LAKE CHARLES – McNeese's Defense With Attitude knew it would be challenged on Saturday night against Southeastern Louisiana and the nation's third-best running offense.
 
Challenge met.
 
The Cowboys' No. 1 rushing defense in the FCS held the Lions to their lowest rushing output of the season of 77 yards, 230 yards below their game average, and 176 total offensive yards while posting a 13-3 win in a game that took the appearance of an old-school, defensive battle.
 
The win improved the 22^nd-ranked Cowboys' record to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in Southland Conference play as they keep their postseason hopes alive. SLU fell to 5-5 on the season and 5-3 in the league.
 
"It was exhausting, that's for sure," said McNeese coach Lance Guidry. "Defensively we hung in there, hung in there and made a bunch of great plays. We knew it was going to take all 11 guys on defense to play against this option-oriented offense. I thought we had a good scheme and the kids executed."
 
Offensively, McNeese outgained SLU 284-176 in total yards – 89 rushing and 195 through the air. The Lions averaged just 1.8 yards per carry while the Cowboys planted seven tackles for a loss and recorded one sack.
 
"They came in here averaging over 300 yards of offense, rushing," said Guidry. "We held them to 77 and we didn't give up any play action passes. I thought their quarterback was very tough. We hit him hard a few times and thought he was knocked out of the ballgame. But he came back in. Hat's off to him. We knew he was going to make it hard on us. But out guys played light's out."
 
Senior Buck Safety Dominique Hill had the game of the night with 13 tackles, an interception, fumble return and three-and-a-half tackles for a loss.
 
"He was all over the place for us tonight," said Guidry of Hill. "He had a big interception for us, recovered a fumble and was around the ball all night."
 
Offenses by both teams were held in check throughout the game.
 
The teams combined to punt 17 times in the game and was 7 of 34 combined in third-down conversions (McNeese was 2 of 16, SLU 5 of 18).
 
After trailing 3-0 at the half, McNeese came out in the third quarter with a hurry up offense and marched 66 yards on 12 plays and capped the drive with a 37-yard field goal by Gunnar Raborn to tie the game 3-3 with 11:06 to play in the third.
 
SLU was held to a three-and-out series as the Cowboys got the ball back, this time going 61 yards on 12 plays but ending with another field goal by Raborn, this time from 30 yards outs, to put the Cowboys up 6-3 with 4:42 to play in the quarter.
 
The Cowboys dominated the third quarter, holding the ball for nearly 12 minutes while stifling SLU's offense to minus-four yards and just seven plays.
 
Running back David Hamm spread the margin to 13-3 late in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard touchdown run for the only TD of the game and giving the Cowboys a 13-3 lead with 4:26 to play in the fourth quarter.
 
Hamm finished the game with 80 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown while quarterback James Tabary completed 17 of 33 passes for 195 yards.
 
McNeese seemed to have put the nail in the coffin after SLU quarterback Lorenzo Nunez's fourth down pass to Juwan Dickey was incomplete and the Cowboys took over at its own 28-yard line with 2:13 to play.
 
But on the next play, Hamm was stripped by Sione Teuhema who recovered at the 31-yard line to five the Lions life.
 
That was short-lived, when on first-and-10 at the McNeese 14, Trent Jackson intercepted Nunez's pass at the 1-yard line with 1:45 to play to seal the game.
 
"We kept battling, battling, and battling," said Guidry. "You never know how you're going to win the game. That's kind of some old-school football right there."
 
Tight end Lawayne Ross and wide receiver Kent Shelby each had five catches for 56 yards to lead the team. Shelby extended his streak to 33 straight games with a catch while Ross added to his season total which now stands at 34 catches, just 10 shy of the school's single-season record for receptions by a tight end.
 
Nunez completed 11 of 33 passes for 99 yards and two interceptions while Eugene Bethea rushed for a team-high 27 yards on 12 carries.
 
McNeese will host Northwestern State next Saturday at 6 in the home finale.
 
POSTGAME NOTES:
• McNeese's defense has not allowed a team to rush for 100 yards a game this season.
• QB James Tabary moved into sixth on the McNeese career list for passing yards with 5,066 career yards.
• With his five catches on the night, Kent Shelby now has 123 career receptions and moving him into fourth on the school's career passes caught list.
• With the 176 offensive yards allowed, it's the fourth time this season the Cowboys' defense has held opponents to less than 200 yards in a game.
• McNeese is 4-0 at home this season.