LAKE CHARLES – McNeese safety Jovon Burriss and defensive lineman Cody Roscoe have each garnered STATS honorable mention honors as the national defensive player of the week, the organization announced on Monday.
 
In addition, Burriss earned Southland Conference honorable mention honors for its defensive player of the week award.
 
The two seniors had big games in this past Saturday's 42-27 win over HBU on homecoming as the Cowboys' defense held the nation's No. 1 scoring offense to 18 points below its season average and the No. 2 total offensive team to nearly 200 yards below average.
 
Burriss scored his first touchdown as a Cowboy when he sacked Huskies' quarterback Bailey Zappe, knocking the ball loose and picking it up for an 11-yard score to put the Cowboys up 28-14 midway through the second quarter.
 
He finished the game with 10 total tackles to mark his fourth game with double-digit stops on the season.
 
Roscoe set a McNeese single-game record with six passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. He ended the game with two tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss.
 
McNeese (4-4, 2-3 SLC) will be back in action on Saturday when it visits Stephen F. Austin (1-6, 1-3) at 3 p.m. in Nacogdoches.
 
Tickets for that game are on sale at the McNeese ticket office.
 
The game will also broadcast live on ESPN-plus.
 
 
COWBOYS RANK HIGH IN LEAGUE ONLY STATS
 
Both offensively and defensively, McNeese is climbing the rankings in Southland Conference only stats.
 
The Cowboys are ranked No. 2 in total offense with an average of 441.0 yards per game, second in rushing (168.2), second with 110 first downs, and third in pass efficiency (138.6).
 
Defensively as a team, McNeese is No. 1 in the league in rushing defense (69.4), tied for third with six interceptions and tied for third with 13 quarterback sacks.
 
Individually, running back Elijah Mack tops the league in rushing in conference games only with an 86.6 average while wide receiver Cyron Sutton is No. 1 in receiving yards per game with a 123.0 mark, No. 1 with 615 receiving yards, tied for first with six touchdown catches, second with 128.6 all-purpose yards per game, and fourth with 7.6 receptions per game; quarterback Cody Orgeron is first with 1,364 passing yards, tied for first with 12 TD passes, and fourth with 310.4 total offensive yards per game; Burriss is fifth with 9.6 tackles per game; Roscoe is tied for second with 4.5 sacks; safety Cory McCoy is first with three pass interceptions; and kicker Bailey Raborn is tied for first with a perfect mark on PATs (17-for-17).