1997 Nicholls State Colonels football team

1997 Nicholls State Colonels football
1997 Nicholls State Colonels football
Conference	Southland Football League
Record	5–6 (3–4 Southland)
Head coach	Darren Barbier (3rd season);
Defensive coordinator	Manny Michel (3rd season)
Home stadium	John L. Guidry Stadium
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

The 1997 Nicholls State Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University as a member of the Southland Football League during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Darren Barbier, the Colonels compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, tying of fourth place in the Southland. Nicholls State played home games at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

1997 Southland Football League standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 7 McNeese State +^	6	–	1	13	–	2
No. 21 Northwestern State +^	6	–	1	8	–	4
No. 13 Stephen F. Austin	5	–	2	8	–	3
Sam Houston State	3	–	4	5	–	6
Nicholls State	3	–	4	5	–	6
Southwest Texas State	2	–	5	5	–	6
Troy State	2	–	5	5	–	6
Jacksonville State	1	–	6	1	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	7:00 p.m.	at Northeast Louisiana*		Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 0–28	14,215	^[1]
September 6		Southern Illinois*		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 33–0	3,348	^[2]
September 20		No. 2 Troy State	No. 25	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 22–20
September 27		at No. 24 Northwestern State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (NSU Challenge)	L 0–19
October 4		Samford*		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 17–14
October 11		Southwest Texas State	No. 18	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (rivalry)	W 29–28		^[3]
October 18		at Sam Houston State	No. 15	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	L 17–24	10,024	^[4]
October 25	4:00 p.m.	at Jacksonville State		Burgess–Snow Field Jacksonville, AL	W 16–14	2,352
November 1		at No. 6 Southern*		Ace W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 14–21	24,000	^[5]
November 15		at No. 14 Stephen F. Austin		Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	L 7–39
November 22		No. 7 McNeese State		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	L 13–31		^[6]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^ "Northeast rolls in opener". The Shreveport Times. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hardwig, Greg (September 7, 1997). "Debuts or nightmares?". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1C. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southwest Texas edged on late field goal". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 12, 1997. Retrieved March 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sam Houston State 24, Nicholls State 17". The Shreveport Times. October 19, 1997. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Jags knock off Colonels". Daily World. November 2, 1997. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "McNeese captures share of SLC title". The Crowley Post-Signal. November 23, 1997. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Nicholls State University Athletics - 1997 Football Schedule" (PDF). Nicholls State University Department of Athletics. p. 64. Retrieved September 5, 2017.