McNeese quarterback Clifton McDowell has been tabbed the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
McDowell led the charge for McNeese to pull off a comeback victory 28-24 over Stephen F. Austin in the Cowboys SLC opener.
He had four touchdowns in total, two passing and two rushing in the win. That accounted for all of the Cowboys’ points in the victory.
At the end of the first half, the Texas native made an incredible highlight play. He escaped a sack attempt and fired a 54-yard Hail Mary attempt towards the end zone. Jihad Marks made the reception on the other end of it, and McNeese improbably got on the scoreboard before the intermission, trailing 10-7 at that time.
Down the stretch, the Cowboys needed a drive trailing 24-21. McDowell led them down for a 12 play, 65-yard drive. It ended with him diving into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown that gave McNeese the lead and eventually the win.
In total, McDowell threw for 313 yards and rushed for 35. He accounted for 348 of the Cowboys’ 454 offensive yards in the game.
The win got McNeese to 2-2 overall, now 1-0 in SLC play. They will be back in action this Saturday, September 21st when they host Alcorn State in Cowboy Stadium. The game is set for a 7:00 PM kickoff.