NATCHITOCHES, La. — For the second consecutive season, Nicholls State University football coach Tim Rebowe has been voted the state’s top collegiate coach, as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) announced Tuesday its 2018 football awards.
Rebowe, who was the outright recipient last season, split this year’s award with LSU’s Ed Orgeron. Rebowe was joined on the list of honorees by 11 Colonels: four on first team – offensive linemen Chandler Arceneaux and Ryan Hanley, quarterback Chase Fourcade, and defensive lineman Sully Laiche; two on second team – linebacker Evan Veron and kicker Lorran Fonseca; and five received honorable mention – offensive lineman Eddie Houston, running back Dontrell Taylor, defensive lineman Ronald Ollie, and defensive backs Ahmani Martin and Khristian Mims.
In just his fourth season, Rebowe led Nicholls to its second Southland Conference championship in program history. The Colonels also made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time and maintained a top 25 ranking all year, climbing as high as No. 10. The nine victories, which included the FCS’ lone victory this year against a Power 5 school (Kansas), was the second-most in team history.
Featuring over 100 Louisiana players on the roster, Rebowe’s Colonels claimed both in-state rivalry trophies against Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana. His inaugural recruiting class won 22 Southland games in four years after the program had just one in the previous four seasons.
In his third year as a starter, Fourcade became the first Colonel in program history to earn Southland Player of the Year after accounting for nearly 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in the regular season. He ranked 12th in the FCS in efficiency (148.5) with 19 TD passes and only six interceptions, and was 13th in points responsible for. Just a junior, Fourcade is already the Colonels’ all-time leader in passing yards.
Arceneaux and Hanley were instrumental in the Colonels’ running game, which ranked 12th in the FCS at 246.8 yards per game. For the season, Nicholls had a combined eight 100-yard rushing games by three different players. Arceneaux was a four-year starter at right tackle while Hanley anchored the line at center in all four of his seasons.
Laiche rounded out the first-team selections with his third in-state honor in as many seasons. A STATS All-American selection, Laiche had 8.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, which ranked eighth and fourth, respectively, in the Southland. Nicholls had one of the stingiest defenses against the run this season, allowing 105.4 yards per game to rank 11th in the country.
Veron landed on second team after leading the Southland with 22 tackles for loss, which was third most in the FCS. He had 7.0 sacks on the season, with two each in wins over Kansas and Sam Houston State. The Colonels finished the year ranked seventh in the country in sacks and 11th in tackles for loss.
Fonseca booted 16 field goals on the season, ranking 24th in the FCS with 1.23. One of his field goals was a 56-yarder at HBU that broke the Colonels’ record for longest field goal. He also had a 43-yard field goal in the final minute at Kansas to send the game into overtime.
Houston and Taylor represented the offense as honorable mention selections. Houston started at left tackle while Taylor was the lead running back, rushing for a team-best 990 yards with nine touchdowns. Taylor averaged 7.23 yards per carry, putting him at eighth in the nation.
On defense, Ollie earned honorable mention with 13.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. In the secondary, Mims led the Colonels with 76 tackles and Martin was fourth with 49 while ranking 13th in the FCS with four forced fumbles.
The All-Louisiana teams and individual awards were voted on by a panel of state media and sports information directors. Statistics from bowl and playoff games were not included for the nominees.
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
COACH OF THE YEAR (tie) – Ed Orgeron, LSU; Tim Rebowe, Nicholls (11 votes each)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jazz Ferguson, WR, Northwestern State (12)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Devin White, LB, LSU (18 ½)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Joe Burrow, QB, LSU (13)
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Jordan Lewis, DL, Southern (8)
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
OL – Chandler Arceneaux, Nicholls, Sr., Bourg, La.; Kevin Dotson, UL Lafayette, Jr., Plaquemine, La.; O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech, Sr., Lafayette, La. Ryan Hanley, Nicholls, Sr., Metairie, La.; Robert Hunt, UL Lafayette, Jr., Burkeville, Tex.
TE – Bransen Schwebel, Southeastern La., Jr., Amite, La.
