with only two touchdowns. Although the Colonels are known for using the run-and-pitch option offense, the passing game could become the Colonels secret weapon.

Sophomore Patrick Gordon, who only caught five passes for 78 yards all season, is aware of his role on the team, but looks to shine when he gets the ball in his hands.

“Since we run it most of the time, other teams don’t take our receivers seriously,” Gordon said. “They don’t think we can go deep, and when we do, it’s just another part of our offense that can gain yards.”

Gordon, who attended the Manning Passing Academy over the summer, got to catch passes from quarterbacks such as Louisiana State University’s JaMarcus Russell, and it helped him to want to get back to practice and work with his own quarterbacks even more than before.

“When you work with guys like that, you want to take what you’ve learned from them and use that for your guys, and I hope I can do that,” Gordon said.

The running back core of the Colonels was one of the top in the country last season, gaining over 360 yards a game on the ground. Although the team will be without last year’s Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year Joseph Tobias, Broderick Cole will be one of the featured backs in the Colonel offense.

Cole was named first team all-SLC last season. Although Cole has yet to take a snap this season, he was named first team all-conference on the preseason team and second team all-American by The Sports Network in division I-AA. During the break Cole had off-season shoulder surgery, but Cole said that his shoulder is strong, and he’s ready to make another run at a title.

“I feel great, and my shoulder is holding up better than I thought,” Cole said. “When I’m at practice, all I think about is working as hard as I can to bring another title to Nicholls.”

Cole said although they lost some key offense players, he could see the enthusiasm from the new recruits. “At practice, you can tell that the new guys want it just as bad as the veterans,” he said.

Even with experienced running backs and a talented offensive line, replacing a quarterback might be the most challenging thing a coach may have to face. “It’s hard to lose a leader, especially when it’s at such an important position,” Thomas said.

The leader Thomas is talking about replacing is last year’s Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Yale Vannoy. As the leader of the Colonel offense, Vannoy was able to master the option offense and was third on the team in rushing averaging 69.3 yards per game.

Filling in Vannoy’s shoes this year will be Vincent Montgomery, who Colonel fans saw in the McNeese game that clinched the conference championship for Nicholls. When Vannoy went down with an injury, Montgomery stepped in for only a few plays, but got the Colonels out of their own territory before Vannoy went back into the game.

The position’s pressures come with the territory, Montgomery said. He is confident his playing will silence his critics.

“Of course there are people out there that want to compare me to Yale, but I learned a lot from him as a teammate, and I know I’ll be able to use my abilities to get the best out of the team,” Montgomery said.