What: McNeese (5-0, 4-0 SLC) at Central Arkansas (3-2, 3-0)
When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015
Time: 6 p.m. kickoff
Where: Estes Stadium; Conway, Arkansas
Rankings (Coaches/STATS: McNeese (9/15); Central Arkansas (RV/RV)
TV: ESPN3
Radio: 92.9 FM The Lake; 960 AM The Gator in Lafayette
 
CONWAY, Arkansas – Sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference will be on the line Saturday evening when the No. 9/15 McNeese Cowboys (5-0, 4-0 SLC) visit Central Arkansas (3-2, 3-0) in a battle of the nation's No. 1-ranked offense against one of the conference's top offenses.
 
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Estes Field in Conway as the two teams renew the "Red Beans and Rice Bowl" trophy game after taking a one-year hiatus last season due to conference scheduling of eight games. The game can be watched on ESPN3, WatchESPN, or ESPN College Extra (DirecTV 795, AT&T Uverse 621, Verizon Fios 328), and will also be broadcast on the McNeese Radio Network (92.9 FM The Lake in Lake Charles and 960 AM The Gator in Lafayette).
 
The Cowboys are coming off their biggest win of the season, 21-7 against Southeastern Louisiana, last Saturday and is one of eight FCS schools still unbeaten on the year. But standing in their way of win No. 6 are the Bears who have won three straight and are outscoring their opponents by a 134-42 margin during that span.
 
The Bears, led on offense by Dominique Thomas (461 yards, 3 touchdowns) and quarterback Hayden Hildebrand (716 yards passing, 71.7 percent, 9 touchdowns), have the league's No. 3 team in total offense (435.4 ypg) and passing offense (247.8 ypg).
 
On the flip side, McNeese has fielded one of the stingiest scoring defenses in FCS history so far, and through five games, the Cowboys are allowing just 6.8 points per game to rank No. 1 in the nation. The FCS record is 6.5 for the season, set by South Carolina State in 1975.
 
The Cowboys have allowed five touchdowns this season, one rushing, and have shutout opponents in 16 of the 20 quarters played.
 
McNeese is also the No. 1 team in the FCS in total defense, having allowed 243.8 yards per game and is third in rushing defense with 73.2 yards allowed. In the second half alone, the Cowboys are allowing just 19.4 yards rushing which equates to 1.3 yards per carry.
 
The Cowboys have recorded 19 sacks on the season, and average of 3.8 per game. It's the most sacks through the first five games since the 2001 season when that team also had 19 through five.
 
Five players have recorded two or more sacks, led by linebackers Ashari Goins and Bo Brown, and defensive lineman Jammerio Gross with three each
 
On offense, McNeese will enter the game No. 3 in the league in rushing (244.2) and scoring (33.2) and is fourth in total offense (432.2).
 
Quarterback Daniel Sams is the top-ranked player in the league in total offense with an average of 243.4 yards per game. He leads the team and is ranked fourth in the conference in rushing (84.2 ypg) and is sixth in passing with 159.2 yards. With 1,132 career rushing yards at McNeese, he's only the fourth quarterback in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in his career. And with the 1,042 rushing yards he had at Kansas State prior to transferring to McNeese, he's joined by James Madison quarterback Vad Lee as the only two QBs in the NCAA record book to reach that milestone at two different Division I programs.
 
Sophomore running back Ryan Ross is second on the team with 375 yards rushing and is coming off a career-high 149 yards on the ground against Southeastern Louisiana. Ross is ranked No. 6 in the FCS with 7.5 yards per carry.
 
Sophomore wide receiver Kent Shelby and freshman Tavarious Battiste have become a dual threat at wideout for Sams. Both have each caught 15 passes on the season, Battiste in playing one less game due to concussion-like symptoms that kept him out of the Stephen F. Austin game. Both have over 200 yards receiving.
 
Shelby is the team leader with 293 yards, a 19.5 yards per catch average, and three touchdowns.
 
Saturday's game will be the ninth meeting between the two schools in the series with each team winning four games. McNeese won the last time the two met, 59-28, in 2013, to snap a 12-game winning streak by the Bears on their home purple-and-gray striped field – the first loss they suffered on that new turf. Since then, they have lost just two other times at home and have compiled a 21-3 record on "The Stripes."