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Southeastern Louisiana at Nicholls State, 6 p.m.
Television: Delayed Broadcast on WHNO-TV at 9 p.m.  |  Live Streaming: www.SportsNOLA.com
Game Notes:  Southeastern Louisiana  |  Nicholls State
THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls State will close out its home schedule with a Thursday night showdown against Southeastern La. in the River Bell Classic. Kickoff at John L. Guidry Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The 22nd annual River Bell Classic will be streamed live on SportsNola.com, with a tape delay broadcast to air on WHNO-TV 20, scheduled for 9 p.m.

Before the game, Nicholls will honor its 15-member 2012 senior class. The players to be recognized are Darrel Brown, LaQuintin Caston, Marshall Crawford, Fernandez Garner, Gerald Gruenig, Kerry Guidry, Cory Kemps, Rashar Knight, Ben Landry, Chucky Nichols, Jordan Piper, Aldaro Russell, Jesse Turner, Marlon Williams and Andrew Wynn.

The seniors will be looking to continue the Colonels’ home winning streak in the River Bell Classic series, which stands at five games. While Southeastern (4-6, 4-2 Southland) took the trophy back to Hammond last season with a 31-14 victory at Strawberry Stadium, Nicholls (1-8, 0-6 Southland) won a thriller at home in 2010, knocking off the Lions 27-25. Trailing by eight, Southeastern scored a touchdown with two minutes remaining, but Piper batted down the two-point conversion to seal the win for Nicholls.

The Colonels head into the matchup hoping to avoid going winless in conference in back-to-back seasons for the first time since joining the league in 1991. Nicholls is also aiming to put an end to its six-game losing streak, which includes two games at home.

Nicholls had a strong showing in the third quarter in its last outing, rallying from a 17-point deficit to bring the score to 20-17. But like much of the season, the defense struggled to get off of the field, allowing Lamar to answer with a 90-yard scoring drive that lasted over eight minutes.

Nicholls features the league’s third-best passing offense (242.2) in conference play, but ranks last in scoring at 14 points per game. The Lions counter with the Southland’s stingiest pass defense, allowing only 197.2 yards. 

Although the Lions came up empty in their non-conference slate, Southland has found its stride in conference play, looking to win five Southland games for the first time in program history. The Lions, who were fifth in the Southland in rushing at 113.2 yards a game, exploded for nearly 300 yards on the ground against Stephen F. Austin last week to move up to third.  Southland had two 100-yard rushers in the 42-27 win over the Lumberjacks, led by Rasheed Harrell with 151 yards. Xavier Roberson rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kick for a score on his way to being named Southland Conference Player of the Week.

Nicholls also established its run game in its last outing as Marcus Washington notched his third career 100-yard game, finishing with 104 yards on 15 carriers. The setback at Lamar marked only the fourth loss in 10 games under head coach Charlie Stubbs where Nicholls had a 100-yard rusher.

The Colonels will be looking to improve its all-time record against their nearby rival, which sits at 12-9. Nicholls holds a 6-2 record at John L. Guidry and has not lost to the Lions on its home turf since 1980.

The game is the final game of the season for Southeastern, while Nicholls still has a game at Oregon State scheduled for Dec. 1 in Corvallis, Ore.

Upcoming Games in the Southland Conference:
Saturday, Nov. 17
No. 3/3 Sam Houston State at Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m. (FSN PPV)
Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin, 3 p.m. (SLCTV)
No. 24/25 Eastern Illinois at No. 10/10 Central Arkansas, 5 p.m.
Lamar at McNeese State, 7 p.m.

Don’t miss selection show for the NCAA Division I Playoffs on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., Central, on ESPNU.