2007 Nicholls State Football Preview
THIBODAUX, La. - After two seasons removed from acheiving the conference’s highest honor, the 2005 Southland Conference Championship, the Colonels will look to build on their 2006 campaign as they head into their 2007 season. The taste still salivates in the coaching staffs’ mouths from 2005, and even though Nicholls finished 2006 tied for fourth, the season of 2007 looks to be a special one.
Many experienced returning players with the coachable talent now on-campus, to go along with some key transfers, is enough to make 2007 a season to look forward to. A veteran led squad will take to the field this season that features 19 seniors, 23 juniors and 26 sophomores. With the help of the upperclassmen, the Colonels should be able to find themselves in the thick of things at the end of the season and be competing for the 2007 conference title.
“Every year’s goal is to end the season as SLC champions and we didn’t get there last season like we did in 2005,” said head coach Jay Thomas. “We contended, but we didn’t capture the crown. With that said, I know that a lot of positives came from last season. Our defense was a force to be reckoned with all year, and when the offense was firing on all cylinders, it caused a lot of problems for our opponents.”
Offense
Nicholls’ smash mouth style of the triple-option attack is back once again, and with three signal callers now having experience being under center, the Colonels have the ability to run their style of play like a fine tuned machine. Despite hitting some potholes and having the growing pains carry on further down the road then expected in 2006, the Colonels still finished atop the Southland in rushing as they were the only school in the conference to average over 200 yards a game.
Now with junior Vincent Montgomery, senior Chris Bunch, and sophomore Zack Chauvin having some experience they can carry with them into 2007, the Colonels should get that spark it needs from a signal caller under center. During the 2006 campaign, the Colonels showed why they are so feared as an offense, and even though the Colonels lost to Nebraska, Nicholls rushed for the 187 yards against them, which was the second most yards that the Cornhuskers gave up in 2006.
It also has not gone unnoticed that the Colonels have a plethora of backs to use in their attack this season, which includes senior fullbacks’ Broderick Cole and Joe Tobias. The duo was a major part of the Colonels success in 2005. The big shoes that the Colonels have to fill on offense this season is on the offensive line. Seniors Jacob Bender and Jake Housson left vacancies in the offensive trenches to be filled by players like junior Jonathon De Avila and senior Ben Gombossy. However with the leadership of senior Jesse Frazier, junior Nigel Cormier, and Davonn Dutton, the Colonels should be able to carry over the success they had last year in the 2007 season.
“It is great to have an experienced backfield to play with this season, and to have a lot of that experience in our skill positions,” said Thomas. “It is easy to be confident with our rushing attack with players like Broderick Cole, Joe Tobias, and Zach Morgan in the backfield. Our offensive line and receiving core will also play a major role in how we run our offense and the success of it.”
Defense
The Colonels reeked havoc on the field for opposing offenses all season in 2006 as Nicholls finished last year’s campaign ranked among the best in the Southland. Nicholls finished ranked number one in scoring defense and pass defense by limiting their opponents to only 20.7 points a game and clogged the air ways so much so that their adversaries only managed 148.9 passing yards a contest against them.
The 2006 squad also finished as the second best overall defense in the Southland statistically by allowing 301.1 yards a game. Defensive coordinator Steve Ellis picked up where Charles Kelly had left off and made sure the Colonels stayed atop the conference with its hard hitting style of defense.
“The defense held us together last season, and with some key additions and experienced players returning, we should find ourselves as one of the better defenses in the Southland again,” said Thomas. “I can not give enough credit to Steve and the defense for all the hard work and game prep that they go through every week to put our players in the right place to make the plays.”
Nicholls graduated a very senior laden core of linebackers with all three starters: Levon Bailey, Dustin Gisclair, and Cory Vavala, and backup Robby Ellis getting there undergraduate degrees. Other seniors from a year ago include defensive tackle Greg Casnave and safety Toney Edison, making the total number of starters from a year ago lost to five. With them gone, a pair of high school teammates at John Curtis Christian High School in senior Mike Heyl and junior Cody Dimak will take to the field along with sophomore Garrick Spain and Yashua Willis this year at linebacker, while Solomon Ona, a transfer from Mississippi State and originally from Baker, La., will step in Casnave’s spot. Edison’s spot is still being battled for, but with the 2006 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year in Kareem Moore at free safety, whoever takes over at strong safety should benefit from Moore’s experience.
