Nobody seems to get more out of less than Tim Rebowe.

The longtime Nicholls head coach has found a way to build a competitive football program with limited resources. 

Since 2015 when Rebowe took over, the Colonels have won or shared three Southland Conference championships including last year. He has posted a 56-52 record, 48-26 in the league but is 0-4 in the postseason.

After blanking winless Northwestern State last Saturday 20-0, Nicholls is 3-4 this season and 1-1 in the SLC. 

“Nicholls is a really good football team,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “They play extremely hard. They are a tough-nosed football team.”

The Colonels are going to try and punch you right in the mouth with a power run game and an aggressive defense. Last week they held the Demons to just 46 yards of total offense, 21 of those coming on a fake punt. 

“They get all 11 guys to the football,” said Goff. 

Of course, the week before Nicholls was beaten 55-10 at Incarnate Word, so it’s not always that way.

Linebacker Jake Delmado, who was selected as the SLC Defensive Player of the Week Monday, had three sacks, three hurries, and recovered a fumble against Northwestern State. He had five total tackles for loss and 10 tackles in all. 

Delmado is tied for the league lead with five sacks, as Nicholls held the Demons to under 100 yards of offense for the first time since Baylor did it in 2016. That is the type of toughness Rebowe has created at Nicholls.

And Rebowe has done it mostly with talent from Louisiana. This year’s team has 93 players on the roster from the home state as the Colonels haven’t really done a lot with the transfer portal overall.

“He (Rebowe) has done a great job building that culture there,” said Goff. “You know what you will be up against when you play them.”

Nicholls is second in the nation on the FCS level in run defense, allowing just yards per game. The Colonels give up only 2.4 yards an attempt, making it very difficult to move the football on them.

Those numbers include their game at LSU as well.

Nicholls is also tied for second in the nation in interceptions with 13 coming from 12 players. Two of those have been returned for touchdowns.

Collin Guggenheim leads the power-running attack. He averages five yards a carry and is fourth in the league with 85.3 yards a game. He has rushed for five touchdowns.

Guggenheim has rushed for 277 yards on 59 carries and four touchdowns over the last three games against the Cowboys. Last year he had 103 yards on 22 carries.

“They are going to run the football,” said Goff. “They are a very physical team.”

Nicholls is quarterbacked by Pat McQuaide, who is 104 of 171 with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He averages 150 yards a game through the air. 

The Colonels aren’t going to wow you, they would much rather blast over you.

That’s the Tim Rebowe way.