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STEPHENVILLE, Texas – A total of 448 days since the last competition. A global pandemic and two major hurricanes. No housing for three months. No facilities to hold workouts or conditioning for five months.
Despite all the odds stacked against them, the "Never Say Die" McNeese Cowboys will open up the 2021 spring football season on Saturday when they visit Tarleton State in what many are saying it's nothing short of a miracle that the Pokes are taking the field.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at TSU's Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus and the Fox Sports Go app. It'll also be carried on the McNeese Radio Network (92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com).
"We get to play," said first-year head coach
Frank Wilson who was named the program's 17
th head coach in January of 2020. "We get to play a game on Saturday and that's a big deal for our football program and university."
Wilson will lead a Cowboy football team onto the playing field for the first time since it last played a game, that coming in the 2019 season finale, Nov. 23, 2019 to be exact, when the Cowboys defeated Lamar… a total of 448 days.
Saturday's game will kick off a spring season that college football hasn't seen since the 1890s.
PANDEMIC, HURRICANES NOT STANDING IN THE COWBOYS' WAY
• McNeese's last game of competition was back on Nov. 23, 2019 against Lamar, and due to the global pandemic and two major hurricanes - Laura and Delta - the Cowboys did not play any games during the fall of 2020. In fact, unlike every other FCS team playing this spring who had a fall offseason program, McNeese was without any kind of weight or conditioning program and as spread out around the region due to no housing in Lake Charles as a result of the extensive hurricane damage.
• Saturday will mark 448 days since McNeese played Lamar on that Nov. 23, 2019 date.
• McNeese returned to Lake Charles as a team in mid-November 2020 and took up residence at a local hotel for the next 60-80 days.
• Facilities on campus were too damaged to conduct any kind of training so the Cowboys held weight training and conditioning drills at a local high school until the team was able to return to its facility the second week of January.
• Damage to McNeese State University exceeds $200 million with much of that to the athletic facilities.
• Cowboy Stadium had to have its 3-year old turf replaced and was 3-feet underwater due to the rains of Hurricane Delta... the three-level press box is totaled and will have to be replaced... most of the football team and position meeting rooms were heavily damaged, forcing the Cowboys to use the Endzone Club Room on the second level of the field house as a make-shift team meeting room.
WINNING WAYS
• McNeese will enter the spring season with 15 straight winning seasons under its belt, the longest current streak in the FCS.
• The Cowboys have compiled a 112-57 (.663) record during the winning season streak with four Southland Conference titles and five FCS playoff appearances.
• The Cowboys have won 7 or more games five out of the last eight seasons and have recorded 10 wins twice (2013, 2015) during that stretch.
• Since 2000, McNeese has produced 8 or more wins nine times.
ORGERON RETURNS TO LEAD OFFENSE
• Quarterback
Cody Orgeron returns after posting a stellar junior (2019) season where he threw for the 4th-most yards in a season in school history (2,628) while his 24 TD passes ranked as the 3rd-most in a season.
• The son of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, Cody has thrown for 2,776 yards in his career, ranking just outside the top 10 career list.
• Set a single-game school record in 2019 with 403 total offensive yards against Central Arkansas (344 passing, 59 rushing).
• 506 total plays in 2019 set a new school record.
• Recorded 3,110 total offensive yards in 2019 - 2,628 passing and 482 rushing, and 27 total TDs.
Career Passing Leaders
1. Derrick Fourroux (2006-09) 8,226
2. Kerry Joseph (1992-95) 7,874
3. Cody Stroud (2010-13) 7,632
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10. Stephen Starring (1979-82) 3,083
Cody Orgeron (2017-now) 2,776
Career TD Passing Leaders
1. Kerry Joseph (1992-95) 67
2. Derrick Fourroux (2006-09) 64
3. Cody Stroud (2010-13) 59
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6. Blake Prejean (1996-99) 35
Slade Nagle (1999-01) 35
8. Cody Orgeron (2017-now) 25
Scott Dieterich (1986-89) 25
SEASON OPENER SUCCESS
• The Cowboys are 7-3 in season openers the last 10 seasons with two of those losses coming against Nebraska and Kansas but with wins over South Florida and Middle Tennessee.
• Not counting openers against FBS teams, McNeese is 9-1 in the last 10 openers and 17-3 in the last 20.
• This will be the second time the Cowboys will open a season against the Texans. McNeese defeated Tarleton State 33-3 in Lake Charles to start the 2016 season.
