Nicholls football heads to San Antonio on Saturday, Oct. 12, as the Colonels face off against No. 15 University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals in its Southland Conference opener.

Incarnate Word heads into its conference opener on a two-game win streak. The Cardinals defeated Prairie View A&M last Saturday 56-28, following a 38-14 win over the University of Northern Arizona the week prior.

The Cardinals'(3-2) two losses came on the road against two top-10 ranked teams, No. 1 South Dakota State University and No. 8 Southern Illinois University.

Nicholls(2-3) comes into the game with a two-game winning streak of its own. The Colonels defeated Southern University 51-7 last Saturday and won 66-0 against Mississippi Valley State University in the game prior.

The Colonels lost their first three games of the season, the first two coming against FBS opponents and the third against No. 11 Sacramento State University.

UIW Quarterback Zach Calzada is top 10 in the country in four major passing statistical categories #6 in passing touchdowns(13), #2 in passing completions per game(25.6), #6 in passing yards per game(278.6) and #7 in passing yards(1,394).

The Cardinals feature two receivers in the top 20 for receiving yards, Jalen Walthall(596) and Roy Alexander(413.) Walthall is ranked third in receiving touchdowns(7).

Nicholls finds its strength on the opposite side of the ball. The Colonels’ defense is top 20 in four major statistical categories, #18 in yards allowed per game(311.6), #1 in takeaways(17), #1 in turnover margin(+13) and #3 in rush yards allowed per game(69.2).

Nicholls and UIW are in the top 20 in scoring offense. UIW is ranked at 14 with 34.8 points per game and Nicholls is ranked at 20 with 32.4 points per game.

Nicholls’ offense may be highly rated in scoring offense, however, the Colonels’ success will hinge upon their defense, specifically passing defense.

The Colonels have struggled in passing defense this season, allowing 242.2 yards per game through the air, the Colonels are ranked at 92 in the country in the statistic.

If the Colonels can hold Calzada under 300 passing yards and stop the rush like they have all season they will give themselves a chance to win in their conference opener.

The game against UIW kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio.

The game is streaming on ESPN+.