The Nicholls Colonels’ offensive struggles continued in a 34-10 loss to FCS opponent West Georgia Wolves on Saturday at John L. Guidry Stadium.
The Colonels tried to set the tone early when Miequle Brock Jr. took the first handoff for 19 yards. Unfortunately, on the next series of downs, the Colonels were forced to punt.
Nicholls’ defense faced a challenge when standout lineman Joe Mason Jr. missed the game with an injury.
“We definitely felt the absence of Joe Mason,” head coach Rybacki said after the game, adding that Mason’s return timeline is still being evaluated.
West Georgia quarterback Davin Wydner scrambled for a first down on the Wolves’ opening possession, but his next pass was intercepted by the Colonels’ Aidan McCowan, setting the offense up with good field position. The drive ended on downs.
Wydner recovered quickly, finding Owen Dupree for an 18-yard touchdown to put UWG on the board. The Colonels managed a 42-yard field goal by Gabe Showalter early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3.
On the next drive, the Colonels got one first down after a Scrappy Osby 10-yard reception. Nicholls punted the ball after they were not able to get another first down.
The next drive would ultimately stall out for UWG as they would have to punt the football. An 18-yard return set the Colonels up with great field position, and Gabe Showalter made a 42-yard field goal to cut the lead to four with 13:45 left in the second quarter.
After an incomplete pass from UWG and a few runs by Wydner and Murrell, Wydner attempted another pass to Dupree. It was picked off by Ethan Lee.
The Colonels managed only one first down before punting.
UWG’s next drive showed the team was clicking. Wydner got a huge scramble of 20 yards, a few penalties and then a 15-yard run by Murrell. This left UWG knocking on the door of the red zone at the 28-yard line.
However, the Colonels had a different plan in mind. Laurence Sullivan Jr. forced a fumble, and it was recovered by Dale Smith Jr.
Both teams traded punts, the Colonels punted again, and UWG took advantage of the good field position. They went 52 yards in only 44 seconds, and it was capped off with another 18-yard passing touchdown by Wydner to Buchannon. This made the halftime score 14-3 in favor of UWG.
The Colonels’ defense looked to set the tone in the second half, but had to do so without Senior defensive leader Ty Marsh, who went out with an apparent hand injury. According to coach Rybacki, his status is yet to be determined.
The absence of Marsh was felt as UWG drove right down the field and kicked a field goal to push their lead to 14, with a score of 17-3.
Both teams traded punts again before the Colonels got the ball back. On third down, Hogan heaved a pass intended for Karaaz Johnson, but it was intercepted by Jaleel Chambliss.
Chambliss returned the interception 24 yards, setting UWG up at the Colonels’ 25.
UWG ran the ball eight straight plays, showing the impact of those missing defensive stars, and TJ Lester would run it in from 1-yard out to push the lead to 24-3.
The Colonels were starting to run out of time to make the game competitive. The drive started off promising as Hogan connected with his tight end Everett Hunter. Unfortunately, a penalty followed by a sack killed the drive and forced another punt to end the third quarter.
The heavy UWG rushing attack that totaled over 340 yards of offense, led by Wydner, Murrell and Lester, continued their dominant night. Wydner rushed for 21, Murrell followed him with a 10-yard gain, before an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on coach Rybacki moved them to the Colonels’ 3-yard line.
Lester finished the drive with a rushing touchdown, pushing the score to 31-3.
The Colonels punted once more, setting up Simon Zeidan for another field goal to give UWG 34.
The Colonels’ offense was finally able to start clicking after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called for a late hit on Hogan. Hogan completed a pass to Johnson for 11 yards.
On the next play, he found Jackson Dufrene, who caught the ball at the 3-yard line and dragged the defender into the endzone for the 44-yard. The Colonels’ only touchdown of the game.
However, it was too late. UWG ran the clock out on the next drive with the final game score being 34-10.
The Colonels look to use next week’s bye week to focus on recovering and mentally preparing for the upcoming four-game away slate.
When asked what the plans are moving forward, Coach Rybacki said, “We’re going to assess the film, see where we’re at. We’ve got three games on tape now that we can look at and make decisions about where we are.”
