BEAUMONT, Texas – When Lamar University and Nicholls step on the field Saturday to square off in a Southland Conference showdown, which will also serve as LU Senior Day, it will be a battle of two teams in the exact same spot fighting for the exact same thing. Big Red is 5-5 (.500) on the season and currently in a four-way tie for fourth in the conference standings (2-3). The Cardinals enter the contest looking to put an end to a two-game slide.
Nicholls is 4-6 (.400) overall and is one of the four teams locked in the four-way tie with Lamar. The Colonels are also looking to snap a two-game slide that came on the heels of a two-game win streak.
While the series between the two schools is split right down the middle (7-7), Lamar has had the majority of its success in the Golden Triangle (5-2) and defeated Nicholls here in Beaumont in 2022.
Saturday's game is slated for a 3 p.m. kick off from Provost Umphrey Stadium. It will be broadcast live on Newstalk 560 KLVI and streamed live on ESPN+.
LU vs. the Colonels
The series between and Lamar and Nicholls has been played 14 times and is evenly split, 7-7 (.500). The series, which began in 1972, has seen the two schools split the last two meetings with Lamar winning two years ago in Beaumont and Nicholls getting the equalizer last season in Thibodaux. The Colonels have had the upper hand lately winning six of the last seven. Lamar does own a 5-2 (.714) mark all-time in Beaumont. Saturday's game will be just the second meeting in the Golden Triangle since 2018.
Looking to Go Back-to-Back
Despite Saturday's loss, Lamar is still within striking distance of its second consecutive winning season if they can win out. The 2023 campaign marked Lamar's first winning season (6-5) since 2018. If the Cardinals can get two more wins this season it would be the first back-to-back winning records for the Cardinals since the 1966 (6-4) and 1967 (7-3) seasons.
Saying Good-Bye to the Seniors
Lamar University will honor its class of 2024 seniors prior to Saturday's game. Big Red senior class consists of 26 players. The current senior class has notched its place in LU history as the class that helped the Cards record the nation's fourth-largest turnaround (in 2023) and giving Lamar fans its first winning season since 2018.