Special Teams
Always a bright spot for the Colonels, the 2007 fleet is no different with returning players senior Alex Romero, sophomore Ross Schexnayder, and senior Sean Comeaux. Newcomer redshirt freshman Patrick Dolan will push for playing time in games, but the Colonels’ 2007 punter heading into the season is Comeaux.
Romero connected on seven of his 10 field goal tries in 2006, and the Hahnville, La. native’s longest was 45 yards. Romero heads into this season as the starter, while redshirt sophomore Schexnayder should get some opportunity to boot some through the uprights. Comeaux enters this year as the starter, as he has been for the past two seasons. The New Iberia, La. native averaged 37.4 yards a punt in 2006, which was the best average that he has had in his career for a single season. Comeaux also recorded a new career long with a 54-yard boot.
The kick return specialist heading into 2007 are seniors Grant Thorne and Kareem Moore, who both got reps in at returning kicks and punts in 2006. Thorne, who will get a lot more carries at running back this season, split time returning punts with Moore in 2006 and both, along with some others, are slated to do the honors again this season. Moore will see more kickoffs this season then he did a year ago as he is penciled in as the kick return specialist, but sophomore Dominique Daniels and senior Lester Brooks will get the opportunity to haul in some kicks as well.
“Our special teams always helps us with winning the field position battle with the opposing team, and this years solid group of returnees and newcomers will do the job to the best of their ability,” said Thomas. “Romero and Comeaux have proven themselves over the course of three years here, and Schexnayder and Dolan are the future. Kareem Moore, Dominique Daniels, Lester Brooks and Grant Thorne all are going to get to return kicks and punts for us and all of them have the ability to break one, which is a big reason why we are giving them the opportunity.”
Schedule
Nicholls kicks off the 2007 campaign in Houston, Texas against Rice at 7 p.m. on September 1. The Owls played in the New Orleans bowl last season and lost 41-17 to Troy. Rice’s new head coach is David Bailiff formerly of Texas State. Two of the five home contests are against non-conference opponents with the first game against Southern Arkansas on September 8. The Colonels beat Southern Arkansas 35-0 last season in Nicholls’ season opener. After their duel with the Muleriders, the Colonels will head west to play the University of Nevada-Reno on September 15. Nevada-Reno lost to the University of Miami in the MPC Bowl.
Nicholls will return home after playing Nevada-Reno to host Azusa Pacific in John L. Guidry Stadium on September 22 followed by an open date on September 29. After the off week, the Colonels will begin Southland Conference play against Northwestern State at home on October 6 before traveling to Nacogdoches, Texas to play Stephen F. Austin on October 13. The Colonels return to Thibodaux for homecoming against McNeese State on October 20. It is the first time in 13 years that the Colonels and Cowboys will not close out the season against one another.
The Colonels will be on the road for the following two weeks with the first contest coming against the Bears of Central Arkansas on October 27. Central Arkansas will be participating as a full-fledged member in the conference this season in all sports. After the bout with the Bears, the Colonels will face the Bearkats of Sam Houston State on November 3.
Nicholls will play their final home contest of the season against Texas State on November 10, which will be Family Day and Senior Day. The Colonels close out the regular season at Southeastern La. on November 17. It is the first time since 1985 that the Colonels have closed out the season against their arch rival.
Quarterbacks
The growing pains hit Colonel signal callers hard last season, but with a season of action under the belts of junior Vincent Montgomery, senior Chris Bunch, and sophomore Zack Chauvin, things should run a lot smoother. Montgomery saw the most action as he started eight of the nine games that he played in, and even though he led the Colonels to victory in a tight 14-10 win over Southeastern La., his best performance of the season came against Texas State when he led the Colonels to a 21-19 off the bench comeback victory. Nicholls went into the locker room at halftime looking up to a 13-0 deficit, and responded with 21 point third quarter under the guidance of Montgomery as the Colonels held on to win 21-19 after a last second scare.
