2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team

2020 McNeese State Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
2020 record	3–4 (2–4 SLC)
Head coach	Frank Wilson (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Ronnie Letson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Grady Brown (1st season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium (Capacity: 17,610)
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Southland Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 4 Sam Houston State $^		6	–	0					10	–	0
No. 20 Southeastern Louisiana		4	–	2					4	–	3
Incarnate Word		3	–	3					3	–	3
No. 23 Nicholls		3	–	3					4	–	3
McNeese State*		2	–	4					3	–	4
Lamar		2	–	4					2	–	4
Northwestern State		1	–	5					1	–	5
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Note: Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, and Stephen F. Austin played only in the fall and opted out of the spring season. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented the McNeese State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys played their home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana and competed in the Southland Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Frank Wilson.^[1]

On August 13, McNeese State Athletic Department decided to postpone all fall sports with the intent to play in the spring.^[2] This decision canceled all games that were to be played from September through November 2020.

Previous Season[]

The Cowboys finished the 2019 season 7–5, 5–4 in Southland play to finish in the Southland Conference. Following the season, first-year head coach Sterlin Gilbert resigned following the mediocre season.^[3]

Preseason[]

Recruiting class[]

Reference(s):^[4]

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Khaylon Chapple Defensive Line	Haughton, LA	Haughton HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Caron Coleman Offensive Line	St. Louis, MO	Pattonville HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Luke Howard Tight End	Lafayette, LA	St. Thomas More Catholic HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Mason Kinsey Defensive End	Mansfield, TX	Mansfield Legacy HS Navarro College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Grayson Mays Defensive End	Bellville, TX	Bellville HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Josh Parker Running Back	Baton Rouge, LA	Catholic HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Tyler Patrick Offensive Line	Wamego, KS	Wamego HS Butler College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Brendan Sirls Wide Receiver	Arlington, TX	Mansfield Summit HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Rae'kwon Starks Cornerback	Harvey, LA	Helen Cox HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Ridge Texada Defensive Back	Frisco, TX	Centennial HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Dec 1, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Quad Wilson Safety	San Antonio, TX	Brandeis HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Leon Young Defensive Line	Dallas, TX	Cedar Hills HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A

Preseason poll[]

The Southland Conference released their spring preseason poll in January 2021. The Cowboys were picked to finish fourth in the conference.^[5] In addition, three Bearkats were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team^[6]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Nicholls	67 (7)
2	Sam Houston State	65 (6)
3	Southeastern Louisiana	48
4	McNeese State	45 (1)
5	Incarnate Word	32
6	Northwestern State	20
7	Lamar	17

Preseason All–Southland Teams[]

Roster[]

