Colonels face Huskies in home finale

The Nicholls State University football team will defend its home game winning streak as they match up against Houston Baptist University this Saturday.

The Colonels have won all four of their home games so far this season and aim to keep their home record clean this weekend. During their fifth and final home game, the 16-member 2017 senior class will be honored. The class includes Leon Alexander, Marcel Andry, Christian Boutte, Robert Brice II, Terrell Encalade, Raheem Falkins, Tuskani Figaro, Brandon Godfrey, Blake Hartman, Brian Hernandez, Tevin Lawson, Stephen LeBouef, David McKey, Lazarus Ona, Jarrell Rogers and Tyler St. Germain.

The Colonels come into the match with a 6-2 record and a 5-1 Southland Conference mark and are
currently ranked number 17 in the FCS Coaches Poll. The Huskies have an overall record of 1-7 and a 0-6
SLC mark.
The Colonel offense is led by sophomore quarterback Chase Fourcade, who was named the Louisiana
Sports Writer’s Association Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. After battling through a shoulder
injury, Fourcade proved he had used the team’s bye-week to recover after he reached a career-high 358
yards passing and recorded three touchdowns at the University of the Incarnate Word last weekend.

In what proved to be one of the Southland’s most impressive performances of the season, Fourcade led
the Colonel offense throwing three passes that were 50 yards or longer, and tallied 18 completions.
Fourcade is ranked fourth in the FCS in yards per completion at 16 yards.

Aside from the offensive success the team has shown over the course of the season, the Colonel defense
has also showed their tenacity. Junior safety Corey Abraham reached a career-high 12 tackles against
the UIW Cardinals and is ranked 14th in the NCAA with 5.8 solo stops per game. He leads the Colonels in
tackles and is also ranked 9th in the SLC.

“The defense as a whole has been working on trying to find an identity for ourselves,” Abraham said.
“We strive hard every day in practice to work on our own craft so at the end of the day, we can put it all
together as a unit to be the top defense in the conference and in the nation.”

Abraham said that individually, he has been trying to better himself in every way possible this season.
This includes watching film, staying after practice to get in extra work and listening to his coaches.

Six Colonel interceptions have been recorded on the season, each by a different player. Three of these
picks have been returned for touchdowns. Last season, the Colonel defense led the conference in
interceptions with 15 total.

Despite the Colonels’ recent success on both offensive and defensive fronts, the Husky defense has
proved that they will be a tough one to break. The defense is anchored by senior linebackers Garrett
Dolan and Cody Moncure. Dolan is currently leading the Southland and is fourth all-time in the FCS with
494 tackles. He is ranked third in the nation with 12.4 tackles while Moncure has recorded 63 tackles.

After their final home game, the Colonels will hit the road for the last two games of the 2017 season
against Stephen F. Austin University and Southeastern Louisiana University.

Kickoff at John L. Guidry Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. this Saturday.