Bunch had his moments last season as well, especially when he came in against Louisiana Tech and tallied 22 yards on just four carries. After a season of learning and becoming familiar with the triple-option system, Bunch is set to really push to get onto the field and get some playing time. The third quarterback pushing to see action under center in 2007 is Thibodaux High standout Zach Chauvin, who burned his redshirt and played in four games for the Colonels while starting two of them in 2006. In his best game against Assumption College, Chauvin completed four of his seven passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns while carrying the ball nine times for 90 yards rushing.
Nolan Dumas, the redshirt freshman who sat out last season, will compete for some playing time as well.
“All three of the quarterbacks that got into the game last year really made a case for themselves to be a starter, which is going to make the decision for H.T. Kinney and I a tough one going into 2007. To top it all off, all of our quarterbacks had good springs,” said Thomas. “I think that one of them will emerge as the starter before we play our first game, and it is good that they are all pushing each other to get better.”
Offensive Backfield
The offensive backfield in 2007 will be led by the senior tandem of Broderick Cole and Joseph Tobias, who as a duo in 2005 led the Colonels to its first Southland Conference Championship in school history. Cole was hampered by a turftoe injury last season that only permitted him to participate in seven games for the Colonels, but he did record 58 carries for 241 yards and a team leading five touchdowns in 2006 before he was sidelined for the season. Tobias, who was the 2005 Southland Newcomer of the Year after rushing for an average of 71.8 yards a game, received a redshirt for the 2006 season.
With Cole and Tobias back in uniform and ready to play their senior season, so is junior running back Zack Morgan who rushed for 397 yards last season with the absence of Cole and Tobias. Morgan, who racked up 435 yards on the ground in 2005, managed to score four touchdowns. The three headed monster of Cole, Tobias and Morgan finished 2005 with 1,870 yards combined, 24 touchdowns, and accounted for 51.3 percent of the rushing offense.
Another running back that is set to get a lot of carries in 2007 is senior Grant Thorne, who was given the rock 35 times last season for 239 yards for a 6.8 yards per carry, which is the best average of those returning to the fold. Other running backs that will get some reps this season are senior Cal Jones, who is set to get action at both fullback and running back, sophomore Kenny Owens, redshirt freshman Avery Campbell, and junior Rance Lassegine, who is making the switch from defensive back.
“We have a lot of great players at our disposal this season in backfield to give our opponents some headaches in preparing to play us and trying to tackle some of our pounding running backs,” said Thomas. “Coach Kent Keith does an excellent job with his players every season, and this years group is no different.”
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Although the Colonels receiving core did not get a lot of balls thrown their way in 2006, they played an integral part in the triple-option attack with their blocking and proved that if a pass is launched their way that they have reliable hands. That reliability starts with senior Michael Okoronkwo who hauled in a team best 15 passes for 278 yards and two scores. Okoronkwo has led the Colonels in receiving for the last two seasons heading into 2007, and has 6-foot-6 junior Patrick Gordon lining up across from him. The Colonels could have the ability to pass more if they felt the need too. Gordon also made strides in 2006 by raking in eight passes for 100 yards and two scores.
The Colonels tightend position is primarily used to block in the triple-option attack, but can be the used for the occasional surprise downfield for a pass. Senior Jared Landrum is no stranger to that as he was on the receiving end of 54-yard bomb for a touchdown in 2004, and if the situation presents itself this season, Landrum should be able to surprise the opposition down field. The 6-foot-2 product has been a blocking specialist the last two seasons and has not seen many passes go his way, but 2007 could hold something special for Landrum. Sophomore Adam Brister will also get some playing time this season.
“Our receivers have been the definition of team players for us, and have really helped us execute our triple-option offense the way that it is supposed to be,” said Thomas. “I have all the confidence in them that if the opportunity presents itself for us to throw, I know that they will come down with the ball if it is catchable.”
Offensive Line
It is no secret that the Colonels have some big shoes to fill on the offensive line with the departure of Jacob Bender to New York Jets in NFL Draft and Jake Housson who exhausted his eligibility, but the talented core left should be able to fill in just fine. Heading into the season starting at left tackle is junior Jonathon De Avila, and filling Housson’s spot will be senior Ben Gombossy, who was scheduled to start at left guard heading into 2006 but suffered a season ending injury.
New offensive line coach Joshua Eargle looks to pick up where Chad Callais left off, and with the likes of returning starters junior center Nigel Cormier, junior right tackle Davonn Dutton, and senior right guard Jesse Frazier helps make Eargle’s inaugural season less stressful. Eargle, a three-year letterwinner at the University of Memphis, played both guard positions in college and will be able to relate to the players as a former college athlete himself.