2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Cyron Sutton Sr QB 2 Cade Bartlett  Fr RB 4 Elijah Mack Sr QB 8 Cody Orgeron Sr QB 10 Matt Keller Sr QB 12 Matt Gardner  Jr WR 13 Nate Briscoe Jr WR 14 Draysean Hudson  Sr WR 15 Zach Hayes So WR 19 Tyler Washington  Fr RB 33 J'Uan Gross Jr RB 34 J'Cobi Skinner Jr TE 36 Dontay Hargrove Sr RB 37 Carlos Williams So TE 40 Dominic Prudhomme  Fr TE 44 Jacob Logan Sr RB 47 McCaylon Thibeaux  Fr OL 53 Kyle Herridge Jr OL 55 Cutter Leftwich Jr OL 57 Aaron McDaniel  Fr OL 58 Tanner Pugh Jr OL 62 Joe Latronico Sr OL 63 Charley Zeno  So OL 64 Jack Zelezinski  Fr OL 66 Juwan Felix  Fr OL 68 Caleb Gary Sr OL 71 Jamarius Bolding Sr OL 73 Calvin Barkat Jr OL 77 DeMarcus Thomas So OL 78 Hayden Shaw  Fr OL 79 Nick Holiday  So WR 81 Deon Cormier  So WR 83 Trevor Begue Sr TE 84 KJ Brown  Fr WR 86 Markel Cotten  Fr WR 87 Markquell Stewart  Fr WR 88 Tylin Bryant  Fr WR 89 Mason Pierce So QB Morgan Clark  Fr RB Ivory Roberts  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Darion Dunn Sr DB 2 Cory McCoy Sr DB 4 Colby Burton Sr DB 7 Gabe Foster Sr DL 8 Damien DeGruy Jr LB 10 Darius Daniels So DB 16 Colby Richardson Jr DB 17 Darius Johnson Sr DB 18 Eli Johnson So DB 21 Andre Sam Jr LB 23 Kordell Williams Jr DB 25 Darius Shields  Fr DB 27 Enos Lewis Jr DB 28 Andrew Croker  So LB 29 Jake LaFleur  Fr DE 30 Marcus Foster Sr LB 31 Dorion Pollard Sr LB 32 Carlos Scott Sr DB 35 Anthony Johnson So LB 41 Eric Rene  So DE 42 Earenest Grayson, III  Fr LB 43 Tyrell Flugence So LB 48 Andrew Hyacinth Sr DL 54 Jonathon Hageon  So LB 56 Brayden Adams  So DL 91 Tyrique Gibson Jr DL 92 Arthur Lott  Fr DL 93 Steven Conerly Jr DL 94 Kaleb Wenson  Fr DL 95 Chase Davis Jr DL 96 C. J. Semien Jr DL 97 Camron Peterson Jr DE 98 Logan Sonnier  Fr LB Blake Robinson  Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K/P 3 Noah Anderson  So K 11 Kade Dixon Jr K 26 Eric Martin So P 38 Bailey Raborn Sr LS 51 Trey Vondenstein So LS 65 Chandler Perer  Fr	Head coach Frank Wilson (Nicholls) Coordinators/assistant coaches Ronnie Letson (Mississippi) Offensive Coordinator Grady Brown (Alabama A&M) Defensive Coordinator Gary Hyman (Humboldt State) Special Teams Coordinator Landon Hoefer (Texas Tech) Running Backs Chris Truax (LSU) Offensive Line J. B. Lageman (West Virginia) Defensive Line Deron Wilson (Southern Miss) Defensive Backs Will Thomas (LSU) Linebackers Blaine Gautier (Louisiana Wide Receivers Kyle Washington (Angelo State) Offensive Assistant Coach Kyle Little Director of Strength and Conditioning Matt Saucier Head Equipment Manager Raymond Donovan Video Coordinator Jim "Doc" Murphy Director of Sports Medicine Hunter Martin Assistant Athletic Trainer Matthew Bonnette Assistant Athletic Director/Information Director Alexandria Haley Director of Student Athlete Services Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: March 22, 2020

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
February 13	6:00 p.m.	at Tarleton State*		Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	FSSW+	W 40–37 2OT	1,324
February 27	12:00 p.m.	Incarnate Word	No. 19	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 20–48	2,394
March 6	6:00 p.m.	at No. 24 Southeastern Louisiana		Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN+	L 20–25	3,050
March 13	12:00 p.m.	Lamar		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (Battle of the Border)	ESPN+	L 26–27 OT	4,523
March 20	4:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	CST	W 21–7	6,577
April 3	12:00 p.m.	No. 13 Nicholls		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST	W 43–31	5,289
April 10	4:00 p.m.	at No. 5 Sam Houston State		Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+	L 13–27	3,103
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS All times are in Central time

^[7][8][9]

Game summaries[]

at Tarleton State[]

McNeese State at Tarleton State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 10 0 0 31 41 Texans 3 7 14 7 31 Date: February 13, 2021 Location: Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 4 hours and 22 minutes Game attendance: 1,324 Game weather: 28 °F (−2 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 12 MPH Referee: Vidal Jones Television network: Fox Sports Southwest Plus

Scoring summary 1 09:15 MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal (12 plays, 61 yards, 4:31) MCNS 3–0 05:26 MCNS Joshua Matthews 13-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (3 plays, 15 yards, 0:44) MCNS 10–0 03:37 TAR Adrian Guzman 38-yard field goal (6 plays, 33 yards, 1:41) MCNS 10–3 2 01:05 TAR Ryheem Skinner 4-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick) (15 plays, 73 yards, 4:25) TIE 10–10 3 11:07 TAR Tariq Bitson 13-yard pass from Steven Duncan (Christian Hernandez kick) (6 plays, 60 yards, 1:34) TAR 17–10 02:31 TAR Braelon Bridges 27-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick) (10 plays, 77 yards, 3:31) TAR 24–10 4 12:09 MCNS Cody Orgeron 5-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (16 plays, 77 yards, 5:17) TAR 24–17 07:39 TAR Braelon Bridges 1-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick) (13 plays, 83 yards, 4:24) TAR 31–17 02:46 MCNS Mason Pierce 26-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (5 plays, 65 yards, 1:22) TAR 31–24 00:35 MCNS Trevor Begue 12-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (7 plays, 56 yards, 2:10) TIE 31–31 1OT MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal (6 plays, 22 yards) MCNS 34–31 TAR Adrian Guzman 34-yard field goal (4 plays, 5 yards) TIE 34–34 2OT TAR Adrian Guzman 45-yard field goal (4 plays, -3 yards) TAR 37–34 MCNS Cody Orgeron 19-yard rush (2 plays, 25 yards) MCNS 40–37

