# 2019 Nicholls Colonels football team

The 2019 Nicholls State Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Tim Rebowe, the Colonels compiled an overall record of 9–5 with a mark of 7–2 in conference play, sharing the Southland title with Central Arkansas. Nicholls State received the Southland's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, beating North Dakota in the first round before losing to the eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the second round. The team played home games at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 18, 2019. The Colonels were picked to finish in first place.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Nicholls | 200 (20) |
| 2 | Central Arkansas | 154 |
| 3 | Incarnate Word | 150 (1) |
| 4 | Sam Houston State | 146 |
| 5 | Lamar | 123 |
| 6 | McNeese State | 114 |
| 7 | Abilene Christian | 112 (1) |
| 8 | Southeastern Louisiana | 71 |
| 9 | Stephen F. Austin | 63 |
| 10 | Northwestern State | 56 |
| 11 | Houston Baptist | 21 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Colonels placed eleven players on the preseason all–Southland teams.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | at Kansas State* | No. 12 | Bill Snyder Family StadiumManhattan, KS | ESPN+ | L 14–49 | 51,189 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at Prairie View A&M* | No. 12 | Panther StadiumPrairie View, TX | PVAMU SN | W 42–35 | 8,756 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | at Stephen F. Austin | No. 13 | Homer Bryce StadiumNacogdoches, TX | ESPN+ | W 48–30 | 14,575 |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas State* | No. 12 | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos (Battle for the Paddle) | ESPN+ | L 3–24 | 19,159 |
| October 5 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 11 Central Arkansas | No. 16 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA | YouTube | W 34–14 | 7,021 |
| October 12 | 3:00 p.m. | Northwestern State | No. 12 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA (NSU Challenge) | Cox/ESPN+ | W 45–35 | 8,103 |
| October 19 | 2:00 p.m. | at Sam Houston State | No. 9 | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPN+ | L 0–17 | 3,953 |
| October 26 | 3:00 p.m. | Abilene Christian | No. 15 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA | Cox/ESPN+ | L 31–37$^{OT}$ | 5,012 |
| November 2 | 4:00 p.m. | at Incarnate Word | No. 25 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN3 | W 27–23 | 3,928 |
| November 9 | 3:00 p.m. | Houston Baptist | No. 25 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA | Cox/ESPN+ | W 48–27 | 4,558 |
| November 16 | 3:00 p.m. | McNeese State | No. 24 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA | Cox/ESPN+ | W 34–20 | 8,958 |
| November 21 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 21 Southeastern Louisiana | No. 23 | Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA (River Bell Classic) | Cox/ESPN+ | W 28–27 | 10,071 |
| November 30 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 24 North Dakota* | No. 19 | John L. Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA (NCAA Division I First Round) | ESPN3 | W 24–6 | 7,569 |
| December 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 1 North Dakota State* | No. 19 | FargodomeFargo, ND (NCAA Division I Second Round) | ESPN3 | L 13–37 | 15,690 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Kansas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 (FCS) Colonels | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 49 |
at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Manhattan, KS
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 51,189
* Referee: Tuta Salaam
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First quarter
(08:45) KSU TD – Harry Trotter 9-yard rush, Black Lynch kick Kansas State 7–0; Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 6:15
(05:45) KSU TD – Skyler Thompson 17-yard rush, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 14–0; Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:21
Second quarter
(13:35) KSU TD – Josh Brown 14-yard rush, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 21–0; Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:47
(06:21) KSU TD – James Gilbert 24-yard rush, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 28–0; Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 5:20
Third quarter
(12:46) NICH TD – Kendall Bussey 26-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Kansas State 28–7; Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:14
Fourth quarter
(14:52) KSU TD – Dalton Schoen 38-yard pass from Skylar Thompson, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 35–7; Drive: 10 plays, 97 yards, 5:09
(14:36) KSU TD – Jonathan Alexander 25-yard fumble returned, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 42–7; Drive: 2 plays, 0 yards, 0:16
(06:41) KSU TD – Tyler Burns 1-yard rush, Blake Lynch kick Kansas State 49–7; Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 6:05
(03:01) NICH TD – Julien Gums 3-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Kansas State 49–14; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:40
Top passers
KSU - Skylar Thompson - 16/22, 212 yards, TD
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 10/18, 126 yards, INT
Top rushers
KSU - James Gilbert - 18 carries, 115 yards, TD
NICH - Julien Gums - 12 carries, 75 yards, TD
Top receivers
KSU - Dalton Schoen - 3 receptions, 65 yards, TD
NICH - Dai'Jean Dixon - 5 receptions, 92 yards :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Kansas State |
| First downs | 11 | 33 |
| Total yards | 276 | 575 |
| Rushing yards | 150 | 361 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 212 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 18:51 | 41:09 |
Kansas State scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and were successful 10 of 12 attempts on third down in 80 offensive plays. Kansas State also managed the clock, being on offense for more than 41 minutes. For Nicholls, this was largely different compared to last year's opener when they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks. The Colonel's Kendall Bussey and Julien Gums both produced second-half touchdown runs to put their team on the board, but it wasn't nearly enough. Despite the loss, Nicholls managed to move up in the FCS coaches poll, going from #11 to #10. They also jumped two spots to #10 in the FCS STATS Poll.

