THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls found a way to finish.

After controlling much of the night and building a 31-14 lead late in the third quarter, the Colonels were forced to withstand a fourth-quarter surge from UTRGV before escaping John L. Guidry Stadium with a 31-28 victory Saturday night.

The final numbers showed just how close the Southland Conference matchup really was. UTRGV finished with a slight 327-322 advantage in total offense; both teams recorded 21 first downs, and possession time was nearly even. The difference came in timely Nicholls touchdowns, a defense that created turnovers, and a late stand when the Vaqueros had made it a three-point game.

Nicholls quarterback Ean Rodrigue finished 21-of-36 for 235 yards and four touchdowns, with three of those scores going to Jackson Dufrene.

Dufrene turned in the biggest offensive performance of the night for the Colonels, catching five passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns. His scores came from 18, 20 and three yards as Nicholls repeatedly found ways to get him involved in critical situations.

The Colonels struck first midway through the opening quarter when Rodrigue connected with Dufrene for an 18-yard touchdown, giving Nicholls a 7-0 lead.

That advantage grew to 14-0 early in the second quarter. Nicholls put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with another Rodrigue-to-Dufrene touchdown, this time from 20 yards out.

UTRGV answered.

Garret Rangel found Kyran Lee for a 29-yard touchdown with 11:45 remaining in the half, and the Vaqueros pulled even at 14 after a Nicholls turnover set up a short field. TJ Dement punched it in from one yard out with 4:25 left before halftime.

Nicholls responded almost immediately.

The Colonels drove 60 yards in just over a minute before Kingston Phan hit a 32-yard field goal, sending Nicholls into halftime with a 17-14 lead.

The third quarter proved to be the decisive stretch.

Nicholls opened the second half with a grinding 17-play, 75-yard drive that took 8:29 off the clock. Rodrigue capped it with his third touchdown pass to Dufrene, this one from three yards out, to push the lead to 24-14.

Later in the quarter, Nicholls took advantage again as Rodrigue found Shane Lee for a 10-yard touchdown. The score completed a six-play, 47-yard drive and gave the Colonels their largest lead of the night at 31-14 with 2:06 left in the third.

At that point, Nicholls looked to be in control.

UTRGV had other plans.

The Vaqueros turned to quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn in the second half, and he helped bring UTRGV back into the game. Jakobsohn completed 7-of-17 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

His first scoring strike came with 8:59 remaining when he found Jaydon Smith for a 36-yard touchdown, cutting the Nicholls lead to 31-21.

After getting another stop, UTRGV went 71 yards in 11 plays and made things even more uncomfortable for the home crowd. Jakobsohn hit Christian Sabsook for a seven-yard touchdown with just 57 seconds remaining, trimming the deficit to 31-28.

But the comeback stopped there, and Nicholls walked away with the three-point win.

While Nicholls did not put up overwhelming offensive numbers, the Colonels were efficient when opportunities presented themselves. Rodrigue averaged 6.5 yards per pass attempt and threw four touchdowns against just one interception.

A big part of that efficiency came from how Nicholls used RPO concepts throughout the night. The Colonels gave Rodrigue opportunities to read the defense after the snap and make quick decisions based on how UTRGV reacted. That helped Nicholls create favorable matchups in the passing game and kept the offense moving even though the traditional rushing attack never fully got going.

The RPO looks also helped open throwing lanes for Rodrigue, particularly in scoring situations. Nicholls was able to use quick throws, play-action and run-pass options to keep UTRGV from simply loading up against one part of the offense.

That was important because the Colonels rushed 39 times for only 87 yards, an average of 2.2 yards per carry. Shane Lee led the way with 47 yards on 13 attempts, while Rodrigue added 28 yards on 14 carries.

UTRGV struggled even more on the ground, finishing with only 63 rushing yards on 33 attempts, an average of 1.9 yards per carry.

That allowed the Nicholls defense to turn up the pressure.

The Colonels were aggressive throughout the night, using blitzes and pressure from multiple levels to disrupt UTRGV’s timing. Rather than sitting back and allowing the Vaqueros’ quarterbacks to get comfortable, Nicholls frequently brought extra rushers and forced quicker decisions.

The approach paid off.

Kasai Jones was especially disruptive, finishing with seven tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. Alex Villavaso and Talan Bingham also recorded sacks as Nicholls finished with four on the night.

The pressure also played a role in UTRGV’s turnover problems.

Nicholls intercepted the Vaqueros twice. Kennon Loftin recorded one interception and returned it 26 yards, while Skylar Husband added another.

Loftin led Nicholls with 12 total tackles, while Husband and Jones each finished with seven.

UTRGV used two quarterbacks and had success through the air despite the turnovers. Rangel finished 12-of-28 for 127 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Jakobsohn added 137 yards and two touchdowns.

Kyran Lee was UTRGV’s top receiving threat, finishing with eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Smith added four receptions for 90 yards and a score.

One of the biggest differences in the game came in discipline.

UTRGV was flagged 10 times for 85 yards, while Nicholls committed just one penalty for five yards. In a three-point game, those hidden yards mattered.

Nicholls also won the turnover battle 3-2, overcoming its own two giveaways while forcing a fumble and intercepting two passes.

The Colonels were also efficient in key situations, converting 8-of-17 third downs and going a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down.

The win was not always pretty, and the late rally made the final minutes far more dramatic than Nicholls would have liked. But after taking control in the third quarter, the Colonels did enough to protect the lead and close out an important Southland victory.

For a team coming off a difficult trip to Kansas State, Saturday night was about responding.

The Colonels did exactly that.



Nicholls leaves the Southland opener with a 31-28 victory, four touchdown passes from Rodrigue, three scoring catches from Dufrene and another turnover-producing defensive effort built around pressure, blitzing, and aggressive play at the line of scrimmage.