Colonels get unique opportunity to prepare for stunned TCU Horned Frogs

Not only did Nicholls have two extra days to prepare for Saturday’s road game against Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, the Colonels also had a unique opportunity

With Nicholls having played last Thursday to open the season, the Colonels were able to gather as a team and watch their next opponent live on TV instead of just looking at game film.

“I think watching a TV copy of the game is always interesting,” Nicholls coach Tim Rebowe said. “You get to see some little different angles. You get to hear a few different things. Usually, when you just watch an opponent, the cut-ups of offense, defense, and special teams, the kicking game, you see a wide shot and an end zone shot. Then you break it down accordingly.

“Watching it live, you get to see some different things. I think you can see a little bit the speed of the game. You get to see some guys up close and personal that you don’t see on a regular trade copy.”

Nicholls and TCU are both coming off season-opening home losses. The Colonels fell 38-34 to Sacramento State, the 10th-ranked team among Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs, highly ranked among Football Bowl Subdivision teams, lost 45-42 in much hyped debut of Deion Sanders as coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

While Sanders is Coach Prime, the Colonels may be seen as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, when they take on a TCU team reeling from its surprise loss.

“I don’t know if it matters one way or the other,” Rebowe said of facing a TCU team coming off a loss. “If they had won the game, (the mentality might be) ‘they might not be as ready,’ or if they lost the game, ‘they will be even more mad.’ I don’t know if that really works.”

There are a few things the Nicholls coach knows about the Horned Frogs, who a year ago played in the FBS title game.

“They are a good football team. They are so well-coached,” Rebowe said. “They have good skilled players. They have a bunch of guys on that team, I think just like Sacramento State, coming off a good year that knows how to win, and knows how to win games.

“I’m sure he will have them ready,” Rebowe said of TCU coach Sonny Dykes. “They will make the number of corrections that they had to make from the past game. They gave up some critical plays on third and fourth critical downs. I’m sure that’s going to be an area they need to fix a little bit.

I’m sure they are going to want to turn the tempo up on us and try and put some points on the board. I don’t want to say they struggled, but early on they did to put the ball in the end zone. Then they got rolling in that second half.”

“I think they are going to have their home crowd behind them again,” the Nicholls coach continued. “They have to look to get back on the right track. It just so happens we’ve got to be the opponent going in there the next week.”

The Colonels are a bit familiar with one of the Horned Frogs, Emani Bailey, who rushed for 164 yards, including a 74-yard run against Colorado, is a transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette.

“We know a little bit about Bailey because he played right down the road in Lafayette last year and is a transfer. Knowing the staff at UL, and then we watched them a little bit, so I know about him. He’s a good running back. He’s a good, hard running back. He had a big run in the game that gave him a bunch of his yards,” said Rebowe.

Another running back, Trey Sanders, rushed for three touchdowns against Colorado.

“You think about how when they play tempo, but it’s not just throw it all over the yard. They do want to run the football,” Rebowe said. “They do want to try and get their chunks in the run game. “

“I think they a very, very good up front on the offensive line. I think they are big on the offensive line. I think that’s going to be a challenge for us,” continued Rebowe, alluding to a TCU line that averages 324 pounds, with the three lightest linemen weighing in at 315 pounds each.”

That big line was responsible for opening holes for Bailey and Sanders, while protecting quarterback Chandler Morris.

Morris was 24 of 42 for 279 yards passing and two touchdowns, with two interceptions against Colorado.

“It was his first game, his first start,” Rebowe pointed out. “I thought he ran the show. Anytime you can put 42 points on the board, obviously, you are doing something right.

“I’m sure they will probably expand his package a little bit and do some different things just like you always do when going from Week 1 to Week 2. They will have a little more confidence in the things he can do. I’m sure they will look to try to crank it up and get him going.”

In a losing effort, the Horned Frogs cranked for 541yards of total offense.

How do you deal with such an offense?

“Keep them off the field,” said Rebowe, who couldn’t help but laugh at the old cliché as it was uttered. “If our offense can try and control the clock a little bit, that always helps. Our kicking game has to be a big part of it. You are never going to stop a team like that.”

It’s a team, however, that surrendered 45 points and 565 total yards, including 510 through air. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, was 37 of 48 and four touchdowns and no interceptions in his Buffaloes debut.

When you look at it, they really didn’t give up any explosive runs, and very limited in the explosive, big passing plays,” Rebowe said of the TCU defense. “It’s just that their quarterback (Colorado’s Sanders) happened to extend some plays and make a couple at key times to keep it rolling,” said Rebowe.

What might the Colonels see from the TCU defense?

“They were conservative on the back end. I thought they played a little bit off coverage. They did a few things. I think they might try to jump into some man stuff and try to get after us a little bit. They are a three-down front. They give you some multiple looks. I think they are going to create some problems. Of course, their depth is going to create a problem for us, also,” Rebowe said.

The Horned Frogs might see something else, according to Rebowe.

“They will probably see some blood in the water and want to try and attack it if they can,” the Nicholls coach said. “I think what we have to do is try to go in and be calm and keep our composure and try to get into a fourth-quarter game. We will have to take some punches early. We will have to take some hits from them. Always, you will have to withstand certain things. Just like any game, you’ve got to throw a couple of punches yourself and see if you can get a little confidence and get the ball moving.

“I think that will be early for us. If we move the ball a little bit, get a few stops, get some confidence going into that second quarter and halftime, then some guys can believe they have a shot.”