Colonels build a 17-point second-half lead, then survive a furious Vaqueros comeback to earn the conference victory in Thibodaux

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. Nicholls converted 8-of-17 third downs and was a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down.

The rushing game never fully broke loose, but it did enough to keep the offense balanced. Nicholls rushed 39 times for 87 yards, led by Shane Lee’s 47 yards on 13 carries. Rodrigue added 28 yards on 14 attempts.

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

That allowed the Nicholls defense to make the Vaqueros largely one-dimensional.

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 totaled four on the night.

The Colonels also intercepted UTRGV 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 win was not always pretty, and the late rally made the final minutes far more dramatic than the Colonels would have liked. But after taking control in the third quarter, Nicholls did enough to protect the lead and close out an important conference 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 performance from a defense that continues to find ways to create opportunities.