LAKE CHARLES – Deonta McMahon rushed for a career-high 211 yards and a score, hauled in 24 receiving yards and threw for a touchdown while redshirt freshman and walk-on quarterback Ryan Roberts was activated in the first quarter when Walker Wood was injured on a play, and completed 13 of 20 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown to lead McNeese to a 29-15 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday night.
 
McNeese (2-7) recorded a season-high 510 offensive yards (242 rushing, 268 passing) while holding the Panthers (2-7) to 319 yards of offense (132 rushing, 1878 passing).
 
Cowboy receiver Mason Pierce also had a career night with eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
 
Defensively, Kordell Williams led the way with 14 tackles and added 1.5 tackles for a loss and a half sack while Thomas Miles picked off his second pass in as many weeks.
 
McNeese got on the board first when Garrison Smith hit a 39-yard field goal with 5:12 to play in the first quarter. It was the first of three field goals for Smith who finished with 11 points.
 
The Cowboys pulled out their bag of tricks on their next possession when on a lateral pass, McMahon took a lateral pass from Roberts then found a wide-open Jon McCall for a 33-yard score to put McNeese up 10-0 after one quarter.
 
EIU got on the board early in the second when Jay Vaille caught a 26-yard pass from Dom Shoffner to cut the McNeese lead to 10-7.
 
The Cowboys answered when Roberts hit Pierce for a 32-yard score that saw the flashy receiver zig and zag his way to the end-zone. That was followed by a 21-yard Smith field goal as time expired to put McNeese up 19-7 at the half.
 
McMahon scored his first rushing TD on the night on a 3-yard run late in the third quarter to make it a 26-7 lead, then Smith made his third FG of the game, this one being from 31-yards out, late in the fourth, to put the Cowboys on top 29-7.
 
The Panthers scored the game's final points on a 19-yard pass from Shoffner to Justin Bowick.
 
Next up, the Cowboys will return to Southland Conference play next Saturday when they visit HCU for a 2 p.m. kick.
 
Notebook;
• 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.
• Defensive lineman Accord Green blocked a Panther field goal in the third quarter. It was the first blocked FG by the Cowboys since September 25, 2021 vs. UIW.
• Deonta McMahon rushed for a career-high 211 yards.
• It was McMahon's 5^th, 100-yard rushing game of the season and 8^th in his career.
• The five, 100-yard games rank as the third-most in school history in a single-season while the eight in his career is the 7^th-most.
• McMahon has scored 12 touchdowns on the season and is responsible for 13.
• After his 211-yard game, McMahon now has rushed for 972 yards on the season.
• Mason Pierce caught 8 passes for 145 yards, both career highs.
• Pierce has 997 career receiving yards, needing just 3 more to become the 27^th player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard milestone.
• McNeese has intercepted 8 passes in the last 3 games.
• Thomas Miles intercepted his second pass of the season. It was also the second in as many games.
• Kordell Williams recorded 14 tackles on the night, his sixth double-digit tackle game on the season and 14^th in his career.
• Williams now has 102 tackles on the season and 322 in his career, moving him into ninth on the career all-time tackles list.
• Of the 268 receiving yards, 189 went after the catch was made.
• Walker Wood completed 4 of 5 passes for 58 yards before leaving the game with a knee injury after taking a hard hit while scrambling for yards.
• The 510 offensive yards for the Cowboys were the most this season and most since recording 510 vs. HCU last Nov. 13.
• OL Calvin Barkat started in his 25^th straight game while OL Cole LeClair started his 23^rd consecutive.