Colonel football takes on Prairie View A&M at home this Saturday

The Nicholls State University football team will host its final nonconference competition of the season,
Prairie View A&M, this Saturday, Sept. 16 at John L. Guidry Stadium.

The Colonels come into the weekend with a 1-1 record while the Panthers carry a 0-1 record so far on
the season. The Panthers fell to Southland Conference defending champion, Sam Houston State
University, last weekend on their home turf in Prairie View.

The Panthers belong to the Southwestern Athletic Conference and a Colonel victory over them would
give Nicholls its 21st win over a SWAC program. If the Colonels find success, it would improve their home
record to 2-0 for the first time since 2013 as well as putting them at 2-1 which would be their best start
since 2007.

During the week leading up to the contest against Prairie View, the Colonels received some honors after
their stellar performance against SEC member Texas A&M. Junior wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere
earned the Southland Offensive Player of the Week after covering 174 yards on five receptions against
the Aggie defense. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Allen Pittman earned the LWSA’s weekly honor after
racking up 16 tackles on defense for the Colonels.

Junior wide receiver Mason Roberts recorded a stunning two-point conversion reception in the Aggie
end zone last weekend which tied the game up at 14-14 and made him a play-of- the-year nominee.
“My motivation has never changed. From going 0-12 my first year here to my two-point conversion, my
motivation not only for me but my team has been the same for years. We want to win and we will stop
at nothing to do it,” Roberts said on the conversion play.

The Colonels will face eight football programs from Texas this year with five of them belonging to the
Southland Conference: Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Lamar, Sam Houston State
and Stephen F. Austin. Roberts, a graduate of Cy-Woods, is the only Texas native on the 2017 Colonel
football roster.

“It’s actually pretty funny getting to play these Texas teams because I got turned down by all of the
Texas schools in the Southland Conference when trying to get recruited,” Roberts said. “It puts an even
bigger fire in my heart. Even though I’m from Texas, Louisiana gave me the chance to play at the next
level.

The Colonels look forward to hosting Prairie View on their home turf in Thibodaux for Family Day before
their competition shifts to strictly SLC opponents for the rest of the season. With the inclusion of live
music, activities provided by campus programs and organizations, and a pre-game pep rally put on by
the Pride of Nichols Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Colonelettes, it is likely there will be an increased
number of fans at this particular game. In their home opener against rival McNeese state, the victory
was witnessed by a crowd of over 9,000 who packed the stands.

Roberts said the Colonels have been focusing on the fundamental aspects of the game in the hopes of
earning their second home win of the season.

“This week as a team, we have really been emphasizing the little things. Our coaches always say that the
little things make the big things happen and that’s what we are trying to do,” Roberts said. “We aren’t
satisfied with the result of last week even though we hung around with an SEC school because a loss is
still a loss. We are going to find a way in this game and keep punching to get that win on Saturday.”
Kickoff at John L. Guidry is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be video streamed on the Southland
Digital Network and audio of the game will be accessible through ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM and
KBZE 105.9 FM.