### At Prairie View A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Colonels | 6 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 42 |
| Panthers | 0 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
at Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, Prairie View, TX
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 99 °F (37 °C); clear & sunny
* Game attendance: 8,756
* Referee: Ver Breakfield
Game information :
First quarter
(08:29) NICH TD – Dion Ray 15-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne PAT failed Nicholls 6–0; Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards, 4:56
Second quarter
(11:48) PVAMU TD – Jalen Morton 23-yard rush, Amaury Martinez kick Prairie View A&M 7–6; Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:19
(03:52) PVAMU TD – Tony Mullins 16-yard pass from Jalen Morton, Amaury Martinez kick Prairie View A&M 14–6; Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:20
(00:52) PVAMU TD – Kalen Riles 39-yard pass from Jalen Morton, Amaury Martinez kick Prairie View A&M 21–6; Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:33
Third quarter
(10:28) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 5-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Prairie View A&M 21–13; Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 4:21
(05:33) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 14-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Kendall Bussey two-point conversion rush Tied 21–21; Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:32
(03:46) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 3-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 28–21; Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:26
(03:22) NICH TD – Dai'Jean 36-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 35–21; Drive: 1 play, 36 yards, 0:10
Fourth quarter
(13:11) PVAMU TD – Jalen Morton 1-yard rush, Amaury Martinez kick Nicholls 35–28; Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 5:01
(06:41) NICH TD – Julien Gums 2-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 42–28; Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 6:29
(05:50) PVAMU TD – Tony Mullins 36-yard pass from Jalen Morton, Amaury Martinez kick Nicholls 42–35; Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 0:45
Top passers
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 17/22, 224 yards, 2 TD
PVAMU - Jalen Morton - 23/36, 327 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
NICH - Kendall Bussey - 18 carries, 84 yards
PVAMU - Jalen Morton - 14 carries, 80 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
NICH - Dai'Jean Dixon - 7 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD
PVAMU - Tony Mullins - 5 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Prairie View A&M |
| First downs | 30 | 28 |
| Total yards | 463 | 463 |
| Rushing yards | 239 | 136 |
| Passing yards | 224 | 327 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 39:14 | 20:46 |

