Nicholls has put Chase Richardson to work as a runner. He carried 22 times for 151 yards at Northwestern State, then 21 times for 104 yards at McNeese.
That gives E Texas A&M a quarterback run game to defend alongside Patrick Gales, who rushed for 111 yards on 20 carries last week. The Lions have allowed 4.7 yards per carry through nine games.
Nicholls +3.5 is a bet on that ground game keeping this close. E Texas A&M is averaging 17.44 points through nine games, with touchdowns on 9 of 23 red-zone trips.
The Lions produced 236 total yards and 89 passing yards in last week's 10-7 win over Southeastern.