Saturday, November 11
Nacogdoches, Texas
3:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
No. 17 Nicholls
No. 17 Nicholls Visits Homer Bryce for Lumberjacks’ Final Home Game of 2017
11/7/2017 5:27:00 PM | Football
SFA hosts 17th-ranked Nicholls for senior day Saturday as the Lumberjacks wrap up the home portion of their 2017 schedule on Veteran’s Day
Stephen F. Austin (4-5, 4-3 Southland) vs. No. 17 Nicholls (7-2, 6-1 Southland)
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 | 3 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch – ESPN3 | Listen (Q107.7) | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 | 3 p.m. | Homer Bryce Stadium | Nacogdoches, Texas
Watch – ESPN3 | Listen (Q107.7) | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
THE KICKOFF
The 17th-ranked Colonels of Nicholls will visit Nacogdoches for the final Stephen F. Austin home football game of 2017. The senior day affair will kick off at 3 p.m. from inside Homer Bryce Stadium. It will be the second time the Lumberjacks have hosted a nationally-ranked opponent this season after welcoming then 25th-ranked McNeese to Nacogdoches on Sept. 30. For the fourth time this season SFA will take on an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the FCS Coaches Poll. Nicholls enters the matchup tied for second in the Southland Conference standings as SFA attempts to claim its fifth league win of the season for the first time since 2014.
FOLLOWING THE LUMBERJACKS
Saturday's game against Nicholls will be streamed live online at ESPN3, available at ESPN3.com or through the ESPN app. Rob Meyers, the voice of the Lumberjacks, will call the game along with color commentator Kevin Langford on Q107.7 FM, available online at Q1077.com as well as through the Lumberjack Sports Network on the TuneIn app. The duo's call of the game will also be heard on the ESPN3 broadcast. Live stats will be available at SFAJacks.com, complemented by Twitter updates from @SFA_Football.
THANK YOU SENIORS
Saturday will be senior day for 10 'Jacks who will be playing their final game inside Homer Bryce. Each has provided significant contributions to the SFA football program since their arrival on campus. Four, defensive end John Franklin (Greenville, Texas), cornerback Tarrin Mitchell (Dallas, Texas), tight end Will Taylor (Euless, Texas), and safety Marlon Walls (Pearland, Texas), were each a part of head coach Clint Conque's original recruiting class in 2014. The four came on board with SFA shortly after Conque was hired to lead the 'Jacks. Running back Kijana Amous (Mansfield, Texas), cornerback Aaron Foy (Kilgore, Texas), wide receiver Trae Hart (Mesquite, Texas), offensive lineman Josh Keith (Katy, Texas), cornerback Trent Perriman (Miami, Fla.) and offensive lineman Jaxon Salinas (Irving, Texas) complete this year's senior class as all 10 will be recognized prior to Saturday's kickoff.
ABOUT THE GAME
Coming off their bye week the 'Jacks aim for their third-straight win Saturday after a 27-10 home win over Houston Baptist (Oct. 21) and a 34-7 road victory at Lamar (Oct. 28). SFA has not had a trio of consecutive wins since September of 2016 when the 'Jacks defeated West Alabama, McNeese and Abilene Christian in a row. The last time SFA won three-straight Southland contests was in 2015. Having its open date in week 10 of the season, SFA was the second to last team in the Southland to have its bye week. Southeastern Louisiana will have its bye this weekend. A victory over the Colonels would move the 'Jacks into a tie for fifth place in the conference standings with the Lions. A win would move SFA to 5-3 in league play and mark the fourth time since 2009 that the 'Jacks have claimed at least five Southland wins. SFA is seeking its first win of the season over an out-of-state opponent after falling in its previous three chances against Southern Utah (51-14), McNeese (35-0) and Central Arkansas (24-20).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
With a 2-2 home record this fall, SFA will try to finish off 2017 with a 3-2 record inside Homer Bryce for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The 'Jacks went 3-2 in 2013 and each of the last two seasons. SFA has had a winning home record for eight consecutive years and a victory over Nicholls Saturday would make nine straight. During that span the 'Jacks have posted a riveting 34-12 (.739) record in Nacogdoches, including two perfect home seasons in 2009 (6-0) and 2012 (5-0). Including this season, SFA is 156-103-2 (.598) inside Homer Bryce since the inception of the stadium in 1973.