### At Stephen F. Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Colonels | 7 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 48 |
| Lumberjacks | 7 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, TX
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C); clear skies
* Game attendance: 10,304
* Referee: Vidal Jones
Game information :
First quarter
(12:07) SFA TD – Trae Self 21-yard rush, Storm Ruiz kick Stephen F. Austin 7–0; Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 2:53
(08:04) NICH TD – Julien Gums 21-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Tied 7–7; Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:57
Second quarter
(14:12) NICH TD – Stefano Guarisco 14-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 14–7; Drive: 12 plays, 98 yards, 6:43
(10:55) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 21-yard field goal Nicholls 14–10; Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:12
(07:13) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 22-yard field goal Nicholls 14–13; Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:48
(05:14) NICH TD – Jeremy Rounds 4-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 21–13; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:59
(04:39) SFA TD – Xavier Gipson 47-yard pass from Trae Self, Storm Ruiz kick Nicholls 21–20; Drive: 2 plays, 58 yards, 0:24
(01:20) NICH TD – Julien Gums 9-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 28–20; Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:19
(00:17) SFA FG – Storm Ruiz 35-yard field goal Nicholls 28–23; Drive: 7 plays, 23 yards, 0:55
Third quarter
(11:35) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 19-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 35–23; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:25
Fourth quarter
(09:48) SFA TD – Allen Arclies III 10-yard pass from Trae Self, Storm Ruiz kick Nicholls 35–30; Drive: 3 plays, 56 yards, 1:04
(03:29) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 6-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 41–30; Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:52
(01:54) NICH TD – Julien Gums 4-yard rush, Gunner Jones kick Nicholls 48–30; Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 1:08
Top passers
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 12/16, 145 yards, TD, INT
SFA - Trae Self - 24/43, 354 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
NICH - Julien Gums - 22 carries, 135 yards, 3 TD
SFA - Da'Leon Ward - 12 carries, 26 yards
Top receivers
NICH - Stefano Guarisco - 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD
SFA - Calvin Clater - 5 receptions, 80 yards :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Stephen F. Austin |
| First downs | 31 | 17 |
| Total yards | 436 | 414 |
| Rushing yards | 291 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 145 | 356 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:31 | 24:29 |

### At Texas State

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Texas State | –4.0 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 (FCS) Colonels | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bobcats | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
at Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 19,159
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV: ESPN3
Game information :
First quarter
(08:15) TXST FG – Joshua Rowland 36-yard field goal Texas State 3–0; Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 5:12
Second quarter
(13:05) NICH FG – Gunner Jones 39-yard field goal Tied 3–3; Drive: 14 plays, 60 yards, 6:42
Third quarter
(09:20) TXST TD – Micah Hilts 12-yard pass from Gresch Jensen, Joshua Rowland kick Texas State 10–3; Drive: 14 plays, 78 yards, 5:32
(06:42) TXST TD – Gresch Jensen 1-yard rush, Joshua Rowland kick Texas State 17–3; Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 1:56
Fourth quarter
(14:02) TXST TD – Javen Banks 77-yard pass from Gresch Jensen, Joshua Rowland kick Texas State 24–3; Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:45
Top passers
TXST - Gresch Jensen - 22/29, 253 yards, 2 TD, INT
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 15/27, 145 yards, INT
Top rushers
TXST - Caleb Twyford - 17 carries, 73 yards
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 8 carries, 25 yards
Top receivers
TXST - Javen Banks - reception, 77 yards, TD
NICH - Dai'Jean Dixon - 5 receptions, 54 yards :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Texas State |
| First downs | 12 | 16 |
| Total yards | 220 | 362 |
| Rushing yards | 75 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 145 | 253 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:17 | 32:43 |

### Central Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 16 Colonels | 6 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 91 °F (33 °C); clear
* Game attendance: 7,021
* Referee: Vidal Jones
Game information :
First quarter
(10:58) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones PAT failed Nicholls 6–0; Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 4:02
Second quarter
(14:56) NICH TD – Julien Gums 8-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 13–0; Drive: 3 plays, 15 yards, 0:57
(04:02) NICH TD – Julien Gums 36-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 20–0; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:27
Third quarter
(09:50) UCA TD – Lujuan Winningham 4-yard pass from Breylin Smith, Hayden Ray kick Nicholls 20–7; Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:10
(03:03) NICH TD – Jordan Talley 26-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 27–7; Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:21
Fourth quarter
(11:33) NICH TD – Kendall Bussey 8-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 34–7; Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:28
(00:06) UCA TD – Kylan Robinson 44-yard pass from Breylin Smith, Hayden Ray kick Nicholls 34–14; Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 1:43
Top passers
NICH - Chase Fourcade - 24/29, 327 yards, TD, INT
UCA - Breylin Smith - 20/27, 182 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
NICH - Julien Gums - 5 carries, 51 yards, 2 TD
UCA - Kierre Crossley - 11 carries, 66 yards
Top receivers
NICH - Dai'Jean Dixon - 5 receptions, 140 yards
UCA - Kylan Robinson - reception, 44 yards, TD :
| Statistics | Central Arkansas | Nicholls |
| First downs | 18 | 23 |
| Total yards | 320 | 477 |
| Rushing yards | 138 | 150 |
| Passing yards | 182 | 327 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:18 | 33:42 |