Other offensive lineman that are set to get a lot of playing time this season are sophomores Baylor Ordoyne and Britton Comeaux, senior Matt Blanchard, junior Blaine Burns, and redshirt freshman Ren Cheramie. Ordoyne moved over from the defensive line to back up De Avila, while Comeaux will be able to spell Fraizer when need be. Blanchard got a lot of reps in the spring at center and will be a solid compliment to Cormier as Cheramie and Burns will back up the right side of the line. Sophomore Aric Flowers will get action in at right tackle depending on the status of his recovery from an injury that sidelined him in 2006.
“I have all the faith in this core of players and Josh (Eargle) to put our offense in a position to score no matter where we are at on the field,” said Thomas. “Eargle brings a nice resume to our staff and our players really responded to him in the spring. With three starters returning, we should be able to build on the success that we had last year.”
Defensive Line
Under the direction of former Colonel standout Burnell Taylor for the third straight season, the defensive line returns a group of solid players that have put together a great spring and are ready to compete in 2007. The defensive line will benefit with the likes of sophomores Matt Fairchild and Jairus Jarvis along with juniors Solomon Ona and Chris Noble.
Fairchild benefited from starting every game as a redshirt freshman in 2006 as the Gonzales, La. native racked up 20 tackles playing at defensive tackle. Jarvis played in ten games for the Colonels as a redshirt freshman and recorded 22 total tackles with two going for sacks. The 6-foot-5 215 pound defensive end is penciled in to start at left defensive end in 2007. With Greg Casnave exhausting his eligibility in 2006, the Colonels welcomed Mississippi State transfer Ona. Ona, the Baker, La. native, will get the stating nod heading into the season, while Noble will anchor down the right end of the defensive line. Noble started ten of the 11 games that he played in, and recorded 30 tackles and three sacks.
Others that will get a lot of playing time include sophomore Quenton Mims, who played in five games last season as a true freshman. Mims will compliment Ona, and Jordan Stone will push hard for a chance to get on the field. Stone will battle with Fairchild like they did all spring, and will rotate in and out quiet often during games. Also sophomore Zac Reddix and senior Dominic Cooper will push for playing time at defensive end, but Cooper will see some snaps at linebacker this season.
Junior transfer Daun Thompson, sophomore Austin Williams, and freshman Jarvis Sigler will also see some action in 2007.
“Our defensive line is one of the most solid areas on our team heading into 2007,” said Thomas. “I am looking forward to seeing all of them on the field, rooting for each other to make the plays and create opportunities for our linebackers and defensive backs. Our transfers and returning players are going to be something to watch this year in how they get after it.”
Linebackers
An area for the Colonels in 2007 that will start all new players as all three of last years starters exhausted their eligibility and have graduated. The departure of two-time first team All-SLC selection Cory Vavala and All-SLC Honorable Mentions Levon Bailey and Dustin Gisclair left three big holes for the Colonels to fill. Looking to step in for the Colonels and ensure the linebacking core does not skip a beat in 2007 are senior Mike Heyl and sophomore Kyle Hughes at strong linebacker, sophomore Jarrod Fanguy and sophomore Yashua Willis at middle linebacker, and junior Ivan Perry and sophomore Garrick Spain at weak side linebacker.
Heyl took the majority of snaps in spring at strong side, but Hughes, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, was right there pushing Heyl for playing time. Heyl, the John Curtis Christian standout, has been in the Colonels’ system for four seasons and will look to make the most of his opportunity. In the middle is Fanguy heading into 2007, and the Houma, La. native is being stalked closely by Willis. Fanguy served as a backup to the defense in 2006, while Willis participated in eight of the Colonels 11 games last season. With the talented duo of Perry and Spain on the weak side, the linebacking core shapes up to be a talented group. Perry has seen playing time in his previous three campaigns, while the hard hitting Spain will certainly crack the starting lineup this season.
Junior Cody Dimak, who was a mainstay on special teams a year ago, will be a key contributor to the linebackers because of his versatility. Dimak will get action at strong and middle linebacker this season, while redshirt freshman and local Thibodaux High product Jamie Grainer will fight to get on the field along with sophomore Chris Broussard. Other linebackers on the roster include Dominic Cooper, who will see playing time at defensive end, and freshman Jesse Montero.
