For the seniors on the Nicholls State University football team, tonight will be the last time they suit up and take the field as a Colonel when they play at Southeastern at 7 p.m. on Cox Sports Television.

This senior group has endured the struggles that come with a coaching change, as they had to learn a new system and adjust to a new coaching style when Charlie Stubbs took the head coaching position in 2010.

“I thought that they adjusted very well,” Stubbs said. “It’s tough on young kids to change, but again, I know that they’ve given all that they have. I’m proud of them because all of them are on their way to earning their degree too.”

The 2011 senior class on the football team include wide receivers Kenyad Blair, Josh Warren, Donovan Tate, running back Byron Jones, defensive backs Chika Madu, Bobby Felder, De’Aryck Kelly, linebackers Shawn Elrod, Stefan Bergeron, Pa’a Kamauoha, defensive linemen Gavin Whitfield, A.J. Carter and offensive linemen Pio Adams, Bart Roussel, Michael Billingsley and Jarrad Hernandez.

All of these men had the opportunity to not only compete against other teams on the football field but to learn life lessons from challenging moments presented throughout the season.

When asked about what he learned through his career as a Colonel, Warren said “to persevere.”

“It’s more than just wins and losses. It’s also learning to handle adversity, because that’s what they’re going to have in life sometimes,” Stubbs said.

Warren, along with other teammates mentioned that lesson.

“You’re going to get knocked down, and you have to get right back up. It’s a test of your character,” Warren said.

This senior class featured young men from all around the United States. From Oklahoma, to California, to Mississippi, to Hawaii, to Georgia and Louisiana. This group is a diverse group, but they are a group that has come together and called one another brother.

When asked what they would miss most about playing football at Nicholls, just about everyone answered with their teammates, their brothers and their family.

“No matter if you’re winning or losing, those are your boys,” Carter said.

Most of this year’s seniors agree that this group’s proudest moment as a Colonel was their overtime victory at Texas State last year.

The game went into four overtimes, and the Colonels won 47-45 in the “Battle for the Paddle.” Warren tied the game at 45-45 in the fourth overtime with a touchdown reception, and LaQuintin Caston then connected with junior wide receiver Chucky Nichols for the two-point conversion and the win.

Some of the seniors said that they would miss Stubbs’ jokes, and the good times around the locker room with teammates.

“A lot of people don’t know but Coach Stubbs has some good jokes in his arsenal,” Tate said.

Tate said Stubbs jokes with him light-heartily about getting a girlfriend, and Warren said that Stubbs had the team laughing as he showcased his basketball skills and said offensive line coach Keith Uperesa played basketball in high school and was All-State.

Madu revisited a moment that he claims he will never forget that Coach Stubbs did in front of the team.

“Coach Stubbs was talking to guys about looking good in public,” Madu said. “He turned his hat sideways, and he pulled his pants down like he was sagging. He started singing ‘looking like a fool with your pants on the ground,’ like that guy off of American Idol. Everybody started laughing, and it was one of coach’s good (jokes). I’ll remember that forever.”

Another moment Blair remembered about Stubbs showing his sense of humor happened last month during Halloween.

“One of the managers dressed up like Coach Stubbs. Coach Stubbs is a serious guy, and when he saw that we got a chuckle out of him,” Blair said.

This senior group has had several rituals that have helped them bond together into such a tight group today. Rituals like the annual “Colonel Idol” where the defense and new players on the team have to sing in front of the team, and “kissing the N” when a player steps on the large N in the locker room have brought this team together and showed one another their sense of humor.

Being the jokesters that some of these seniors were, they literally got themselves into hot water when they visited Western Michigan earlier this year.

Madu and Felder could barely get through the story without having to stop and laugh every few seconds.

 “We were at Western Michigan, and Chika was in the hot tub and they saw coach (Edward) Dillon coming, and they were not supposed to be in there,” Felder said. “When he walked by, they ducked their head underwater, so no one would see them. Coach Dillon stopped and started talking to me right in front of the hot tub, so they had to hold their breath underwater.”

From the defense singing in “Colonel Idol” to the chants in the locker room to “kiss the N,” there is no doubt that these Colonels enjoyed their time with one another, and for one Colonel, he would not have his college career any other way.

“I wouldn’t change a thing, and I’m just happy that I was on the field with these future champions,” Felder said.