### Northwestern State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demons | 0 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 35 |
| No. 12 Colonels | 14 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); overcast
* Game attendance: 8,103
* Referee: Dan Lewis
* TV: CST
Game information :
First quarter
(12:25) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 13-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 7–0; Drive: 4 plays, 32 yards, 1:50
(01:33) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 14–0; Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 6:43
Second quarter
(14:56) NSU TD – Jared West 1-yard rush, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 14–7; Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:37
(04:57) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 29-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 21–7; Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:15
(00:00) NICH FG – Gunnar Jones 20-yard field goal Nicholls 24–7; Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:21
Third quarter
(11:27) NICH TD – Julien Gums 10-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 31–7; Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, 3:21
(10:13) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 23-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 31–14; Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:09
(03:12) NSU TD – Gavin Landry 6-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 31–21; Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:40
Fourth quarter
(14:23) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 27-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 38–21; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:49
(10:09) NSU TD – Akile Davis 9-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 38–28; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:08
(02:31) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 3-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 45–28; Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:32
(00:32) NSU TD – Quan Shorts 1-yard pass from Shelton Eppler, Ryan Gremillion kick Nicholls 45–35; Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 1:51
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 20/29, 188 yards, TD, INT
NSU – Shelton Eppler – 27/37, 387 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 14 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD
NSU – Jared West – 10 carries, 33 yards, TD
Top receivers
NICH – Tahj Smith – 4 receptions, 70 yards
NSU – Akile Davis – 7 receptions, 155 yards, TD :
| Statistics | Northwestern State | Nicholls |
| First downs | 21 | 30 |
| Total yards | 428 | 537 |
| Rushing yards | 41 | 349 |
| Passing yards | 387 | 188 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:32 | 37:28 |

### At Sam Houston State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Colonels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bearkats | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C); sunny & clear
* Game attendance: 3,953
* Referee: Brad Van Vark
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First quarter
(07:53) SHSU TD – Brennon Tibbs 15-yard pass from Ty Brock, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 7–0; Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:46
Second quarter
(13:30) SHSU TD – Hunter Pinegar 40-yard field goal Sam Houston State 10–0; Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:40
Third quarter
(00:43) SHSU TD – Ife Adeyi 47-yard pass from Ryan Humphries, Hunter Pinegar kick Sam Houston State 17–0; Drive: 1 play, 47 yards, 0:16
Top passers
SHSU – Ty Brock – 6/13, 116 yards, TD
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 19/34, 212 yards, INT
Top rushers
SHSU – Ryan Humphries – 11 carries, 39 yards
NICH – Julien Gums – 9 carries, 25 yards
Top receivers
SHSU – Woody Brandom – 5 receptions, 90 yards
NICH – Dion Ray – 3 receptions, 60 yards :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Sam Houston State |
| First downs | 14 | 13 |
| Total yards | 271 | 295 |
| Rushing yards | 55 | 104 |
| Passing yards | 216 | 191 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:26 | 30:34 |