'JACKS ON SENIOR DAY
The 'Jacks are a perfect 3-0 in senior day games with coach Conque at the helm of the program, in fact, SFA is 7-3 on senior day over the last 10 years, including 7-1 since 2009. In the 90 years of college football in Nacogdoches, seniors have walked away victorious in their final home game 45 times as the 'Jacks are 45-42-3 (.517) all-time on senior day.
CONQUE OFF THE BYE
Head coach Clint Conque has made the most of off weeks during his coaching career as the Lumberjacks' head man has posted an impressive 8-3 (.727) record in games the week after a bye. Conque's Central Arkansas teams did not have bye weeks during its time as a NCAA Division II program as Conque is 4-3 in home games after a bye, including a 55-21 rout of Incarnate Word inside Homer Bryce in 2015. He has led the 'Jacks to victory after the open date the last two years.
AGAINST STIFF COMPETITION
The five teams that have defeated SFA this season currently own a combined 36-9 record for a winning percentage of .800. No. 15 Southern Utah, who the 'Jacks faced in their home opener, are 7-2 and are currently tied for first in the ultra-competitive Big Sky Conference with three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. SFA's other three losses have come against teams that are currently ranked in the top-18 in the nation, including now No. 3 Central Arkansas, No. 4 Sam Houston State and No. 18 McNeese. All three have won at least seven games this season and have suffered just three combined Southland losses.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
2017: 7-2 overall, 6-1 Southland Conference (T2nd)
Last Three Games: Win vs. Houston Baptist (23-17), Win at Incarnate Word (38-31), Win vs. Abilene Christian (29-20)
Head Coach: Tim Rebowe (LSU, 1987). Third season at Nicholls (15-16, .474); Third season overall (15-16, .484).
Key Offensive Players:
• #9 Chase Fourcade (So., QB): 119-of-222 (53.6%) for 1,838 yds., 12 TDs, 77-yd. long, 204.2 yds. per game, 7 INTs
• #3 Damion Jeanpiere (Jr., WR): 31 catches for 688 yds., 22.2 yds. per catch, 3 TDs, 76.4 yds. per game, 77-yd. long
• #30 Kyran Irvin (So., RB): 116 carries for 516 yds., 4.4 yds. per rush, 6 TDs, 34-yd. long, 64.5 yds. per game
• #86 Dai'Jean Dixon (Fr., WR): 16 catches for 354 yds., 22.1 yds. per catch, 4 TDs, 39.3 yds. per game, 55-yd. long
• #29 Taylor Dontrell (So., RB): 87 carries for 359 yds., 4.1 yds. per rush, 3 TDs, 49-yd. long, 59.8 yds. per game
Key Defensive Players:
• #31 Corey Abraham (Jr., DB): 64 tackles (49 solo), 4.0 TFL for -10 yds., 2 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles
• #47 Allen Pittman (R-So., LB): 62 tackles (31 solo), 5.0 TFL for -14 yds., 1 sack for -8 yds., 1 INT for 54 yds., 5 QBH
• #48 Evan Veron (So., LB): 45 tackles (30 solo), 5.0 TFL for -8 yds., 0.5 sack for -2 yds., 1 INT for 5 yds., 3 pass breakups
• #92 Marcel Andry (Sr., DL): 30 tackles (16 solo), 6.5 TFL for -37 yds., 5.5 sacks for -36 yds., 1 forced fumble, 1 safety
• #97 Kenny Dotson (Jr., DL): 26 tackles (14 solo), 8.5 TFL for -35 yds., 3.0 sacks for -22 yds., 2 QBH, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble
• #55 Sully Laiche (So., DL): 19 tackles (12 solo), 8.5 TFL for -62 yds., 6.5 sacks for -53 yds., 1 pass breakup, 4 QBH, 1 forced fumble
OPPONENT SYNOPSIS
