The Colonels head to Monroe for the first game under new head coach Tim Rebowe on Saturday, eager for the opportunity to showcase a new brand of Nicholls football. Since the release of the program’s hype video in July, an excitement has surrounded this team that has been absent from campus the past two seasons.

“You can sense it being around our program,” Rebowe said. “From Sunday’s practice on we’ve been locked in and focused.”

The Colonels will be coming off their only bye week of the season, in which they were able to fully rest nicked-up players going into preparations for the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The coaching staff used the time off to pick up tendencies about ULM in their loss to the University of Georgia (51-14).

“It’s down to crunch time,” quarterback Tuskani Figaro said. “All the blood and sweat and the tears for those of us that cried is about to pay off when we see how far we’ve come from the spring.”

On offense, the Colonels will be relying on a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Figaro and running back Michael Henry, while mixing in the big play abilities of running backs Tobias “T-5” Lofton and Altee Tenpenny. While defenses focus on stopping Nicholls’ rushing attack, big play receivers C.J. Bates, Jerrell Rodgers and Terry Lucas Jr. will have ample one-on-one opportunities for down field strikes.

“We know ULM likes to blitz and run man coverage on the outside,” Figaro said. “If C.J. and those guys can win their matchup, they can go for a touchdown at any point in the game.”

Defensively, the Colonels are led by lineman Lazarus Ona, linebacker Kameryon Brown and safety B.T. Sanders. Brown, the second leading tackler from last season, will anchor a new defense predicated on stopping the run to set up third a long, a down and distance that allows a defense to be more aggressive.

“The whole defense is excited to hit something other than Red and Grey,” Ona said. “We’ve been waiting for this since Jan., we’re ready.”
Ona will be anchoring a defensive line that has paid special attention to the fundamentals. Explosion of the ball, hand placement and conditioning are a few things that make a good defensive player a great one.

The Colonels are excited to compete against someone other than their teammates and perfect their assignments before Southland Conference play opens up for them next week.

“All the hard work the players gave put in this summer, spring and now fall has made these players anxious,” Rebowe said. “We’re ready to see where we stand.”

A new season, being led by new coaches is not without its challenges. This is the first time this coaching staff will be working a game together, and Rebowe said they will have to make sure they are putting their players in position to succeed.

“We are just excited to be here, in this position to start something new, Rebowe said.