LAKE CHARLES – With a week and a day before the McNeese Cowboys kick off the 2018 football season, head coach Lance Guidry has released the two-deep list against Northern Colorado.
 
Senior quarterback James Tabary will line up behind center for his third season in the starting role. The preseason all-conference QB is within striking range of breaking every school career passing record as he enters the year with 5,547 passing yards and 44 touchdown tosses.
 
Backing him up will be redshirt sophomore Cody Orgeron who has looked well all camp and is expected to see playing time in every game.
 
The running back area is loaded with junior Justin Pratt getting the nod while David Hamm, an all-conference selection a year ago as well as garnering preseason honors, will see his fair share of touches. Ryan Ross and Mac Briscoe will also get in on the action.
 
Pratt and Hamm accounted for 1,468 of the team's 1,906 rushing yards last season. Also, Benjamin Jones, who ranked third on the team with 141 yards rushing, will play at the wide receiver spot as well.
 
Austin Nelson is returning after missing the 2017 season with a shoulder injury and is penciled in as the starting tight end as Trey Conerly will serve as backup. Preseason All-American Lawayne Ross will be used as an H-back and will lineup both on the line and in the backfield while Cyron Sutton will serve as the slot receiver when the Cowboys use the formation.
 
Ross is the team's top returning receiving after catching 42 passes for a school record 570 yards by a tight end.
 
Starting wide outs will be Parker Orgeron and Kylon Highshaw with Nate Briscoe and Trevor Begue backing them up.
 
Orgeron was fourth on the team with 23 receptions for 250 yards and was second with four touchdown grabs while Highshaw caught seven passes for 75 yards.
 
On the offensive line, preseason all-conference left guard Grant Burguillos will be joined by returning starters Kyle Zenon at left tackle and Tyrae Johnson at right guard. Joe Latronico will handle the snapping duties while newcomer Zack Jones has earned the starting nod at right tackle.
 
The starting five up front average 6-foot-4 and 293 pounds.
 
Backups include Jamarus Bolding at left tackle, Blaise Scriber or Caleb Gary at left guard, Cutter Leftwich at center, Gary or Collin Fountain at right guard, and Tre Newton at right tackle.

The DWA could have one of its finest seasons ever and it'll start up front with Chris Livings and Cody Roscoe on the ends while Marval Bourgeois and Jonta Jones in the middle.
 
Livings returns to the trenches after missing the last seven games in 2017 due to an injury. He recorded 14 tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss in the four games played. Roscoe tied for third on the team with 2.5 sacks to go along with seven tackles for a loss while Jones added two tackles for a loss and Bourgeois a half TFL. Behind those four will be Marcus Foster (LE), Camron Peterson (NT), Harris Tafah (T), and Christian Robinson (RE).
 
Starting at the linebacker spots will be Christian Jacobs and preseason all-conference selection B.J. Blunt and they'll be backed up by Andrew Hyacinth and Tré Porter.
 
Jacobs, like Livings, missed the bulk of the 2017 season with an injury after falling victim in the second game. Blunt is the team's top returning tackler after posting 43 stops with two sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss. Blunt started the season at the safety position but moved to linebacker following Jacobs' injury.
 
Cornerback starters will be returning starter Colby Burton as the field corner and Darion Dunn in the boundary while the safety positions will include Cory McCoy at the Buck, Trent Jackson at weak safety and Gabe Foster at the free. Calum Foster and John Blunt are No. 2 on the depth chart at the CB spots, Kyree McLean at the buck safety position, Jovon Burris at weak safety and Andre Sam at free safety.
 
Burton started in eight of the 11 games last year and tied for the team lead with two pass interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also ranked second with nine pass breakups. Dunn recorded eight tackles in six games played while making two starts.
 
McCoy is replacing all-conference safety Dominique Hill and is coming off a year that saw him play in all 11 games with one start, making 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Jackson started a few games last season in the defensive backfield and had a pass interception while Foster will be seeing his first action in the backfield after playing in six games on special teams last year.
 
All-American kicker Gunnar Raborn will handle the field goals and point after attempts while preseason all-conference selection Alex Kjellsten will do the punting.

Jake Smith will handle the long snapping duties while Trey Vondenstein serving as his backup.