QB – Chase Fourcade, Nicholls, Jr., Metairie, La.
WR – Jazz Ferguson, Northwestern State, Jr., St. Francisville, La.; Adrian Hardy, Louisiana Tech, So., Houston, Tex.
RB – Nick Brosette, LSU, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Trey Ragas, UL Lafayette, So., New Orleans, La.
DEFENSE
DL – Jaylon Ferguson, Louisiana Tech, Sr., St. Francisville, La.; Patrick Johnson, Tulane, So., Chattanooga, Tenn.; Rashad Lawrence, LSU, Jr., Monroe, La.; Sully Laiche, Nicholls, Jr., Gramercy, La.
LB – BJ Blunt, McNeese, Sr., New Orleans, La.; De’Arius Christmas, Grambling, Sr., Vicksburg, Miss.; Devin White, LSU, Jr., Springhill, La.
DB – Hayden Bourgeois, Northwestern State, So., Church Point, La.; Grant Delpit, LSU, So., Houston, Tex.; Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech, So., Thibodaux, La.; Greedy Williams, LSU, So., Shreveport, La.
SPECIALISTS
P – Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU, So., Lake Charles, La.
K – Cole Tracy, LSU, Sr., Camarillo, Cal.
RS – Juwan Petit-Frere, Southeastern La., Jr., Orlando, Fla.
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
OL – Garrett Brumfield, LSU, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Grant Burguillos, McNeese, Jr., Mandeville, La.; Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU, So., Geismar, La.; Damien Lewis, LSU, Jr., Canton, Miss.; Bobby Reynolds, ULM, Jr., Keller, Tex.
TE – Foster Moreau, LSU, Sr., New Orleans, La.
QB – Joe Burrow, LSU, Jr., The Plains, Ohio
WR – Marcus Green, ULM, Sr., Pontotoc, Miss.; Drake Battaglia, Louisiana College, Sr., Thibodaux, La.
RB – Darius Bradwell, Tulane, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.; Elijah Mitchell, UL Lafayette, So., Erath, La.
DEFENSE
DL – Jordan Bradford, Louisiana Tech, Sr., Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Terrence Garnett Jr., Louisiana College, Freshman, Alexandria, La.; Jordan Lewis, Southern, Fr., Ocala, Fla.; Chris Livings, McNeese, Jr., Lake Charles, La.
LB – David Griffith, ULM, Sr., Plano, Tex.; Tamarcus Russell, Southeastern La., Sr., Dadeville, Ala.; Evan Veron, Nicholls, Jr., LaPlace, La.
DB – Colby Burton, McNeese, Donnie Lewis Jr., Tulane, Sr., Baton Rouge, La.; Joseph McWilliams, Grambling, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.; Roderic Teamer, Tulane, Sr. New Orleans, La.
SPECIALISTS
P – Alex Kjellsten, McNeese, Sr., Lake Charles, La.
K – Lorran Fonseca, Nicholls, Sr., Hercules, Calif.
RS – Myles Ward, Northwestern State, Fr., New Orleans, La.
HONORABLE MENTION (received 25% of votes cast)
OL – Pat Allen, Southeastern La.; Dustin Burns, Northwestern State; T.J. Fialoa, ULM; Eddie Houston, Nicholls; John Leglue, Tulane; Ethan Reed, Louisiana Tech; Kody Russey, Louisiana Tech
QB – Shelton Eppler, Northwestern State
WR – Teddy Veal, Louisiana Tech
RB – Dontrell Taylor, Nicholls
DEFENSE
DL – Anfernee Mullins, Grambling; Ronald Ollie, Nicholls; Immanuel Turner, Louisiana Tech
LB – Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Southeastern La.; Michael Divinity, LSU; Zachery Harris, Tulane; Orel Ledet Jr., Louisiana College; Jacob Phillips, LSU
DB – Percy Cargo, Grambling; James Jackson, Louisiana Tech; Ahmani Martin, Nicholls; Khristian Mims, Nicholls
Article Courtesy of Nicholls State Sports Information Department