On a five-game win streak, the Colonels are chasing a Southland Conference title and a trip to the FCS playoffs behind third-year head coach Tim Rebowe. However, Nicholls will have to get by a tough two-game road trip to end its season. The Colonels will have to spoil two senior days back-to-back as Nicholls travels to Hammond, Louisiana, to face Southeastern Louisiana after their stop in Nacogdoches. Nicholls has played tightly contested contests over the past four weeks, winning its games by only a 6.5 average margin of victory. This past Saturday the Colonels narrowly escaped a home letdown against one-win Houston Baptist, getting a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Fourcade to wide receiver Dai'Jean Dixon as time expired. The last-second score saved the game from going into overtime and gave Nicholls the narrow 23-17 victory. Built on defense and discipline, the Colonels enter this weekend with the third-best defense in the league. Giving up just 25.6 points and 358.1 yards per game this season, Nicholls is averaging 57.2 yards of penalty yards per contest, the second-lowest in the Southland. The Colonels have racked up an astounding 253 tackle for loss yards and 167 sack yards this year, not to mention 235 interception return yards on eight picks. Recording a total of 67 TFL as a team and 27 sacks, Nicholls has six different players who have registered at least five TFL this fall. Ranking 12th in the nation in sacks per game (3.0), the Colonels are 24th nationally in TFL per game (7.4).
SERIES INFORMATION
Saturday will mark the 34th meeting between SFA and Nicholls with the 'Jacks owning a dominant 25-8 (.758) advantage in the series. Despite a 35-28 double overtime loss last season in Thibodaux, Louisiana, SFA has won eight of the last 10 meetings as last year's narrow defeat snapped an eight-game win streak by the 'Jacks. SFA is 14-3 against the Colonels in Nacogdoches with Nicholls last win inside Homer Bryce coming on Oct. 13, 2007. The 'Jacks have won 14 of their last 15 home games against the Colonels dating back to Nov. 5, 1988. Each of the last two games in the series have been decided by one score. Nicholls and SFA met for the first time on Oct. 20, 1984, with the Colonels securing a 25-21 win in Nacogdoches.
CONQUE AGAINST HIS ALMA MATER
A 1983 graduate of Nicholls, coach Conque spent two seasons in a Colonel uniform at linebacker. While in Thibodaux, Conque earned First Team All-America honors from the Associated Press his senior year. Conque was then selected to Nicholls' Silver Anniversary Team in 1997, followed by an induction into the school's Hall of Fame in 2005. The Lumberjack head coach was a graduate assistant at Nicholls for one year in 1984, it was his first coaching experience after his playing career ended with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983. Coach Conque's first coaching stop in Thibodaux began his 34-year coaching career. Since taking over as head coach at Central Arkansas in 2000, Conque is 8-3 against his alma mater and has gone 2-1 versus the Colonels since arriving at SFA.
SFA AGAINST NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPONENTS
The 'Jacks are 36-55-3 all-time against nationally-ranked opponents for a winning percentage of .399. Saturday, SFA will be attempting to make it six years in a row of defeating a nationally-ranked team as the 'Jacks have earned a win over a top 25 opponent each of the last five seasons dating back to Sept. 29, 2012, when they upended No. 12 Central Arkansas (42-37). In seven of the last eight seasons, SFA has taken down a ranked team beginning with a 16-13 home victory over No. 7 McNeese on Oct. 10, 2009. During that span, the 'Jacks have earned a total of 10 wins over ranked opponents, holding a record of 10-18. Of those 10 victories, four came against top-10 teams. Last season, the 'Jacks recorded a 31-28 road win over 13th-ranked McNeese. SFA is 2-1 against Nicholls when the Colonels are ranked nationally as the two teams have met 15 times when one team is ranked. Nicholls collected a narrow 17-16 win over the 'Jacks on Oct. 13, 2007, the last time the Colonels played SFA as a top-25 team.
