McNeese (2-7, 0-4 SLC) at HCU (2-7, 1-4 SLC)
Saturday, November 12, 2022 • 2 p.m.
Huskey Stadium (5,000) • Houston, Texas
 
TV: ESPN+ LINK
Radio: 92.9 The Lake
Audio Stream: 929thelake.com
Live Stats: LINK
McNeese Game Notes: LINK
HCU Game Notes: LINK
 
HOUSTON – McNeese will be shooting for its second straight win on Saturday when the Cowboys resume Southland Conference plat against Houston Christian University.
 
Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at HCU's Huskey Stadium. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+ as well as the McNeese Radio Network (92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com).
 
McNeese (2-7, 0-4 SLC) is coming off an impressive 29-15 win over Eastern Illinois of the Ohio Valley Conference. In that game, redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Roberts took over the snaps midway through the first quarter when starter Walker Woods suffered a knee injury. Roberts went on to complete 13 of 20 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown while running back Deonta McMahon rushed for a career-high 211 yards and a score while also throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass.
 
HCU (2-7, 1-4) dropped a 73-20 contest to Incarnate Word.
 
COACHES
• McNeese: Gary Goff (1^st season at McNeese, 2-7; 11^th season overall, 62-60)
• HCU: Vic Shealy (9^th season at HCU, 18-73; 13^th season overall, 45-87-1)
 
COWBOYS AND HUSKIES
• McNeese and HCU will battle for the fifth time in the history of the series with McNeese having won all four previous matchups.
• The teams first met in 2017 with the Cowboys winning 27-12 in Lake Charles.
• In last season's 44-2 win at HCU, Deonta McMahon rushed for 124 yards and a TD while Mason Kinsey scored on a 2-yard fumble recovery and Grayson Mays on a 46-yard interception return.

QB RYAN ROBERTS EXPECTED TO GET FIRST COLLEGIATE START
• After being put into action in the first quarter during last Saturday's win over Eastern Illinois due to an injury to Walker Wood, Ryan Roberts completed 13 of 20 passes for 177 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
• With Wood out and despite Knox Kadum being cleared to play, Roberts is listed No. 1 on the depth chart and is expected to make his first collegiate start at HCU on Saturday.
• Should Roberts get the nod, he'll become the first Cowboy freshman (redshirt or true) to start behind center since the 2006 season (Derrick Fourroux).
 
KORDELL WILLIAMS ADDED TO BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD WATCH LIST
• Senior linebacker Kordell Williams has been added to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List as the top defensive player in the FCS.
• Currently 2nd in the SLC with 103 total tackles and with 11.3 tackles per game which ranks him 3rd in the FCS.
• Tops the league and is 5th in the FCS with 59 solo tackles and a 6.4 per game average.
• He's 4th in the Southland with 9.0 tackles for a loss.
• Coming off a 14-tackle game against Eastern Illinois, marking his sixth, double-digit tackle game of the season.
 
NOTES ON THE COWBOYS
• In all four conference losses, McNeese trailed by one score or led in the fourth quarter (led 27-21 with 13:44 vs. SLU; led 35-34 with 11:15 left at Nicholls; 28-20 at UIW with less than 10 minutes to play; 20-15 vs. TAMUC with 12 minutes remaining).
• After playing its first five games without an interception, McNeese has picked off 8 passes in the last 4 games.
• The 3 picks vs. SLU was the first 3-interception game for the Cowboys since picking off 3 at HCU last fall.
• McNeese has scored in 14 of its last 15 chances in the red-zone over the last five games (11 TDs, 3 FG).
• Averaging 30.3 points and 410.7 yards of offense over the last three game after averaging just 19 points and 309 yards of offense through the first six games of the season.
• Ranked No. 1 in the SLC in fumbles recovered (11), punt return defense (4.4), and turnovers gained (19).
 
