After 651 days, the McNeese Cowboys football finally got back in the win column, defeating the Southern Jaguars 21-7 in their home opener last Saturday.
Now coach Gary Goff and company will pack their bags and head to College Station, Texas for a matchup with the A&M Aggies who lost their week one game against No.7 ranked Notre Dame 23-13. This will be the second time the Cowboys have faced the Aggies.
Kickoff inside Kyle Field is set for 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 7th.
QUESTIONS AT QB
Coach Goff made an interesting decision in last Saturday’s contest, replacing starting quarterback Clifton McDowell with the backup Kamden Sixkiller. McDowell was put back in the fourth quarter however to secure McNeese’s win. Goff said postgame he was looking for a spark when he made the changes.
Heading into this upcoming matchup, McDowell has been listed as a game-time decision after not being at most of the practices with an ankle injury that occurred at some point during the game versus Southern. That’s allowed Sixkiller to get more reps with the first-team offense.
McDowell and Sixkiller have two different styles of playing the position and that could impact the game plan on Saturday. McDowell likes to be involved in the running as the Pokes’ coaching staff has called plenty of designed QB runs while Sixkiller tends to test his luck by taking shots deep down the field. There is an expectation that we could see both signal callers make appearances throughout the game unless McDowell isn’t healthy enough to suit up against the Aggies.
MONEY GAME
There’s a clear skill gap between these two programs.
McNeese is a part of the FCS while Texas A&M is a member of the FBS and is in the SEC, the most highly regarded conference in the NCAA. The Aggies and other similar programs usually can’t schedule these types of matchups without money being involved.
The money these lower-level schools receive helps fund their program while the bigger school fills their schedule with a less challenging contest. These games often happen within the first couple of weeks into a new season and before teams start their conference slate.
The Cowboys will receive $500,000 for playing this game against A&M.
KEEP HEALTHY
In a game like this, the biggest key is to remain healthy. McDowell is the only injury concern for McNeese right now. If you’re coach Goff, there are two things you want to accomplish in Saturday’s contest against Texas A&M. The first is having no injuries to key players and the other is establishing more of your offense.
The last thing you want to happen if you’re McNeese is to lose one of your most important players to injury in a game like this before you have to play any conference opponents.
Also, the offense isn’t expected to impress anyone this week but it isn’t necessarily about the result of the play, it’s about showing signs of improvement in the little things. There have been indications of miscommunication and missed assignments over the first two games. The team needs to worry about making strides in the finer details rather than what the scoreboard will look like.
SERIES RECORD: Texas A&M leads series 1-0
2001: TEXAS A&M 38 – MCNEESE 24
STAT LEADERS
McNeese
Clifton McDowell: 15-of-24, 273 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Clifton McDowell: 30 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD
Matthew McCallister: 2 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
Masey Lewis & AJ Thomas: 1 sack
Micah Davey: 31 tackles (11 solo)
Boogsie Silvera: 1 INT
Tyler Larco: 1-of-3 field goals, Long of 36
Texas A&M
Conner Weigman: 12-of-30, 100 yards, 2 INT
Le’Veon Moss: 20 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD
Jahdae Walker: 6 receptions, 31 yards
Nic Scourton: 1 sack
Will Lee III: 9 tackles (8 solo)
Randy Bond: 2-of-2 field goals, Long of 49