HAMMOND - It was a rematch that was 20 years too long in the making. But for fans of Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State, it was well worth the wait with both teams combining for 1,000 yards total offense.
The two Southland Conference rivals, separated by 94 miles, met for the first time since a 21-17 Nicholls State victory in 1985. And for the first 30 minutes, both teams scored as if they were trying to catch up for lost time. But in the end, one play from Nicholls State's bag of tricks set the tone for the game.
Anthony Harris' 49-yard run on a fake punt in the final seconds of the first half led to his 6-yard touchdown run as time expired to end the first half, and No. 25-ranked Nicholls State benefited from a pair of Southeastern turnovers and two missed field goal opportunities to hold off the Lions, 38-28, before a sellout crowd Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium.
"I was really proud of our team, especially the seniors," Southeastern head coach Dennis Roland said. "They battled for a full 60 minutes against a very good Nicholls State team who is likely going to win the (Southland) conference. And through their efforts, they have laid a great foundation for the future of Southeastern football. We still have one game left and we want to go out and win it for them (the seniors)."
Joseph Tobias rushed for 107 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns while Yale Vannoy added 97 yards and a 21-yard TD run as Nicholls State (5-3, 4-1 SLC) recorded 514 yards of total offense, including 392 on the ground. With its fourth straight win, Nicholls State remained in a tie with Texas State for the overall SLC lead and can secure the league's No. 1 seed with a win over McNeese State on Saturday.
Southeastern (3-6, 2-4 SLC), which will close out the season on Saturday at Mississippi Valley State, drove 54 yards on nine plays as Trey Willie capped the drive with a diving 1-yard touchdown that tied the game at 21-21 with 1:48 left in the first half.
On the next possession, Nicholls State drove to its 48-yard line where on third-and-7 Zach Morgan lost three yards. After a Lions' timeout with 26 seconds left, Nicholls State set up to punt, but Harris took the snap and rumbled 49 yards to the Southeastern 6. Harris scored on the next play as he broke two tackles at the goal line to put the Colonels ahead, 28-21, at the break.
Henry Johnson forced a Southeastern fumble on the Lions' first possession of the second half and the Colonels went 16 yards before Alex Romero's 44-yard field goal gave Nicholls State a 31-21 lead.
Southeastern, which finished with 486 yards total offense, drove to the Nicholls State 4, but after two incomplete passes, Jim Hall's 21-yard field try from the right hash bounced off the upright spoiling a chance for the Lions to close the gap.
The Lions forced Nicholls State to punt on its next drive, and after a 31-yard punt by Sean Comeaux, Southeastern started its next drive at the Nicholls State 33. The Lions drove the ball to the Nicholls State 9, but Hall missed a 26-yard attempt from the right hash.
After forcing Nicholls State to punt on its next drive, the Lions drove to the Nicholls State 27 before Antwan Dunn sacked Willie for a 10-yard loss and a 15-yard penalty by Southeastern forced the Lions into an eventual third-and-35 situation. Willie escaped pressure by the Nicholls State defense and was intercepted by Joseph Ogletree at the Nicholls State 15.
The Colonels took their next possession and went 81 yards in 14 plays, but on fourth-and-1 at the Southeastern 3, Broderick Cole was stuffed for a 1-yard loss giving the Lions the ball with 5:48 remaining.
Southeastern closed to within 31-28 as Willie found Josh Taylor on a 3-yard touchdown with 1:58 left. The Lions, who converted three fourth-down opportunities including Taylor's 53-yard grab on fourth-and-10 from the Southeastern 41, drove 96 yards in 16 plays.
The Lions attempted an onside kick and Tobias picked it up and ran to the Southeastern 24, where he scored three plays later on a 9-yard run with 1:10 left.
Southeastern took a 7-0 lead on its first possession after Corlando McChristion recovered a Zach Morgan fumble at the Nicholls State 49. The Lions took six plays to get into the end zone and Willie eluded the rush of Michael Young and found Taylor along in the left corner of the end zone with 11:18 left in the first quarter.
Nicholls State tied the game at 7-7 on its third possession as Cole plunged in from 1-yard with 5:46 left. The Colonels were aided by a 77-yard pass from Vannoy to Harris, who rushed for 86 yards and caught two passes for 97.
Willie, one of 20 Southeastern seniors playing in his final home game, finished 38-for-57 for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Willie also led the Lions with 51 yards on the ground. Taylor, a senior from Denham Springs, caught nine passes for a career-high 160 yards while seniors Hutch Gonzales had seven grabs and Felton Huggins six, including a 3-yard touchdown catch that tied the game at 14-14 with 8:35 left in the second quarter.
Nicholls State...... 14 14 3 7 - 38 Record: (5-3, 4-1 SLC)
Southeastern La..... 7 14 0 7 - 28 Record: (3-6, 2-4 SLC)
Scoring Summary
First quarter
SLU - Taylor 27 pass from Willie (Hall kick), 11:18
NSU - Cole 1 run (Romero kick), 5:46
NSU - Tobias 4 run (Romero kick), 1:02
Second quarter
SLU - Huggins 3 pass from Willie (Hall kick), 8:35
NSU - Vannoy 21 run (Romero kick), 5:17
SLU - Willie 1 run (Hall kick), 1:48
NSU - Harris 6 run (Romero kick), 0:00
Third quarter
NSU - FG Romero 44, 10:57
Fourth quarter
SLU - Taylor 3 pass from Willie (Hall kick), 1:58
NSU - Tobias 9 run (Romero kick), 1:10
A - 9,108
NICHOLLS SLU
FIRST DOWNS................... 19 29
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 61-392 25-83
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 122 403
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 5-3-0 57-38-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 66-514 82-486
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-0 3-22
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 2-36 5-55
Interception Returns-Yards.... 1-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 4-36.5 3-42.7
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards............... 8-70 4-35
Possession Time............... 32:28 27:32
RUSHING
Nicholls State - Tobias 13-107; Vannoy 13-97; Harris 7-86; Cole 17-57; Fontenot-Amadee 2-21; Hutchinson 2-15; Jones 1-12; Team 1-minus 1; Morgan 5-minus 2.
Southeastern La. - Willie 15-51; Gilbert 9-33; Watson 1-minus 1.
PASSING
Nicholls State - Vannoy 3-5-0-122. Southeastern La. - Willie 38-57-1-403.
RECEIVING
Nicholls State - Harris 2-97; Okoronkwo 1-25. Southeastern La. - Taylor 9-160; Gonzales 7-69; Huggins 6-44; Alfortish 4-29; Scates 3-18; J. Howard 3-17; Lanaux 2-26; J.