Over/under
TAR −3.0	51

Statistics	McNeese State	Tarleton State
First downs	27	25
Total yards	400	408
Rushing yards	230	180
Passing yards	170	228
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	33:32	26:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	14/34, 170 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Cody Orgeron	19 carries, 180 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Deonta McMahon	2 receptions, 35 yards
Tarleton State	Passing	Steven Duncan	22/39, 217 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Braelon Bridges	15 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Tariq Bitson	5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD

Incarnate Word[]

Incarnate Word at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cardinals 14 17 3 14 48 No. 19 Cowboys 3 0 7 10 20 Date: February 27, 2021 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 43 minutes Game attendance: 2,394 Referee: Ed Bourgeois Television network: ESPN+

Scoring summary 1 08:13 UIW Kaleb Ducros 35-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Cade Kostroun kick) (9 plays, 80 yards, 2:24) UIW 7–0 02:05 MCNS Jacob Abel 25-yard field goal (12 plays, 64 yards, 6:01) UIW 7–3 01:51 UIW Ce'Cori Tolds 100-yard kickoff returned (Carson Mohr kick) (12 plays, 64 yards, 6:01) UIW 14–3 2 11:37 UIW Carson Mohr 36-yard field goal (8 plays, 44 yards, 1:45) UIW 17–3 09:56 UIW Darion Chafin 56-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick) (2 plays, 57 yards, 0:31) UIW 24–3 04:40 UIW Jaelin Campbell 27-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick) (9 plays, 85 yards, 4:13) UIW 31–3 3 02:54 MCNS Carlos Williams 9-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (17 plays, 80 yards, 6:47) UIW 31–10 00:28 UIW Carson Mohr 48-yard field goal (8 plays, 44 yards, 2:26) UIW 34–10 4 12:24 UIW Roger McCuller 8-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick) (5 plays, 54 yards, 1:51) UIW 41–10 08:34 MCNS Jacob Abel 27-yard field goal (8 plays, 65 yards, 3:50) UIW 41–13 04:21 MCNS Cody Orgeron 12-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (5 plays, 50 yards, 1:47) UIW 41–20 00:33 UIW Ameer King 3-yard pass from Kevin Yeager (Carson Mohr kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 3:48) UIW 48–20

Over/under
MCNS −11.5	57

Statistics	Incarnate Word	McNeese State
First downs	22	24
Total yards	518	373
Rushing yards	209	171
Passing yards	309	202
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	25:24	34:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing	Cameron Ward	24/35, 306 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Kevin Brown	10 carries, 117 yards
	Receiving	Jaelin Campbell	6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	18/32, 202 yards
	Rushing	Cody Orgeron	18 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Joshua Matthews	4 receptions, 65 yards

at Southeastern Louisiana[]

McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 3 3 7 7 20 • No. 24 Lions 3 9 10 3 25 Date: March 6, 2021 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutes Game attendance: 3,050 Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Fair • Wind: 9 N MPH Referee: Scott Hardin Television network: ESPN+

Scoring summary 1 10:52 MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal (7 plays, 17 yards, 4:08) MCNS 3–0 03:51 SELA Mateo Rengifo 27-yard field goal (12 plays, 56 yards, 4:34) TIE 3–3 2 09:13 SELA Mateo Rengifo 29-yard field goal (16 plays, 79 yards, 7:02) SELA 6–3 05:58 MCNS Jacob Abel 45-yard field goal (9 plays, 38 yards, 3:15) TIE 6–6 00:00 SELA CJ Turner 8-yard pass from Cole Kelley (Mateo Rengifo PAT blocked) (12 play, 80 yards, 2:02) SELA 12–6 3 11:49 SELA Morgan Ellison 32-yard rush (Mateo Rengifo kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 3:11) SELA 19–6 05:18 MCNS Carlos Williams 9-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (7 plays, 61 yards, 2:37) SELA 19–13 01:55 SELA Mateo Rengifo 32-yard field goal (8 plays, 59 yards, 3:14) SELA 22–13 4 14:10 MCNS AJ Carter 2-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (8 plays, 67 yards, 2:39) SELA 22–20 09:19 SELA Mateo Rengifo 33-yard field goal (6 plays, 19 yards, 0:58) SELA 25–20

Over/under
SELA −11.5	62

Statistics	McNeese State	Southeastern Louisiana
First downs	20	26
Total yards	331	492
Rushing yards	166	191
Passing yards	165	301
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	30:59	29:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	13/20, 165 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	AJ Carter	15 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Severyn Foster	2 receptions, 75 yards
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing	Cole Kelley	21/39, 301 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Morgan Ellison	15 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Javon Conner	5 receptions, 104 yards

Lamar[]

Lamar at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 3 10 0 7 20 Cowboys 13 0 0 7 20 Date: March 13, 2021 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 30 minutes Game attendance: 4,523 Referee: Dan Lewis Television network: ESPN+

Scoring summary 1 11:05 MCNS Mason Pierce 80-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (1 play, 80 yards, 0:15) MCNS 7–0 06:31 LAMR Bailey Giffen 34-yard field goal (8 plays, 58 yards, 4:34) MCNS 7–3 03:52 MCNS AJ Carter 45-yard rush (Jacob Abel PAT failed) (6 plays, 76 yards, 2:34) MCNS 13–3 2 09:26 LAMR Griffin Hammond 13-yard pass from Jalen Dummett (Bailey Giffen kick) (12 plays, 90 yards, 5:52) MCNS 13–10 04:54 LAMR Bailey Giffen 37-yard field goal (8 play, 27 yards, 2:49) TIE 13–13 4 12:55 MCNS Carlos Williams 11-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (10 plays, 86 yards, 4:05) MCNS 20–13 04:33 LAMR Nathan Gaskamp 5-yard pass from Jalen Dummett (Bailey Giffen kick) (9 plays, 53 yards, 4:33) TIE 20–20 1OT MCNS Carlos Williams 5-yard rush (Jacob Abel PAT blocked) (4 plays, 20 yards) MCNS 26–20 LAMR Jalen Dummett 5-yard rush (Bailey Giffen kick) (5 plays, 25 yards) LAMR 27–26

Over/under
MCNS −14.0	48

Statistics	Lamar	McNeese State
First downs	21	18
Total yards	330	399
Rushing yards	223	321
Passing yards	107	78
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	38:15	36:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lamar	Passing	Jalen Dummett	8/11, 100 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Marcellus Johnson	6 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Kirkland Banks	4 receptions, 41 yards
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	9/16, 78 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carlos Williams	16 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Jamal Pettigrew	1 reception, 31 yards

at Northwestern State[]

McNeese State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 0 14 0 21 Demons 7 0 0 0 7 Date: March 20, 2021 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutes Game attendance: 6,577 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SW 6 MPH Referee: Ed Bourgeois Television network: CST

Scoring summary 1 04:42 NSU Kendrick Price 13-yard pass from Kaleb Fletcher (Eddie Godina kick) (8 plays, 91 yards, 3:28) NSU 7–0 02:07 MCNS Jamal Pettigrew 2-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (5 plays, 59 yards, 2:29) TIE 7–7 3 13:45 MCNS Trevor Begue 75-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (3 plays, 96 yards, 1:07) MCNS 14–7 07:45 MCNS Walker Wood 1-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (7 plays, 66 yards, 2:30) MCNS 21–7

Over/under
NSU −3.5	48

Statistics	McNeese State	Northwestern State
First downs	20	21
Total yards	416	394
Rushing yards	110	33
Passing yards	306	361
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	30:36	29:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	17/22, 306 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Josh Parker	16 carries, 77 yards
	Receiving	Trevor Begue	8 receptions, 165 yards, 1 TD
Northwestern State	Passing	Kaleb Fletcher	13/18, 171 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Scooter Adams	8 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Javon Antonio	6 receptions, 103 yards

Nicholls[]

Nicholls at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 13 Colonels 14 3 7 7 31 • Cowboys 3 21 7 12 43 Date: April 3, 2021 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 40 minutes Game attendance: 5,289 Referee: Vidal Jones Television network: CST

Scoring summary 1 07:28 NICH Dontaze Costly 10-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick) (11 plays, 69 yards, 4:08) NICH 7–0 03:22 MCNS Jacob Abel 42-yard field goal (4 plays, 3 yards, 1:22) NICH 7–3 00:08 NICH Dai'Jean Dixon 2-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick)br/>(9 plays, 75 yards, 3:14) NICH 14–3 2 13:43 MCNS Mason Pierce 4-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (4 play, 65 yards, 0:32) NICH 14–10 07:20 MCNS Walker Wood 4-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick) (7 plays, 86 yards, 2:59) MCNS 17–14 05:47 MCNS Mason Pierce 85-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (1 play, 85 yards, 0:13) MCNS 24–14 01:23 NICH Gavin Lasseigne 26-yard field goal (11 plays, 66 yards, 4:24) MCNS 24–17 3 12:08 MCNS Joshua Matthews 28-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (8 plays, 79 yards, 2:52) MCNS 31–17 05:43 NICH Julien Gums 8-yard rush (Gavin Lasseigne kick) (16 plays, 75 yards, 6:25) NICH 31–24 4 12:48 MCNS Joshua Matthews 13-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel PAT failed) (2 plays, 19 yards, 0:34) MCNS 37–24 11:17 NICH Dai'Jean Dixon 11-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 1:31) MCNS 37–31 10:21 MCNS Deonta McMahon 67-yard rush (two-point conversion pass failed) (3 plays, 75 yards, 0:50) MCNS 43–31

Over/under
NICH −13.5	60

Statistics	Nicholls	McNeese State
First downs	29	21
Total yards	562	541
Rushing yards	273	187
Passing yards	289	354
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	35:26	24:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nicholls	Passing	Lindsey Scott Jr.	26/53, 289 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lindsey Scott Jr.	28 carries, 137 yards
	Receiving	K. J. Franklin	4 receptions, 76 yards
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	20/27, 354 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Deonta McMahon	11 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Joshua Matthews	7 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TDs

at Sam Houston State[]

McNeese State at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 3 0 3 7 13 • No. 5 Bearkats 7 10 10 0 27 Date: April 10, 2021 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutes Game attendance: 3,103 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear & Sunny • Wind: 9 N MPH Referee: Dan Lewis Television network: ESPN+

Scoring summary 1 07:09 MCNS Jacob Abel 19-yard field goal (12 plays, 79 yards, 5:31) MCNS 3–0 02:53 SHSU Noah Smith 19-yard pass from Eric Schmid (Seth Morgan kick) (8 plays, 64 yards, 4:11) SHSU 7–3 2 03:27 SHSU Ramon Jefferson 1-yard rush (Seth Morgan kick) (7 plays, 47 yard, 3:28) SHSU 14–3 00:00 SHSU Seth Morgan 21-yard field goal (11 plays, 34 yards, 2:17) SHSU 17–3 3 12:17 SHSU Seth Morgan 33-yard field goal (6 plays, 49 yards, 2:37) SHSU 20–3 07:43 SHSU Donovan Williams 2-yard rush (Seth Morgan kick) (7 plays, 85 yards, 3:06) SHSU 27–3 04:58 MCNS Jacob Abel 25-yard field goal (10 plays, 68 yards, 2:45) SHSU 27–6 4 11:18 MCNS Joshua Matthews 24-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick) (4 plays, 45 yards, 1:23) SHSU 27–13

Over/under
SHSU −15.0	59

Statistics	McNeese State	Sam Houston State
First downs	19	19
Total yards	328	392
Rushing yards	37	190
Passing yards	291	202
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	30:02	29:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing	Cody Orgeron	27/42, 291 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Cody Orgeron	18 carries, 18 yards
	Receiving	Joshua Matthews	6 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
Sam Houston State	Passing	Eric Schmid	12/24, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Eric Schmid	15 carries, 92 yards
	Receiving	Jequez Ezzard	3 receptions, 87 yards

References[]