Saturday Showdown: No. 6 McNeese State Travels To No. 13 Nicholls State In Key SLC Football Contest
FRISCO, Texas - Saturday marks a battle of the unbeatens in a crucial Southland Conference showdown, as No. 6 McNeese State and No. 13 Nicholls State meet to determine who has the inside track to the league football title.
WHNO Channel 20 will broadcast the game live from Guidry Stadium, and Cox Cable and Charter subscribers can tune to Ch. 20 on both providers for the live action. Associate Athletics Director Ken Berthelot and NFL analyst Mike Detillier will have all of the play-by-play action.
McNeese State has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools and is 10-4 in games played in Thibodaux. The Cowboys have also won 14 of the last 18 meetings.
Two years ago, Nicholls State defeated McNeese State, propelling the Colonels to a regular-season championship.
Nicholls State and McNeese State rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the SLC in rushing offense (256.0 - 205.0), rushing defense (130.0 - 133.2), total defense (308.7 - 355.2) and scoring defense (16.2 - 20.5).
The Colonels (5-1, 2-0) are off to their best overall start since joining the Southland Conference in 1991. Nicholls is also off to their best start in conference play, tying their only other 2-0 start in 2003. McNeese State (6-0, 2-0) is one of five teams still undefeated in the Division I-Football Championship Subdivision. The Cowboys currently boast the nation's fifth most efficient quarterback in Derrick Fourroux, and the country's best sack artist in Bryan Smith who is averaging 1.50 sacks a game.
Smith was joined this week on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List by Nicholls junior strong safety Ladarius Webb. Webb is the Colonels first ever player in Nicholls history to be named to the list mid-season. Former Colonel great Chris Thompson was on the list to start out his senior season in 2003, but was removed mid-season. Webb is currently tied for second in the nation in interceptions, while leading Division I-FCS in interception returns for touchdowns with three. Second in the nation in interception returns for touchdowns is senior free safety Kareem Moore with two.
As a team, the Colonels are the conference's leading rushers with an average of 256 yards a game while the Cowboys are second in the Southland with a 205 yards per contest mark.
Both teams are the only two Southland Conference teams to defeat Division I Football Bowl Subdivision participants this season. Nicholls defeated Rice 16-14 to open the season, and McNeese State beat Louisiana-Lafayette 38-17 in week three.