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
• Officially changed its name from HBU to HCU (Houston Christian University) on Sept. 21, 2022.
• Coached by Vic Shealy who is in his 9th season at HCU and has compiled an 18-73 record including a 7-57 Southland Conference mark... 12th season overall as a head coach with a 45-87-1 record.
• It'll be Senior Day for the Huskies against the Cowboys for their final home game of the season.
• Ranked 7th in the league in scoring offense (20.1) and 6th in scoring defense (37.2).
• RB Ismail Mahdi trails only McNeese's Deonta McMahon in the league rushing ranks with an 81.2 ypg average.
• QB Justin Fomby is third in the conference in passing with a 238.3 average to go along with 15 TDs... he's thrown a league-high 14 interceptions on the season.
 
McMAHON LEADS SLC IN RUSHING 
• Senior RB Deonta McMahon continues to lead  the Southland Conference in rushing, now at 108.0 yards per game after his 211 yard game against Eastern Illinois.
• He's looking to become the first Cowboy since 2008 (Toddrick Pendland) to win the league rushing title.
• In addition, he also leads the league with 972 total rushing yards and with 160.6 all-purpose yards per game.
• His 211-yard game against EIU ranks as the 11th-most in a game in school history.
• He has 8, 100-yard rushing games in his career, ranking him tied as the 7th-most in school history.
• His 5, 100-yard games this season ranks as the 3rd-most in school history.
• To date, McMahon has rushed for 1,719 yards in his career, ranking him 21st on the school's career list.
• Attempting to become the first Cowboy player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since the 2015 season (Marcus Wiltz 1,287).
• Has 19 career rushing TDs, needing one more to break into the top 15 all-time in school record book.
 
McMahon 100-Yard Career Rushing Games:
211 (26 carries) vs. Eastern Illinois (Nov. 5, 2022)
121 (25 carries) at Nicholls (Oct. 22, 2022)
138 (12 carries) vs. Mississippi College (Sept. 24, 2022)
102 (10 carries) vs. Alcorn State (Sept. 17, 2022)
101 (5 carries) at Rice (Sept. 10, 2022)
111 (17 carries) vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 20, 2021)
124 (23 carries) at HBU (Nov. 13, 2021)
111 (11 carries) vs. Nicholls (Apr. 3, 2021)
 
TEAM AND PLAYER NOTES            
• The 510 offensive yards for the Cowboys in their last outing were the most this season and most since recording 506 vs. HCU last Nov. 13.
• Of the 268 receiving yards against Eastern Illinois, 189 were gained after the catch was made.
• QB Ryan Roberts threw his first-career touchdown pass when he connected with Mason Pierce on a 32-yard catch and run to put McNeese up 16-7 midway through the second quarter.
• DL Accord Green blocked an EIU field goal in the third quarter for the first blocked FG by the Cowboys since September 25, 2021 vs. UIW.
• With 972 rushing yards, RB Deonta McMahon is looking to become the first 1,000-yard rusher since the 2013 season (Marcus Wiltz 1,287).
• McMahon has scored 12 touchdowns on the season and is responsible for 13... the one responsible for was a 33-yard TD pass to Jon McCall against EIU.
• WR Mason Pierce caught 8 passes for 145 yards, both career highs, against EIU.
• Pierce leads the team with 40 catches, a career high in a season for the RS sophomore, and has 997 career receiving yards, 3 short of becoming just the 27th player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard milestone.
• Pierce has caught at least one pass in 22-straight games going back to the 2021 spring season.
• McMahon has made at least one catch in 21 consecutive games.
• McMahon has scored 8 touchdowns in the last two games and has at least one rushing TD in 6 consecutive games.
• OL Calvin Barkat has started 25 straight games.
• OL Cole LeClair has started in 23 straight games (8 at McNeese and 14 at Valdosta State last season).
• Sophomore DB Thomas Miles has intercepted a pass in two consecutive games.
• DB Tyler Barnes has intercepted a pass 3 of the last 4 games and is 2nd in the conference with 3 total picks.
• LB Kordell Williams now has 103 tackles on the season and 323 in his career, moving him into ninth on the career all-time tackles list.
• K Garrison Smith made 3 field goals against Eastern Illinois... it was the first 3 FG game for the Cowboys since Jacob Abel made 3 at Southern last season.
• Smith's 47-yard FG at UIW was the 8th longest in school history (54 is the record by Eric Roberts vs. Northern Iowa in 1991).