Nicholls takes on winless Demons team with chance to move to 3-0 in Southland

Tim Rebowe used a baseball analogy to describe the status of his Nicholls football team.

“You can’t win Game 7 before you win Game 1. The guys are doing that. They know they are focusing on one game at a time. I like that we went on the road and got a win, and now we came home and got a win. Now we can see if we can put a little streak together right here,” Rebowe said.

At 2-0 in the Southland Conference, a win by Nicholls over visiting Northwestern State can help establish the Colonels as serious league contenders.

“It’s what you work for. It’s what you talk about. We would love to have been 3-0 going into the conference. It is what it is, but you know at the end of the day whether you make the playoffs or not will be your conference schedule,” Rebowe said.

The scenario the Colonels face when they take on Northwestern State at 3 p.m. Saturday in Thibodaux is one that can cause a coach a few sleepless nights.

Northwestern State is winless on the season at 0-5. At 0-1 in the SLC, a win over Nicholls could help to turn around the Demons’ season and put them into the conference hunt.

“That’s the message that Brad Laird is going to be echoing to his team,” said Rebowe, referring to the Demons’ coach. “He’s just saying, ‘hey, we’re just 0-1.’

“Forget about the other games, Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette, Eastern Illinois, forget about those games. They are only 0-1 in conference. They can come on the road, get themselves a victory, be 1-1 and be right back in the race.”

The task at hand for the Colonels is to avoid a proverbial “trap game.”

“We can’t go into there with overconfidence, by no means. We just got to go back and do the things that we do,” Rebowe said.

As their record might suggest, the Demons have had their struggles this season.

Northwestern State has scored a total of only 64 points through five games, averaging 12.8 per contest. The Demons have scored no more than 21 points in any game this season.

The Demons have played two quarterbacks this season.

Quaterius Hawkins, a senior transfer from Grambling, is 56 of 99 passing for 488 yards, with one touchdown and four interceptions. He also has rushed for 75 yards.

Tyler Vander Waal, a fellow senior, and a transfer from Idaho State after starting his career at Wyoming, is 28 of 65 passing for 306 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

“They are a little bit different,” Rebowe said of the Demon’s two quarterbacks. “They both can pull it down and run it a little bit. I would say Vander Waal might be a little bit better of a thrower.

“I still think you have to prepare for their offense. They’ve done similar things with both of them in the game. Maybe with one you might have more of a run emphasis, but you can’t say he’s not going to throw the football.”

Hawkins and Vander Waal are typical of much of the Northwestern State roster. Filled with transfers, the Demons feature three starters on offense and four on offense that were brought in as high school players. The rest are transfers.

“I think you have to do what fits you. You have to deal with what area you are in, and sometimes need. I think, for us, I like building it the high school route. That doesn’t always work. Sometimes you have a need that you have to fill, maybe an offensive lineman or a linebacker, so you may look at a transfer,” said Rebowe.

Northwestern State has no real go-to guy at running back. Three Demons have topped 100 yards rushing through five games. Scooter Adams leads the way with 157 yards on 33 carries.

“Scooter seems like he’s been there for a long time,” Rebowe said. “He knows their offense. He knows what they’re doing. I think he’s a really, really good back.

“I think the other two who are really getting a lot of pops are good, hard-nosed runners. They don’t rely just on one. We’ve done that sometimes, too. We’ve had some years where we’ve had two or three backs where the yards were spread out. Sometimes, you also have took look at you get into a game and who has the hot hand and who they will go with.”

Three receivers had 136 reception yards or more. Leading the way is senior Jaren Mitchell, a transfer from Northern Colorado, with 14 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown.

“Jaren Mitchell is the one we’ve got to be really heads-up for and know where he is. He’s a guy that can do a little bit of damage. We probably have to give him some different looks in that back end and mix it up for their quarterback a little bit,” Rebowe said.

Offensively, Rebowe said, Northwestern State runs much of what the Colonels have already seen this season.

“A lot of RPO (run-pass option) stuff, which people are doing. Counters, zone, and a lot of RPOs. That’s what we will have to prepare for,” the Nicholls coach said.

The Demons are quite multiple on defense, according to Rebowe.

“I think in four games, they’ve given you four different fronts,” he noted.

Linebackers Jared Pedraza and Jaeden Ward each have a total of 42 tackles to lead the Northwestern State defense.

“I think their linebackers are the key, but I think they also have a really good secondary. I think they do a good job in the back end. They cover. I like the way they run to the football. Hopefully up front on that d-line, we can match up a little bit them defensively with our offensive line. We are getting better and better each week,” Rebowe said.

Continuing the formula of the previous two weeks will be the key to Saturday’s outcome, according to Rebowe.

“Field position is key for us. It’s been for the last two games. The games that we’ve won, I think it’s been huge,” Rebowe said. “I told the team last week against Houston Christian, every drive started inside their own 34-yard line. It’s hard to go that distance constantly.

“On the flipside for us, I think we had five drives that started on the 50 or plus-side of the field. I think you put those two together, it can translate into some points for you.”