### Abilene Christian

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 37 |
| No. 15 Colonels | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 5,012
* Referee: Ed Bourgeois
* TV: CST
Game information :
First quarter
(05:57) NICH TD – Julien Gums 2-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 7–0; Drive: 5 plays, 82 yards, 2:10
Second quarter
(14:09) ACU FG – Blair Zepeda 22-yard field goal Nicholls 7–3; Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 6:41
(11:25) NICH TD – Julien Gums 21-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 14–3; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:44
(07:35) ACU TD – Sema'J Davis 13-yard rush, Blair Zepeda kick Nicholls 14–10; Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:43
(00:00) ACU TD – Tracy James 1-yard rush, Blair Zepeda kick Abilene Christian 17–14; Drive: 17 plays, 61 yards, 5:17
Third quarter
(10:22) ACU TD – Josh Finks 11-yard pass from Luke Anthony, Blair Zepeda kick Abilene Christian 24–14; Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 4:32
(04:24) NICH TD – Bry'Kiethon Mouton 1-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunnar Jones kick Abilene Christian 24–21; Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:49
(03:14) ACU TD – Sema'J Davis 4-yard rush, Blair Zepeda kick Abilene Christian 31–21; Drive: 3 plays, 44 yards, 1:01
Fourth quarter
(12:09) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Abilene Christian 31–28; Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 1:52
(01:53) NICH TD – Gunnar Jones 19-yard field goal Tied 31–31; Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 3:37
First overtime
ACU TD – Tracy James 5-yard rush Abilene Christian 37–31; Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards
Top passers
ACU – Luke Anthony – 25/37, 181 yards, TD, 2 INT
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 17/22, 216 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
ACU – Sema'J Davis – 19 carries, 146 yards, 2 TD
NICH – Julien Gums – 15 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ACU – Kobe Clark – 11 receptions, 72 yards
NICH – Dion Ray – 6 receptions, 128 yards° :
| Statistics | Abilene Christian | Nicholls |
| First downs | 33 | 19 |
| Total yards | 472 | 369 |
| Rushing yards | 282 | 153 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 216 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 36:47 | 23:13 |

### At Incarnate Word

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Colonels | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Cardinals | 6 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C); mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 3,928
* Referee: Christian Watso
Game information :
First quarter
(11:00) UIW FG – Carson Mohr 29-yard field goal Incarnate Word 3–0; Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 4:00
(07:25) UIW FG – Carson Mohr 40-yard field goal Incarnate Word 6–0; Drive: 7 plays, 4 yards, 2:03
(04:44) NICH TD – Julien Gums 9-yard rush, Gunnar Jones PAT failed Tied 6–6; Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:35
Second quarter
(13:40) UIW TD – Ameer King 1-yard pass from Jon Copeland, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 13–6; Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:21
(12:26) NICH TD – K. J. Franklin 32-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gunnar Jones kick Tied 13–13; Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 1:08
(06:37) UIW FG – Carson Mohr 27-yard field goal Incarnate Word 16–13; Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:25
(01:24) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 64-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 20–16; Drive: 8 plays, 89 yards, 2:41
Fourth quarter
(07:49) UIW TD – Kevin Brown 1-yard rush, Carson Mohr kick Incarnate Word 23–20; Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 1:50
(03:27) NICH TD – Julien Gums 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones kick Nicholls 27–23; Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:16
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 10/21, 150 yards, TD
UIW – Jon Copeland – 34/55, 381 yards, TD
Top rushers
NICH – Julien Gums – 23 carries, 178 yards, 2 TD
UIW – Kevin Brown – 9 carries, 59 yards, TD
Top receivers
NICH – K. J. Franklin – 3 receptions, 81 yards, TD
UIW – CJ Hardy – 7 receptions, 102 yards :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Incarnate Word |
| First downs | 17 | 27 |
| Total yards | 424 | 483 |
| Rushing yards | 274 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 381 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:51 | 31:09 |

### Houston Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| No. 25 Colonels | 13 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C); clear & sunny
* Game attendance: 4,558
* Referee: Vidal Jones
* TV: CST
Game information :
First quarter
(12:01) NICH TD – Julien Gums 1-yard rush, Gunnar Jones PAT failed Nicholls 6–0; Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:59
(07:03) HBU FG – Gino Garcia 30-yard field goal Nicholls 6–3; Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 4:52
(01:01) NICH TD – Julien Gums 10-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 13–3; Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 3:16
(00:49) HBU TD – Gamar Girdy Brito 93-yard kickoff returned; Gino Garcia kick Nicholls 13–10; Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00
Second quarter
(11:59) HBU TD – Terry Tillmon 17-yard pass from Bailey Zappe, Gino Garcia kick Houston Baptist 17–13; Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 1:34
(04:50) NICH TD – Julien Gums 4-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 20–17; Drive: 2 plays, 19 yards, 0:31
(01:50) HBU FG – Gino Garcia 31-yard field goal Tied 20–20; Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:29
(01:00) NICH TD – David Robinson Jr. 38-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 27–20; Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 0:40
Third quarter
(05:23) NICH TD – Jordan Talley 8-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 34–20; Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:41
(02:03) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 2-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 41–20; Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:37
Fourth quarter
(10:15) HBU TD – Dreshawn Minnieweather 2-yard rush, Gino Garcia kick Nicholls 41–27; Drive: 1 play, 2 yards, 0:07
(03:26) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 1-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 48–27; Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:49
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 17/23, 294 yards, 2 TD, INT
HBU – Bailey Zappe – 26/41, 246 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
NICH – Julien Gums – 22 carries, 104 yards, 3 TD
HBU – Dreshawn Minnieweather – 15 carries, 145 yards, TD
Top receivers
NICH – Dion Ray – 7 receptions, 145 yards
HBU – Jerreth Sterns – 8 receptions, 88 yards :
| Statistics | Houston Baptist | Nicholls |
| First downs | 21 | 26 |
| Total yards | 428 | 515 |
| Rushing yards | 182 | 207 |
| Passing yards | 246 | 308 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:02 | 36:58 |