“We graduated a great group of young men and football players at all the linebacker positions, and they have left behind some big shoes to fill,” said Thomas. “I am very confident in the group that we have for 2007 to pick up where we left off in 2006. Coach Jeremy Atwell is anxious to coach the group that he has to work with this year.”
Defensive Backfield
It is safe to say that heading into 2007, the Colonels are loaded and have stockpiled talent in the defensive backfield. With the 2006 SLC Newcomer of the Year senior free safety Karrem Moore headlining the group, and returnees such as seniors Jermaine Boggan and Lester Brooks, junior Jamal Simmons, and sophomore Dominique Daniels sets the ground for something special. Not to mention the two Southern Miss transfers in Lance Moore and Ladarius Webb and the Mississippi State transfer and former Brother Martin High School standout Akeem Mills.
Kareem Moore solidified the defense in 2006 along side of graduate Toney Edison who is now a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. Moore picked up second team honors last season as well at free safety while recording 68 tackles and notched an interception and forced fumble. Boggan and Brooks started every game on the corners for the Colonels in 2006, and it looks to be the same in 2007. Boggan started off the season with a bang against Southern Arkansas by picking off two passes and recovering a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown. He was named SLC defensive player of the week for his efforts, while Brooks recorded 30 tackles in his first season with the Colonels that included a fumble recovery.
The three transfers from Division I-A will spice things up a bit due to the level of talent they bring to the 2007 squad. Lance Moore and Webb bring well rounded resumes to Nicholls from Southern Miss with Moore being primarily a mainstay on special teams while Webb finished his sophomore campaign fifth on the team in tackles with 55 and led the squad in pass breakups with five. Mills will push for playing time, as he, like Moore, was primarily a special teams player at his former Division I-A school. Daniels is penciled in right now as the starter at strong safety, but one of the three transfers could crack the starting lineup. Other players on the roster that will contribute in the secondary are juniors Simmons and Andre Kelly, who is moving over from offense, sophomore Jordan Ogletree, senior Collin Moore, and redshirt freshmen Isaiah Randolph and Kenny Lewis.
“Defensive Coordinator Steve Ellis does a great job of bring in talent and getting the best out his players on the field. The players relate to him being a former defensive back here,” said Thomas. “This is one of the most talented groups of defensive players that I have been around since I have been here, and the way they compete as a group with one another is only going to make us a better football team on the field.”
Specialists
All of the Colonels’ kickers return in 2007 with it being Alex Romero’s and Sean Comeaux’s senior season, as Nicholls also features sophomore Ross Schexnayder and redshirt freshman Patrick Dolan. Romero, who has started the last two seasons for the Colonels after transferring from LSU, enters 2007 as the sure fire starter after a successful 2006 season that saw him make good on seven of his 10 field goal attempts. His longest sailed through the uprights from 45 yards out while he continued to be reliable from the gridiron’s charity strip by making all 24 of his extra point attempts.
Schexnayder could not get on the field last season because of Romero’s strong play, but will get an opportunity this season as he is the future for the Colonels in the kicking game. Comeaux put together his best season of his career in 2006 by averaging a career best 37.4 yards a punt and a new career long of 54 yards. The Central Catholic High Alum also downed 11 of his punts inside the 20 yard-line in an effort to help the Colonels win the field position battle. Dolan, who put together a nice spring after suffering an injury in 2006, will push Comeaux in an effort to get playing time, and will get his opportunities like Schexnayder because they are the future of the Colonels’ Special Teams.
The Colonels kick and punt return corps is fully stocked and ready for action as it features eight possible candidates to return kicks and punts this season. Grant Thorne is slated to get most of the punts, but looks to rotate with the likes of Kareem Moore, Lance Moore, Lester Brooks and Akeem Mills. Returning kicks in 2007 looks to be Dominique Daniels along with the same batch of backups with Lester Brooks included.
“Our kicking game has been solid over the last two seasons due in large part to the strong play of Alex Romero and Sean Comeaux,” said Thomas. “We have a very explosive group of kick and punt returners that will take turns fielding kicks for us in 2007 until one or two separates themselves from the rest.”