2005 Nicholls State Colonels football team

The 2005 Nicholls State Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head Jay Thomas, the Colonels compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the Southland title with Texas State. Nicholls State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, losing to Furman in the first round. The team played home games at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

2005 Nicholls State Colonels football
Southland champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 12–14 at Furman
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 17
Record	6–4 (5–1 Southland)
Head coach	Jay Thomas (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	H. T. Kinney (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Home stadium	John L. Guidry Stadium
Seasons ← 2004 2006 →

2005 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Texas State +^		5	–	1					11	–	3
No. 17 Nicholls State +^		5	–	1					6	–	4
McNeese State		3	–	3					5	–	4
Northwestern State		3	–	3					5	–	5
Southeastern Louisiana		2	–	4					4	–	6
Sam Houston State		2	–	4					3	–	7
Stephen F. Austin		1	–	5					5	–	6
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	4:00 p.m.	at Indiana*		Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	L 31–35	27,600
September 17	2:00 p.m.	Cheyney*		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 54–0	4,732
September 24		Western Carolina*		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	Cancelled[A 1]	N/A	[1]
October 1	6:00 p.m.	at No. 13 North Dakota State*		Fargodome Fargo, ND	L 13–26	14,022	[2]
October 8	2:00 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin		Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	L 21–27 OT	7,485
October 15	2:00 p.m.	Sam Houston State		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 37–17	7,150	[3]
October 29	6:30 p.m.	No. 6 Texas State		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA (Battle for the Paddle)	W 32–29 OT	3,865	[4]
November 5	6:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (NSU Challenge)	W 31–24	7,368
November 12	6:00 p.m.	at Southeastern Louisiana	No. 25	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA (River Bell Classic)	W 38–28	9,108
November 19	2:00 p.m.	McNeese State	No. 25	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	W 39–26	6,571	[5]
November 26	11:30 a.m.	at No. 3 Furman*	No. 21	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 12–14	4,125	[6]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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Notes

1. The Colonels game against Western Carolina was cancelled due to the impacts of Hurricane Rita.