Colonels cruise past the cardinals in Beaumont

The Nicholls State University football team pushed through Southland opponent Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas last Saturday with a dominant score of 41-14.

This win secured the Colonels the 25th spot on the FCS Coaches Poll and now places the team ranked third overall in the Southland Conference after Central Arkansas University and Stephen F. Austin State University. The Colonels are 3-2 overall with a conference record of 2-1.

In offensive yards, the Colonels overpowered the Cardinals 506 to 237 and thedefensive limited the Cardinal offense to only four out of 17 on third-down conversions. The offensive was led by sophomore quarterback Chase Fourcade who completed 12 out of 17 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.

The running game was key for the Colonels in this matchup. Two sophomores, Kyran Irvin and Jeremy Rounds, each had 100-yard rushing performances on the night. Rounds was the catalyst for success in the opening drive for the Colonels which opened with a 13-yard rush and a 14-yard catch by the sophomore. Shortly after, Fourcade found sophomore wide receiver Christian Booker for a 28-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, the Colonels increased the score to 13-0 after freshman wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon caught a 43-yard pass at the 1 yard line and then Irvin scored.

On the next possession, a Cardinal pass was picked off by redshirt sophomore linebacker Allen Pittman who ran the ball back 54 yards into the end zone for another Colonel touchdown.

Lamar was able to put points on the board after a 36-yard touchdown pass, but Nicholls responded with a 75-yard scoring drive in which Irvin rushed five times for 40 yards and Rounds scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, senior quarterback Tuskani Figaro rushed for a 10-yard touchdown and Irvin rushed twice more to secure his second touchdown on the night; all the while, the defense still held the Cardinals to a score of 41-7.

In the final quarter, Lamar scored their second touchdown after a bobbled punt return on the five yard line. A four-yard rush by the Cards made the final score 41-14.

In his post-game comments, head coach Tim Rebowe said, “I was really proud of the effort by my guys. I thought we had a good week at practice, I thought we prepared well. We had to bounce back a little bit this week.”

The Colonels will play this Saturday, October 7 at John L. Guidry Stadium to host rival Northwestern State University for the homecoming game with the kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Cox Sports TV and broadcast on ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM.