Colonels end 2018 season in Washington

After coming off its first playoff win in 32 years, the Nicholls State University football team ventured to the state of Washington.

They took on the No. 3 seed of the 2018 FCS Playoffs, the Eastern Washington University Eagles, at Roos Field in the second round of the bracket, but fell to the Eagles with a 42-21 loss this past Saturday.

Nicholls started the game off with junior defensive back Khristian Mims intercepting a pass from Eagles sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere on the first drive of the game.

That turnover led to junior quarterback Chase Fourcade’s one-yard touchdown run to give the Colonels an early 7-0 lead.

An Eagles field goal made the score 7-3, but Colonels junior running back Dontrell Taylor scored on a three-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-3 in the second quarter.

Right before halftime, Colonels senior kicker Lorran Fonseca lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt, but the Eagles blocked it and returned it for a touchdown to make it 14-10.

It was all Eagles from that point on, as the Colonels allowed 39 unanswered points in the second half.

A 34-yard touchdown run by Fourcade in the fourth quarter made the score 42-21 as the game ended.

The Eagles outgained the Colonels in total yards of offense 431-381, despite committing more penalties and losing the time of possession battle.

The Colonels will lose some cornerstone student-athletes like senior wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere, Jr., senior linebacker Hezekiah White and senior kicker Lorran Fonseca for the next season.

Student-athletes expected to return include junior quarterback and Southland Conference Player of the Year Chase Fourcade, who is now the all-time leading passer in program history.

Also coming back to the Colonels are junior running backs Dontrell Taylor and Kendall Bussey, junior linebacker Evan Veron and junior linebacker Sully Laiche.

Nicholls made history in 2018, including a Southland Conference Championship, a playoff victory and winning both rivalry games in the regular season against the Northwestern State University Demons and the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions.