Gary Goff and the McNeese Cowboys return to Cowboy Stadium after a 52-10 loss to Texas A&M as they open Southland Conference play against a longtime foe in Stephen F. Austin.
The Lumberjacks return to the SLC after some time in the WAC, but these two teams have a fair amount of experience with one another as this will be the 40th meeting.
The Cowboys have started the season 1-2 in year three for Goff and will look to get back to .500 football with a win over the Lumberjacks. However, SFA will roll in 1-1 after hanging tough with North Texas last weekend.
Kickoff from Lake Charles is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+.
WHEN WILL MICAH DAVEY BE BACK?
Micah Davey has been a mainstay in the McNeese defense over the last few seasons, leading all of FCS in tackles in 2023. So far this year, the Baton Rouge native was on a roll with 39 tackles and a pair of sacks. However, he suffered an injury against the Aggies on Saturday in College Station and is expected to miss some time.
How much time will he miss? That has yet to be answered. But make no mistake, Davey will be sorely missed by the Cowboys’ defense for however long he is away from the field.
IS MCDOWELL HEALTHY?
Clifton McDowell transferred to McNeese after leading Montana to the FCS National Championship game a year ago and looked strong in the season opener against Tarleton State, especially down the stretch. However, he suffered an injury in the home opener against Southern and missed the Texas A&M game. Now with two weeks away, will the star quarterback be ready to roll on Saturday against SFA?
“I expect him to be full go,” McNeese head coach Gary Goff said earlier in the week referring to the next day’s practice. “He looked a lot better late last week.”
WILL MCNEESE GET ON A ROLL?
After two years of struggling football, the Cowboys finally got a win two weeks ago against Southern before going to Texas A&M. Now returning home and not having won a conference opener in five seasons, can McNeese use this game to propel them forward into a run through their conference schedule?
After this one, the Pokes have winnable games against Alcorn State, Weber State, and Houston Christian before meeting up with UIW in San Antonio. Could Goff’s squad be 5-2 going west? Or will 2024 prove to be more of the same?
SERIES RECORD: McNeese leads 21-15-2
10/26/19 McNeese 33-10 SFA
9/29/18 McNeese 17-10 SFA
9/30/17 McNeese 35-0 SFA
STAT LEADERS
McNeese
Clifton McDowell: 15-of-24, 273 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Clifton McDowell: 30 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD
Matthew McCallister: 3 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
Micah Davey: 39 tackles, 2 sacks
Boogsie Silvera: 1 INT
Tyler Larco: 2-of-4 field goals, Long of 36, 6-7 XP
Stephen F Austin
Sam Vidlak: 28-of-47, 469 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT
Qualan Jones: 17 carries, 142 yards, 1 TD
Kylon Harris: 13 receptions, 189 yards, 1 TD
Jaydon Southard: 9 tackles
Chris Campos: 2-of-2 field goals, Long of 40, 13-13 XP