Ultimate ‘1-0’ game arrives for Colonels with chance to capture Southland Conference title

The ultimate “1-0” game has arrived for the Nicholls football team.

Following the approach of going 1-0 each week has led the Colonels to a 5-0 record in the Southland Conference. Another 1-0 week – and another win – this time at home against Lamar at 3 p.m. Saturday would secure the league title and automatic bid to the playoffs with one game still remaining in the regular season.

“Once you give yourself that mindset, you set yourself up for these types of games. It’s a chance to win a ring, a conference championship. It’s why you come here, to win these things. It’s finally happening. You know, it’s 1-0 this week. We’ve got to get that ring. Then we go 1-0 next week we get into the playoffs and keep going 1-0,” Nicholls center Evan Roussel said.

“Every week it’s the same thing. We’ve got to go 1-0,” said defensive lineman Perry Ganci. “We have to play to our full potential, play to our standard, play for each other, and make sure we do what we have to do.

“This week is no different. Yeah, it’s a big game. It’s a championship game, but it’s another week 1-0, playing to our full potential.”

“Every game is just 1-0, the game in front of us. That’s what we’ve got to focus on. That mentality, that focus on what’s in front of us, I think, is the reason for our success and gotten us to where we are now. I think the most important thing this week is to keep that same mindset. Keep it consistent. Go into this week like it’s any other game. Obviously, it’s been working well for us this year, and hopefully this week, it turns out nice,” kicker Gavin Lasseigne said.

Nicholls put itself into position to capture the conference title by knocking off the only other undefeated team in the league at the time, the University of Incarnate Word 45-32 last Saturday in San Antonio.

The Colonels used a strong second quarter to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 24-10 lead on their way to the triumph.

“That was one of those games you dream of as a kid,” defensive back Jordan Jackson said. “It was a great college game, playing a good team that was like No. 4 in the nation. It’s a wonderful team they have over there.

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“We came out. We competed hard. We had a couple lucky bounces with the ball coming our way. Stuff like that, you love to see as a team. That was a good win. It builds team loyalty and chemistry, and we hope to build on it this week.”

“The defense came up with some big stops was very important,” said Roussel. “They kept it at 10 the whole first half. Then they (the Cardinals) kicked it field goal, but it was 24-13 at that point.

“Anytime you go on the road, and you play the No. 4 team in the country, and you go over there and win, you’ve got to be excited.”

Nicholls slumped to a rare losing record last season under Tim Rebowe’s tenure as coach at 3-8 featuring a young defensive squad that took its lumps. Now a mature group that leads the Southland in most categories, the Colonels have shown last year was an aberration, not a trend.

“This year, we got all the parts that we needed,” Ganci said. “We were hurt last year. We got healthy. We knew last year was not us. We knew we didn’t play to our standard, and that’s who we are. Now we are actually playing Colonel football, playing to our full potential and the sky is the limit for us.”

“I think the thing I am most proud of is you see those young guys kind of grow up. I’ve been here long enough to kind of see those guys mature and be the kind of football players that they were meant to be when they came in here. We’ve had a lot of guys do that this year for us,” running back Collin Guggenheim said.

Nicholls is 5-0 in the conference but 4-4 overall because of a SLC ruling following Northwestern State’s cancellation that award the team a league win but not a win in the overall standings. Regardless of the mark, the Colonels can capture the title Saturday with a win over Lamar and not have to worry about potential scenarios the following week at rival Southeastern Louisiana.

“You put yourself in these situations. You don’t want a tie; you want to come in and put yourself at the top. You don’t want to share that trophy. You don’t want to take a chance because the next one ain’t guaranteed, either” said Roussel.

Winning at home on Saturday would mean getting a chance to hoist the conference championship trophy in front of the home crowd.

“That will be a great feeling,” said Lasseigne, a fifth-year senior who is the school’s all-time leading scorer. “I remember back in 2019 when we got it over there at Strawberry Stadium (playing Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond). It was a nice feeling, but being able to experience that here at John L. Guidry, it will be real magical. Especially in this fifth year.”

“We have 12 seniors here. That’s a wonderful feeling for guys like that to be able to clinch that at home,” Jackson said.

Coming out of John Curtis High School as a quarterback, Guggenheim received few offers. The chance to come to Nicholls gave him hope, and a love affair with the city of Thibodaux that he said should be rewarded with a championship on the home turf.

“The city has been so great. I’ve mentioned it multiple times in my career here how great the city has been and how much it’s meant to me. This is kind of my second hope, my second chance here, you can’t find another city like Thibodaux. You can go anywhere, and everybody will greet you and say, ‘hey, how are you doing?’ and stuff like that. This city is special. It’s hard to find places like this, and to bring one back for them means everything.”