LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese Cowboys will hit the halfway point of the 2019 football season on Saturday when they host Southeastern Louisiana for a big Southland Conference matchup.
 
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. in Cowboy Stadium. The game will air live on Cox Sports TV and will be on ESPN+ for those outside the CST viewing area.
 
McNeese (2-3, 0-2 SLC) is searching for its first win of the league season but was just 5-6 key plays away from winning its first two.
 
In a 17-10 loss at Abilene Christian two weeks ago, the Cowboys had a pass go just off the fingertips of their receiver down the sideline that likely would've resulted in a touchdown plus two missed field goals that would've resulted in 13 more points.
 
This past Saturday, in a 28-17 loss to Sam Houston State, the Cowboys dropped two touchdown passes and missed a field goal for a total of 17 points left off the board.
 
"We're close," said head coach Sterlin Gilbert about the Cowboys' play. "We continue to get better every day."
 
Quarterback Cody Orgeron threw for a career-high 280 yards against the Bearkats while receiver Cyron Sutton hauled in 10 passes for 160 yards, both career bests. Those 10 receptions tied him for the most grabs in a game in school history with four other players and the first to do so since Toddrick Pendland caught 10 passes against Applachian State in 2009.
 
Defensively, McNeese held one of the nation's top producing offenses to well under its average numbers for the second straight week and will get a chance to do it again against the Lions on Saturday.
 
SLU (3-1, 2-0 SLC) is ranked No. 19 in the nation in both the STATS and AFCA top 25 polls and will enter Saturday with the nation's 9^th-best passing offense, averaging 319.3 yards per game. In addition, the Lions are ranked 12^th in the FCS in scoring offense (38.3 ppg) and 21^st in total offense (449.5 ypg).
 
Notables:
• Saturday's game will be the first afternoon kickoff at home for the Cowboys this season, the beginning of three home afternoon starts.
• The last afternoon kickoff in The Hole came against Lamar in last year's season finale.
• This will be the ninth straight season where at least one of the teams is ranked (SLU is No. 19) and the first time since 2017 that the Lions are ranked and not McNeese.
• McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana will meet up for the 45th time on Saturday and 17th time since the Lions restarted the football program in 2003.
• The Cowboys hold a slight 24-20 lead in the all-time series, one that began back in 1951.
• McNeese is 18-6 in Cowboy Stadium against SLU and has won the last two contests played in The Hole.
• The home team has won the last five meetings overall in the series and 8 out of the last 10.
• Since the series restarted in 2003, McNeese holds a 9-7 lead.
• Saturday's game against the Lions will be the first of the season for McNeese against a ranked team.
• The Cowboys are 2-10 against ranked opponents since the 2004 season when McNeese is not ranked.
• The Cowboys have won the turnover battle in 4 of the 5 games this season and are 2-0 when not committing a turnover.
• 2-1 on the year when leading at halftime and has won 45 of 51 when leading at half dating back to the 2012 season.
• WR Cyron Sutton became the first Cowboy to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since the 2016 season (Darious Crawley in weeks 4 and 5). It was Sutton's third career 100-yard receiving game and career highs in both categories.
• His 10 catches against SHSU tied a school record for most receptions in a game.
• Sutton has made at least 1 catch in 14 straight games.
• LG Grant Burguillos will be making his 28th consecutive start on Saturday.
• QB Cory Orgeron's 280 yards passing against SHSU was a career high and is the most in a game for the Cowboys since week 2 of the 2018 season.
• McNeese has forced a turnover in 18 of the last 19 games.
• PK/P Bailey Raborn's 43-yard field goal against SHSU was his first career make and attempt.
• Former McNeese head coach/defensive coordinator/all-conference defensive back Lance Guidry is the defensive coordinator for SLU while former offensive coordinator/all-conference quarterback Kerry Joseph is the Lions' OC for the passing game.