BEAUMONT, Texas – Not quite a year removed from a one-win season, the Lamar University football team travels to Thibodaux, La. Saturday to face the only team it recorded a win against last season – Nicholls – looking to move into a three-way tie for first place in the Southland Conference. The Colonels are the league's lone remaining unbeaten team after knocking off UIW last week in San Antonio.
 
The brightest storyline in the Southland – and one of the biggest in the nation – has been the upstart Cardinals. Coming off just one win last season and five total in the previous three seasons, Lamar opened conference play 3-0 this season – it's best start since 1967. A victory Saturday would move the Cardinals into a three-way tie for first with just a week left in the season (UIW will receive a victory as they were scheduled to play Northwestern State Saturday before the Demons canceled the remainder of their season).
 
The Colonels have played similar non-conference schedule to Lamar in preparing for Southland play with games against No. 10 Sacramento State, at FBS opponents TCU and Tulane and a home game against Southeast Missouri State. The Colonels are perfect in conference play to this point winning their games by an average of 21.2 points per game. Their closest game was a last week at No. 4 UIW where they defeated the league's other Cardinals by 13 points but led by as many as 25 at one point in the third.
 
The Colonels enter the week second in the Southland in scoring offense (26.1 ppg) and third in rushing. Fortunately, Big Red's defense has proven itself up for the challenge each week holding opponents to fewer than 22 points – a mark which also ranks second in the SLC.
 
Two names that will most likely be said quite often during Saturday's broadcast will be Collin Guggenheim and Khalan Griffin. The former is the Nicholls' leading rusher who has set the tone in the conference averaging 79 yards per game on the ground with 11 touchdowns. Pushing him every step of the way this season has been Griffin. The Tyler, Texas native has led the Cardinals' ground attack all season and enters the Saturday afternoon contest second in the league averaging 74 yards per game. Both backs average 4.6 yards per carry, and they are the only two running backs in the Southland averaging more than 70 yards per contest.
 
Saturday's venue will provide Nicholls with an advantage. Guidry Stadium has been historically unkind to Lamar over the years. While Big Red holds a one-game lead in the series (7-6), Lamar is just 2-4 all-time in Thibodaux and hasn't won there since 2014 (a 63-21 decision in the Cardinals' fourth year back on the gridiron).
 
Saturday's game is slated to kick off at 3 p.m. from Guidry Stadium. It will be broadcast on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.