BEGUE CLIMBING CAREER LISTS
• Senior WR
Trevor Begue had a breakout junior season in 2019, catching 55 passes for 827 yards and 10 touchdowns, where he led the team and ranked 4th in the Southland Conference with his scoring grabs.
• Entering 2021, his 13 career TD catches ranks him 8th on the school's career list; 78 career receptions is 20th and 1,067 receiving yards is ranked 24th all-time.
Career Receptions Leaders
1. Jermaine Martin (1999-02) 160
2. B.J. Sams (2000-03) 136
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15. Donnie Ashley (1995-97) 94
Trevor Begue (2017-now) 78
Career Receiving Yards Leaders
1. Jermaine Martin (1999-02) 2,636
2. Terence Davis (1992-95) 2,039
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15. Chris Fontenot (1991-94) 1,349
24. Trevor Begue (2017-now) 1,067
Career Receiving TD Leaders
1. Terence Davis (1992-95) 21
2. Damien Morris (1994-97) 18
3. B.J. Sams (2000-03) 16
Adam Henry (1990-93) 16
5. Quinten Lawrence (2005-08) 15
6. Cyron Sutton (2017-19) 14
Kent Shelby (2014-17) 14
8. Trevor Begue (2017-now) 13
MAKING THE GRADE
• Despite having to do studies virtually in the fall, the Cowboys posted a 3.2 semester grade point average and had 11 football student-athletes compile a 4.0 GPA.
• This year's roster has nine players who have already earned their bachelor's degree: QB
Cody Orgeron, WR
Trevor Begue, DL
Camron Peterson, DL
Isaiah Chambers, TE
Jamal Pettigrew, P
Bailey Raborn, LB
Kordell Williams, DB
Gabe Foster, RB
Elijah Mack.
SHUFFLING ROSTER
• Since the end of the 2019 football season, the Cowboys have lost 21 players to the NCAA transfer portal or those who have decided not to continue their playing career.
• Of those 21, three earned all-conference or All-American honors - CB
Darion Dunn (All-SLC, All-American; transferred to the Univ. of Texas), CB
Colby Burton (All-SLC; transferred to ULM), and WR
Cyron Sutton (All-SLC; transferred to Tulane).
• The current depth chart lists four returning starters on offense and three on defense while 13 new players (transfers or freshmen) are listed on offense and 13 on defense.
PREMIERING POKES
• McNeese may have lost 21 players since the end of the 2019 season, but head coach
Frank Wilson and his staff have filled those holes and strengthened the roster in the process by adding 12 transfers, most of those who are expected to make a significant impact this spring.
• McNeese signed several other transfers during the February signing period who will not be eligible until the fall season.
New Cowboy Faces for the Spring
DL Isaiah Chambers - Univ. of Houston
• Recorded 8 sacks in three preseason spring games.
• Former 4-star recruit out of HS.
• At UH, 2x preseason All-American Conf.
DL Masry Mapieu - Louisiana-Lafayette
• Saw action in 12 games for the Cajuns in the 2019 season and 22 games in his two seasons at ULL.
DL Accord Green - Hind Comm. College
• In 2019, regarded as one of the top DL in the JUCO ranks, recorded 27 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 5.5 TFL.
• Relative of LSU great Jarvis Green.
CB Chris Joyce - Tulane
• Saw action in four games in '19 and
recorded two tackles.
DB Gus Nave - Univ. of South Alabama
• Played in 12 games in 2019 and picked off one pass.
RB Deonta McMahon - Butte College
• Led all RBs in the preseason spring games.
• Had 124 rushing yds in preseason game 3.
• At Butte, averaged 102.2 ypg and ran for 100 or more four times with a high of 255.
RB A.J. Carter - Arizona State
• Played in 13 games as a RS freshman in 2019, rushing for 50 yards on 19 carries.
TE Jamal Pettigrew - LSU
• Saw action in all 15 games for LSU during its record-breaking 2019 national title year.
WR Josh Matthews - Louisiana Tech
• Played in 16 games in two seasons at
Louisiana Tech, including 12 in 2019.
WR Severyn Foster - Rochester (MN) College
• In 2019, caught 26 passes for 500 yards and 8 touchdowns.
• Earned 1st Team All-MCAC honors
(Minnesota College Athletic Conference).
• Averaged 19.2 yards per catch.
OL Max Charite - Univ. of South Alabama
• Played in all but one game at USA in '19 and allowed just half a sack in 363 plays.
OL Caron Coleman - Coffeyville College
• Earned All-KJCCC honors in 2019.
PK Jacob Abel - Butler Comm. College
• One of the top JUCO kickers in '19.
• Went 13-for-13 in FGs under 50 yards.
