GAMEDAY CENTRAL

LAKE CHARLES – Win each day.
 
That's the message McNeese football head coach Lance Guidry has preached to his team this week at it prepares for 22^nd-ranked Central Arkansas in a key Southland Conference football game this Saturday in Cowboy Stadium in a game billed as "The Red Beans and Rice Bowl."
 
Kickoff is set for 6:06 and will be broadcast on ESPN3 as well as 92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com.
 
This will be the 9^th-edition of the Red Beans and Rice Bowl that started in 2008 with each team winning four games. Overall, McNeese has a 5-4 lead in the series with the first meeting in 1994.
 
The Cowboys (3-3, 2-2 SLC) are coming off a last second 31-24 loss at Southeastern Louisiana last Saturday that has put the defending conference champions in a slim margin-of-error position with five league games remaining. A win over UCA (4-1, 3-0) would boost the Cowboys' chances for a postseason spot with No. 2 Sam Houston State still left to play.
 
"The only game that matters right now is the next one," said Guidry. "Really it's every day at practice. You have to win on Tuesday at practice, then Wednesday, then Thursday. You have to win the walk through on Friday so you'll feel good about yourself going into Saturday's game."
 
McNeese was feeling good about itself after dismantling a talented Nicholls team two weeks ago but hit a road block at SLU that had a heartbreaking ending on what some call a Hail Mary pass but appeared to be a play that could possible set up a Hail Mary attempt. Instead the pass, that traveled 40 yards in the air, was tipped by cornerback Jermaine Antoine and fell right into the hands of the Lions' awaiting receiver to hauled it in in stride and scurried 82 yards for the game winning score with eight seconds remaining on the clock.


"My heart hurt for the players but we went back to work and put that behind us," said Guidry. "We've had a really good week of practice this week.
 
"We're going up a good football team. They're going to be the best team we've faced all year. They're very physical on offense and have a good offensive line. Defensively they're big and really sound. And on special teams, they're very solid there.
 
"They've been off for a week so they've probably been game planning for us for two weeks."
 
Saturday's game will feature the conference's top two defenses – UCA No. 1 by allowing 305 offensive yards per game and McNeese at No. 2 with 349 allowed. The two teams are also 1-2 in scoring defense (UCA 21.6 ppg; McNeese 23.8 ppg) and rushing defense (UCA 54.8 ypg; McNeese 96.2 ypg).
 
With that kind of production by both defenses the game could come down to a shootout through the air.
 
McNeese is second in the league with 305 passing yards per game led by quarterback James Tabary who is second in the league with 1,634 yards passing and a 272.3 passing yards per game average.
 
UCA quarterback Hayden Hildebrand has also been productive through the air tossing for 1,163 yards and accumulating a 232.6 average.
 
Special teams could play a factor in Saturday's game.
 
Both the Cowboys and Bears each have a kickoff returned for a touchdown this season. UCA also has returned a punt for a TD. The Bears are second in the conference in kickoff return with a 25.1 average followed by McNeese at 23.6 yards per return.