### McNeese State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| No. 24 Colonels | 10 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); clear
* Game attendance: 8,958
* Referee: Mike Vandervelde
* TV: CST
Game information :
First quarter
(11:57) NICH FG – Gavin Lasseigne 25-yard field goal Nicholls 3–0; Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:03
(07:39) NICH TD – Dion Ray 55-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 10–0; Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 2:21
(07:25) MCNS TD – Mason Pierce 95-yard kickoff returned, Bailey Raborn kick Nicholls 10–7; Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00
Second quarter
(14:08) NICH TD – Jordan Talley 14-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 17–7; Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 1:23
(10:29) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 55-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 24–7; Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:13
(00:04) NICH FG – Gavin Lasseigne 26-yard field goal Nicholls 27–7; Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 2:11
Third quarter
(06:25) MCNS TD – Trevor Begue 5-yard pass from Cody Orgeron, Bailey Raborn kick Nicholls 27–14; Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 1:43
Fourth quarter
(05:45) NICH TD – Julien Gums 2-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 34–14; Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 6:27
(03:09) MCNS TD – Draysean Hudson 4-yard pass from Cody Orgeron, Bailey Raborn PAT blocked Nicholls 34–20; Drive: 11 plays, 91 yards, 2:31
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 21/35, 374 yards, 3 TD, INT
MCNS – Cody Orgeron – 18/36, 184 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
NICH – Julien Gums – 17 carries, 56 yards, TD
MCNS – Justin Pratt – 10 carries, 24 yards
Top receivers
NICH – Dai'Jean Dixon – 7 receptions, 185 yards, TD
MCNS – Trevor Begue – 6 receptions, 67 yards, TD :
| Statistics | McNeese State | Nicholls |
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Total yards | 236 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 52 | 145 |
| Passing yards | 184 | 374 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:12 | 32:48 |

### At Southeastern Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Colonels | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 21 Lions | 14 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Strawberry Stadium, Hammond, LA
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 10,071
* Referee: Ed Bourgeois
* TV: CST
Game information :
First quarter
(04:45) SELA TD – Devonte Williams 2-yard pass from Cole Kelley, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 7–0; Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:40
(00:00) SELA TD – Devonte Williams 61-yard punt returned, Bryce Broussard kick Southeastern Louisiana 14–0; Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:41
Second quarter
(11:43) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 48-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Southeastern Louisiana 14–7; Drive: 6 plays, 88 yards, 3:10
(05:34) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 2-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Tied 14–14; Drive: 9 plays, 91 yards, 4:31
Third quarter
(00:20) NICH TD – Julien Gums 5-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 21–14; Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:38
Fourth quarter
(11:34) SELA TD – Devonte Williams 4-yard rush, Bryce Broussard kick Tied 21–21; Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 3:40
(02:21) SELA TD – Austin Mitchell 17-yard pass from Chason Virgil, Bryce Broussard PAT failed Southeastern Louisiana 27–21; Drive: 3 plays, 29 yards, 0:46
(01:30) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 57-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 28–27; Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 0:45
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 19/27, 288 yards, 3 TD, INT
SELA – Chason Virgil – 25/45, 321 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
NICH – Julien Gums – 18 carries, 133 yards, TD
SELA – Devonte Williams – 16 carries, 75 yards, TD
Top receivers
NICH – Dai'Jean Dixon – 9 receptions, 190 yards, 3 TD
SELA – Austin Mitchell – 8 receptions, 99 yards, TD :
| Statistics | Nicholls | Southeastern Louisiana |
| First downs | 17 | 26 |
| Total yards | 468 | 460 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 113 |
| Passing yards | 228 | 347 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:15 | 28:45 |