IMPRESSIVE AGAINST IN-STATE OPPONENTS
With its 34-7 win at Lamar two weeks ago, SFA improved to 4-1 against Lone Star State FCS opponents this season. It marks the first time since 1989 the 'Jacks have claimed four wins against in-state FCS opponents (then known as NCAA Division I-AA). It is the first time since 1995 SFA has earned four victories over Texas schools in any division in a single season.
WALLS A NATIONAL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Last week senior safety Marlon Walls was named one of 13 finalists for the coveted National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame's 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy®. Along with being named a finalist, Walls became a member of the elite NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. He is the first Lumberjack in program history to be named a finalist for the prestigious award and is just the ninth Southland Conference student-athlete to earn the designation of NFF National Scholar-Athlete. Walls will receive a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will travel to New York City for the 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 5, where his accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.
FRANKLIN HEADED TO NFLPA COLLEGIATE BOWL
Senior defensive end John Franklin was invited to participate in the seventh annual National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl, held at the legendary Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Franklin is one of just seven players from the Southland who appeared on the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Watch List and will have the opportunity to attend NFLPA University. A program that provides important information to aid in the transition into professional football from college life. The week-long experience culminates with the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl as Franklin will have the opportunity to showcase his game to NFL scouts, coaches, former stars and organization personnel. The premier postseason all-star game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
FAMOUS AMOUS
Senior running back Kijana Amous has been quite impressive over the last three games beginning with a career-high 142-yard rushing performance at No. 6 Central Arkansas, the most rushing yards in a game by any Lumberjack this season. He followed that by tallying 185 of SFA's 483 total offensive yards for 38 percent of the Lumberjacks' total offense during the 27-10 home win over Houston Baptist. For his efforts, Amous was named Southland Defensive Player of the week and claimed honorable mention for STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week. Last time out, Amous totaled 118 yards on the ground in SFA's 34-7 throttling at Lamar for his second 100-yard game of the season. Over the last three games Amous has gained 343 rushing yards.
LAST TIME OUT: SFA 34, LAMAR 7
SFA outgained Lamar by 346 total yards and totaled 571 yards of offense, the most since last season's finale against Northwestern State. Blumrick had a career-high 311 yards passing as the 'Jacks had a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game since Nov. 23, 2013. For the second consecutive game SFA held its opponent to under 250 yards of offense, limiting Lamar to just 225 total yards. It was the fewest yards the 'Jacks have given up in a game since Nov. 19, 2011.
COACH CONQUE TIED FOR THIRD ALL-TIME IN SOUTHLAND VICTORIES
Head coach Clint Conque continues to climb the all-time career Southland coaching victories top-10 list. The win at Lamar was Conque's 50th career Southland win as he is now just one game shy of tying former Sam Houston State head coach Ron Randleman (1987-2004, 51-59-2), who sits in second place on the all-time career list. Conque is now 50-32 (.610) in Southland contests since 2007, having posted a 33-16 record in the league while at the helm of Central Arkansas from 2007-13.
FRANKLIN MOVING UP THE CAREER LISTS
John Franklin has amassed 16.5 sacks in 39 games played throughout his four-year career and has totaled 34.5 total tackles for loss. He is in currently sixth on SFA's all-time career tackles for loss list and ninth in program history in all-time career sacks. Franklin has a chance to climb even higher on the all-time lists as he is just two TFL shy of Kenneth Charles' (2007-10) 36.5 career TFL and is three sacks behind Keith Melcher (1985-88), who is eighth in school history with 19.5 career sacks.
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