McNeese (3-5, 2-3 SLC) vs. Nicholls (4-4, 3-2 SLC)
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 • 12 p.m. • Cowboy Stadium
 
Stream: ESPN3
Radio: 92.9 The Lake or 929thelake.com
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Link
 
LAKE CHARLES – McNeese returns home on Saturday when it hosts Nicholls in a key Southland Conference games for both teams – the Cowboys looking for a win to improve their hopes of finishing the year with a winning season while the Colonels still have an outside chance of capturing a share of the league title by winning out and getting some help.
 
Kickoff is set for 12 noon in Cowboy Stadium. The game will broadcast live on Cox YurView and ESPN+. YurView is not carried on any Lake Charles or surrounding cable and satellite platforms.
 
McNeese (3-5, 2-3 SLC) has seen great improvements over the last four games where it has posted a 2-2 record with the two losses both against Southeastern and both by three points. The Cowboys are outscoring their opponents by a 118-98 margin during that span including a 56-36 advantage in the first half of those games. Additionally, since halftime of the Oct. 2, 38-35 loss against Southeastern, McNeese has a 111-74 scoring advantage over its opponents.
 
Defensively, the Cowboys will enter the game ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference and 19^th nationally in rushing defense (109.8 ypg allowed) while Nicholls is tops in the league and fourth in the NCAA in rushing offense (252.8 ypg).
 
McNeese's defensive front that includes All-American Isaiah Chambers who tops the league with 7.5 sacks on the season, has recorded 14 of the front's 19 sacks on the year in the last four games, Chambers with six in that span. The line will be without Joey McNeely and Accord Green on Saturday as Masry Mapieu and Leon Young will step in to fill the gaps.
 
SERIES VS. NICHOLLS
• Saturday's game will mark the 46th meeting between McNeese and Nicholls with the Cowboys holding a 32-13 lead in the series.
• McNeese has won 10 of the last 12 outings.
• The Cowboys are 16-8 at home against the Colonels and have won the last 11 games played in The Hole.
• Nicholls' last win in Lake Charles came in 2008 by way of a 38-35 win.
• McNeese beat the Colonels, who were ranked 13th in the nation, 43-31 in the spring in the last meeting.
 
COWBOYS SEEKING WINNING SEASON TO EXTEND STREAK
• McNeese will head into Saturday's game against Nicholls with a 3-5 record and will need to win the remaining three games to extend its consecutive winning season streak to 16.
• The Cowboys played an abbreviated 7-game season during the spring and finished 3-4.
• McNeese currently has the longest current fall winning season streak in the FCS.
 
GROUND GAME FINDING GROOVE
• McNeese is coming off its best running attack of the season when it rolled up 233 yards on the ground at Southeastern last Saturday.
• The Cowboys averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 47 attempts and scored 2 rushing TDs.
• Over the last four games, the Cowboys have run for 9 of their 13 ground TDs on the season.
• Also over the last four games, McNeese has accumulated 687 of its 1,091 rushing yards on the season and is averaging 181.8 ypg over that span.
• Five different players have scored a rushing TD while four players have multiple TDs.
• The rushing average has improved following each of the last 4 games.
• Last 4 games, McNeese is outscoring opponents by a 29.5-24.5 margin and outgaining on the ground by a 172-101 mark.
• In the last 3 games along, McNeese is averaging 189 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per rush.
 
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
• Quarterback Cody Orgeron has spread the wealth to his receiving corps this season, hitting 13 different players with passes.
• Four players have 10 or more receptions on the season - Josh Matthews 28, Mason Pierce 21, Deonta McMahon 17, Walker Wood 14.
• In all but one game this season, he's connected with 7 different receivers and in two games, hit 10 or more different players with passes (West Florida and UIW with 10 each).
• He completed 10 passes to 9 different receivers in the Oct. 23 Homecoming win over Incarnate Word.