### North Dakota—NCAA Division I First Round

The Colonels received an automatic bid (due to winning their conference) for the postseason tournament, with a first-round pairing against North Dakota.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Fighting Hawks | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 19 Colonels | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, LA
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C); overcast
* Game attendance: 7,569
* Referee: Nathan Black
* TV: ESPN3
Game information :
First quarter
(06:34) NICH FG – Gavin Lasseigne 27-yard field goal Nicholls 3–0; Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:40
Second quarter
(02:12) NICH TD – Chase Fourcade 1-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 10–0; Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05
(00:00) UND FG – Brady Leach 34-yard field goal Nicholls 10–3; Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:06
Third quarter
(06:50) UND FG – Brady Leach 42-yard field goal Nicholls 10–6; Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 3:47
(04:22) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 45-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 17–6; Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:28
Fourth quarter
(02:28) NICH TD – Dontrell Taylor 2-yard rush, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 24–6; Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:56
Top passers
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 14/16, 165 yards, TD
UND – Nate Ketteringham – 27/47, 269 yards, INT
Top rushers
NICH – Julien Gums – 16 carries, 172 yards
UND – Nate Ketteringham – 7 carries, 20 yards
Top receivers
NICH – Dai'Jean Dixon – 8 receptions, 122 yards, TD
UND – Travis Toivonen – 10 receptions, 121 yards :
| Statistics | North Dakota | Nicholls |
| First downs | 21 | 23 |
| Total yards | 316 | 481 |
| Rushing yards | 44 | 316 |
| Passing yards | 272 | 165 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:02 | 34:58 |

### At North Dakota State—NCAA Division I Second Round

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Colonels | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 37 |
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
* Date: December 7
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); N/A (indoors)
* Game attendance: 15,690
* Referee: Bob Johnson
* TV: ESPN3
Game information :
First quarter
(03:03) NICH FG – Gavin Lasseigne 35-yard field goal Nicholls 3–0; Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 3:17
(00:00) NDSU TD – Phoenix Sproles 55-yard rush, Will Cardinal kick North Dakota State 7–3; Drive: 6 plays, 84 yards, 0:00
Second quarter
(12:53) NICH TD – Dai'Jean Dixon 25-yard pass from Chase Fourcade, Gavin Lasseigne kick Nicholls 10–7; Drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 0:00
(04:13) NDSU TD – Jimmy Kepouros 43-yard pass from Trey Lance, Will Cardinal kick North Dakota State 14–10; Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:36
Third quarter
(10:36) NICH FG – Gavin Lasseigne 23-yard field goal North Dakota State 14–13; Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:24
(06:26) NDSU FG – Will Cardinal 32-yard field goal North Dakota State 17–13; Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:26
(02:58) NDSU TD – Noah Gindorff 3-yard pass from Trey Lance, Will Cardinal kick North Dakota State 24–13; Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 1:55
Fourth quarter
(08:21) NDSU TD – Trey Lance 6-yard rush, Will Cardinal kick North Dakota State 31–13; Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:30
(03:12) NDSU TD – Dimitri Williams 3-yard rush, Will Cardinal PAT failed North Dakota State 37–13; Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:58
Top passers
NDSU – Trey Lance – 10/16, 169 yards, 2 TD
NICH – Chase Fourcade – 11/15, 94 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
NDSU – Trey Lance – 11 carries, 88 yards, TD
NICH – Julien Gums – 15 carries, 77 yards
Top receivers
NDSU – Jimmy Kepouros – 2 receptions, 62 yards, TD
NICH – Dai'Jean Dixon – 4 receptions, 66 yards, TD :
| Statistics | Nicholls | North Dakota State |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 265 | 434 |
| Rushing yards | 171 | 265 |
| Passing yards | 94 | 169 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:31 | 33:29 |

## Ranking movements

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12-T | 16 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 19 | |
| Coaches | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 24 | RV | 24 | 23 | 19 | |