Junior placekicker Lorran Fonseca attempted five field goals and made all of them, including three from 40 yards or longer, and added two PATs to contribute 17 points to a 29-20 victory over the Wildcats.
The game was tied at seven at the end of the first, after senior running back De’Andre Brown broke off his biggest play of the season and the Colonels blocked and recovered a Wildcat punt for a touchdown. But even though, the ACU defense allowed just one touchdown on the day, Nicholls continued to build its lead with field goal after field goal.
With the win, No. 23 Nicholls improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in conference, while ACU fell to 2-5 overall and 2-3 in Southland play.
Senior linebacker Sam Denmark led the Wildcats defensively making nine total tackles, while sophomore safety Bolu Onifade was next with 5 tackles. The defense as a whole gave up 308 yards in the game.
Offensively, the Wildcats gained a total of 393 yards. Junior quarterback Dallas Sealey threw for 323 of those yards and two touchdowns. Brown was Sealey’s best receiver coming out of the backfield with five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. He also added 32 yards on the ground.
Sophomore wide receiver Josh Fink also added 73 yards and sophomore running back Tracy James also was impressive receiving out of the backfield with 36 yards receiving and 82 yards rushing to go with a touchdown. This was the first game fans were able to see the two-back capabilities from Brown and James, as they each eclipsed 100 total yards on the day for the first time all season.
For Nicholls, sophomore running back Dontrell Taylor had a productive day with 130 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, redshirt sophomore Allen Pitman had a big day making eight tackles with three tackles for a loss and one sack.
Denmark said his team is keeping its heads up despite now losing two straight.
“After another close game we know as a team we are on the right track to improving as a program,” Denmark said. “We also understand that we need to take the next step and push harder to win such games. We aren’t content with being close and are ready to go back to work to get ready for Southeastern.”
The Wildcats will next return home to host the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana, as the university will also celebrate its homecoming.
