TXST FOOTBALL
Texas State reunites with former conference foe Nicholls
This coming Saturday will be a renewal of one of Texas State’s longestplayed rivals as well as one of the most unique trophies in college football as the Bobcats host their former conference rivals in the Nicholls Colonels.
The series between Texas State and Nicholls dates back to 1980, developing into one of the fiercest rivalries in the Southland Conference.
Both the Bobcats and Colonels met during the 1980 season and the 1982 season when Texas State was still in Division II while Nicholls was an independent in FCS.
In a bid to join Division I at the FCS level, Texas State, along with Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, left their longtime conference home in the Lone Star Conference to form the Gulf Star Conference. Joining the Lone Star trio were three independent Louisiana schools in Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, and Nicholls.
The Gulf Star Conference only lasted four seasons from 1984 through 1987. Texas State, along with Northwestern State, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, would all join the Southland Conference while Southeastern Louisiana joined the A-Sun Conference and Nicholls returned to independent status.
Despite no longer being members of the same conference during this time span from 1987-1990, Nicholls remained a consistent opponent for Texas State, playing four straight years.
Nicholls later opted to join the Southland Conference in 1991 where the series between the Bobcats and Colonels returned as a conference matchup where it would remain until the 2011 season.
In 1998, the series took an unexpected turn, creating one of the most unique college football rival trophies out of a tragedy.
The original game between Texas State and Nicholls was scheduled to take place Oct. 17, 1998 during homecoming for the Bobcats. However, San Marcos was hit with torrential rainfall, bringing an estimated 20 inches of rainfall, causing severe flooding.
The game was moved to November 28 later in the season.
Looking to add both an incentive for the players and honor the victims of the flood, both athletic departments came up with the Paddle Trophy, a canoe paddle painted maroon and gold on one side, red and silver on the other. The running joke between fanbases that emerged was that the game had to move because “you needed a boat and a paddle just to see the game.”
The game ended in a 28-27 win for the Bobcats after quarterback Spergon Wynn hit D’Angleo Torres for two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to seal the game. As time expired, defensive back Darrick Vaugn became the first Bobcat player to touch the paddle trophy as Texas State celebrated the victory and the creation of what would be known as the Battle of the Paddle.
As the rivalry between the Bobcats and the Colonels had the add on incentive of a trophy, the games continued to be fierce.
In 2005, Nicholls State handed Texas State their first conference loss of the season, beating the Bobcats 32-29 in overtime.
Both the Colonels and the Bobcats would share the conference title for the only time in rivalry history.
The loss also sparked a three-game losing streak to the Colonels for the Bobcats, ending in 2008 when Texas State defeated Nicholls 34-10. The win helped the Bobcats capture the conference championship.
The ending of the Battle for the Paddle as a conference series added another chapter to the history of the rivalry.
During the 2010 season, Nicholls defeated Texas State 47-45 in a thrilling game to bring back the Paddle Trophy. In the lead up to their showdown in 2011, Texas State began the process of leaving FCS to become an FBS program and briefly became an independent football.
Nicholls argued because Texas State was transitioning to FBS and now had a scholarship advantage, the game was no longer even. Former Nicholls Head Coach Charlie Stubbs bristled, saying in a now-infamous quote about the trophy, “We ain’t bringing the damn thing.” Texas State created a new Paddle Trophy and defeated Nicholls 38-12.
While Nicholls retained the original Paddle Trophy, it has since gone missing and has yet to be recovered.
The Battle for the Paddle was brought back for the 2019 season as Texas State and Nicholls met once again in the 31st meeting between the two teams, ending with the Bobcats winning 24-3.
Texas State leads the overall series 16-15 and leads the Battle for the Trophy series at 9-6. Nicholls remains Texas State’s most-played outof- state opponent.
Kickoff for Texas State-Nicholls is set for 7 p.m. Saturday Sept. 20 at UFCU Stadium in San Marcos.
