Nicholls will host the River Bell Classic on Thursday night

On By Littum


Guggenheim 2024

Jared Shanklin



Soccer






Nicholl’s Colonel vs. Southeastern Lions
Thibodaux, Louisiana (Guidry Stadium)
Thursday 21 November at 6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ CONNECTION
Sound: KLEB 102.7 FM | 1600 | TuneIn

Live statistics: Link

• The Nicholls State University football team hosts rival Southeastern for the annual River Bell Classic Thursday night at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. Nicholls will look to send out its senior class with a second straight River Bell win, while the Lions seek a fourth straight win in Thibodaux. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

• When it comes to rivalry games, it’s hard to find one better than the River Bell Classic. With the win by the Colonels in Hammond, Louisiana last season, the all-time series is tied at 17-17. What’s even more interesting about the River Bell matchup lately is the dominance of the road teams, as both have three-game winning streaks on the other’s field. The 21-17 victory last year at Strawberry Stadium gave Nicholls an outright title, while SLU celebrated a championship in 2022 after its win at Guidry Stadium. The last home win for Nicholls was a 44-0 shutout to win the 2018 Southland title.

• Nicholls will not only try to end its home drought in the series against the Lions, but will try to end its current three-game losing streak after a 24-7 loss at Lamar. The Colonels fell behind early on a short punt return for a touchdown and trailed 10-7 at halftime. But the offense couldn’t produce any points in the second half as they fell to 0-4 against Southland Texas teams this season. Terry Matthews led the offense with 85 yards receiving on seven catches, while Eli Ennis totaling 11 tackles and his third interception of the season.

• After a close loss to league champion UIW, Southeastern has won its last two games, beating Lamar in overtime on the road before beating Northwestern State on Senior Day. The Lion defense dominated the winless Demons, holding NSU to 140 total yards in the 41-0 victory. On offense, Eli Sawyer threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while Antonio Martin Jr. rushed for 110 yards and a score. Martin is seeking the league rushing title as he and Lamar’s Khalan Griffin are separated by just six rushing yards.

A WIN OVER SLU WOULD…

… give Nicholls an 18-17 lead in the all-time series, snapping a three-game home drought. The last home win over SLU was a 44-0 shutout in 2018.
… give Nicholls a sweep against the Louisiana Southland schools. The Colonels last went 3-0 against Southeastern, McNeese and Northwestern State in the 2019 championship season. Nicholls beat SLU and McNeese last year, but the win over NSU was a forfeit.
… improve the Colonels’ record to 21-11 in November under coach Rebowe.
… improve Coach Rebow’s record in the SLC to 49-29.

BY THE NUMBERS


6 — The Colonels defense is tied for first in the FCS with six rushing touchdowns allowed. Nicholls hasn’t allowed a rushing TD in seven games this season.

19 — Nicholls will honor its 2024 Senior Class on Thursday. The 19 seniors are Jordan Aaron, Jaden Ben, Zack Bernard, Dillion Davis, Markeyvrick Eddie, Jakob Foss, Collin Guggenheim, Nathan Hebb, Reed Lambert, Terry Matthews, Jackson McFarland, Lee Negrotto, Elijah Reams, Evan Roussel, Quinton Sharkey, Kendarius Smith, Seth Trahan, Ray Valleeand Logan Wilcox.

19 — With two more interceptions at Lamar, Nicholls is second in the FCS with 19 picks. Eli Ennis recorded his third interception while Jamison Lindsey chopped his second. The most by a defense in program history was 24 in 1981.

29 — The Colonel’s defense took over no. 1 in the FCS with three more turnovers in the last game and now has a nation-best 29 turnovers. Along with two interceptions, Nicholls forced a late Lamar turnover on one Ty Marsh forced fumbling.

78.5 — The Nicholls defense has been one of the best in the FCS against the rush, averaging 78.5 yards rushing per carry. game despite facing two FBS opponents. The Colonels are 2nd in the FCS and are also 9th in total defense. The single-season school record is 92.0 rushing yards allowed set in 1982.

104 — Eli Ennis surpassed the 100-tackle mark in the final 11 games at Lamar, giving him 104 on the season. Ennis is 2nd in the SLC in tackles and 16th in the FCS. He is the first Colonel with 100 tackles in a season since Kevin Moore III had 112 in 2019.

200 — Collin Guggenheim is second all-time in rushing for the Colonels and is 200 yards from matching the all-time mark of 3,429 held by his former teammate, Julien Gums. Guggenheim also has 33 career rushing TDs, with Gums also holding that record with 36.

RELATIONSHIPS SOCIALLY
For more information on Colonel football, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_FB), Instagram (@Nicholls_FB) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls football).