McNeese Cowboys (0-5, 0-1) at Texas A&M-Commerce (0-4, 0-0)
 
McNEESE COWBOYS (0-5, 0-1)
Conference: Southland (SLC)
STATS/AFCA Rank: -/-
Head Coach: Gary Goff (Valdosta State, 1996)
Overall Record: 64-65 (12th year)
at McNeese: 4-12 (2nd year)
vs. TAMUC: 0-1
 
TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE LIONS (0-4, 0-0)
Conference: Southland (SLC)
STATS/AFCA Rank: -/-
Head Coach: Clint Dolezel
Overall Record: 0-4 (1st year)
at TAMUC: 0-4 (1st year)
vs. McNeese: 0-0
 
COMMERCE, Texas – McNeese will hit the road for the fourth time in the last five weeks as it looks to get in the win column for the first time this season when it visits Texas A&M-Commerce in Week 6 of the football season.
 
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday night at Ernest Hawkins Field in Commerce. The game will broadcast live on ESPN+ and also across the airwaves on 92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com.
 
McNeese (0-5, 0-1 SLC) is coming off a 31-10 loss at home to Nicholls last Saturday in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. The Cowboys outgained the Colonels in offensive yards but turned the ball over four times which led the 21 Nicholls points. McNeese also accumulated 11 penalties for 99 yards, many that eliminated big gains and possible scoring opportunities.
 
Commerce dropped a 56-27 game at Stephen F. Austin last week.
 
The Lions defeated McNeese 45-10 last year in Lake Charles and holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. McNeese is looking to avoid losing its first six games to start a season for the first time in school history.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
520 |  A win will give McNeese its 520th all-time win. The Cowboys have compiled an all-time record of 519-319-13 for a 62 percent winning percentage.
 
80  |  McNeese is playing in its 80th season of football in 2023.
 
71  |  Total number of tackles by sophomore linebacker Micah Davey through the first three games for a 14.2 per game average, ranking him No. 1 in the Southland and 2nd in the FCS. He's recorded double-digit tackles in all five games on the season and is on pace for 156 and threatening the school record of 171 (Charles Ayro, 1997).
 
44  |  Total number of Cowboys who have made their collegiate debut this season.
 
35  |  Consecutive PATs made by sophomore kicker Garrison Smith - made all 25 last season and is 10-for-10 this season.
 
26  |  Number of first time starters for the Cowboys this season - 13 against Tarleton, 6 at Florida, 2 at Alcorn State, 5 at Eastern Illinois.
 
16  |  Consecutive starts by offensive linemen Cole Leclair and Dylan Dauzart, the most of any current Cowboy players.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• McNeese and Texas A&M-Commerce will tangle for the fourth time on Saturday and the first time in Commerce since the inaugural meeting in 1970.
• Texas A&M-Commerce is formerly known as East Texas State.
• The two first met on Sept. 12, 1970 in Commerce with the Lions winning 57-26 in the season opener.
• McNeese returned the favor the next year with a 47-3 win in Cowboy Stadium.
 
LAST TIME vs. A&M-COMMERCE
• The Lions posted a 40-15 win over the Cowboys last season in the first matchup between the two teams since the 1971 season.
• Commerce led 17-15 at the half then outscored the Cowboys 23-0 in the second half.
• Only 17 current Cowboys saw action against the Lions last year.
• The Lions out-gained the Cowboys 460-228 in total offense and held McNeese to just 90 yards rushing in the contest.
 
GAMEDAY TID-BITS                        
• McNeese is 0-5 to start the season for the first time since the 1954 season when the team began that year with five straight losses before finish with a 2-8 mark.
• After playing through the first three games with throwing a touchdown pass, Cowboys' quarterback Nate Glantz has thrown for three scores in the last two games.
• WR Jon McCall has caught all three touchdown passes from Glantz on the season and is ranked No. 2 in the SLC and 29th in the FCS in TD catches.
• The Cowboys have scored on 7 of 8 red-zone opportunities on the season including 5 touchdowns.
• The Cowboys are the only team in the conference with a kick-off return for a touchdown.
• Glantz is 3rd in the league in passing yards per completion (12.3 ypc).
• RB D'Angleo Durham is ranked No. 3 in the Southland Conference in total rushing yards (303), 6th in rushing yards per game (60.6) and 8th in the SLC in rushing yard per carry (5.0).
• RB Coleby Hamm has the longest rushing TD in the league of 72 yards against Eastern Illinois.
• WR Jon McCall is 9th in the league with 15 receptions, 2nd with three TD catches, 4th with 256 total receiving yards, and 9th with 17.1 yards per catch.
• LB Micah Davey is ranked 1st in the SLC in total tackles (71), solo tackles (37), and tackles per game (14.2).
• Davey is ranked No. 2 in the FCS in both total tackles and tackles per game.
• DB Levi Wyatt is tied for 4th in the conference with four passes defended (1 interception, 3 pass break ups).
• P Callum Eddings leads the league and is 9th in the FCS in net punting (41.4) and is 2nd in the conference with 9 punts downed inside the 20 yard line.
• K Garrison Smith is 4 for 6 on field goals this year, and has connected on all 10 of his PATs.
• Smith kicked a 51-yard FG at Alcorn State, matching the 4th-longest made field goal in school history and the longest in the league this season.
 
LB MICAH DAVEY = TACKLING MACHINE     
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Micah Davey continues to pace the Cowboys and Southland Conference with 71 total tackles on the season, averaging 14.2 per game.
• His total number and average are both ranked No. 1 in the SLC and 2nd in the FCS.
• He's coming off a 12-tackle game against Nicholls despite missing the last few minutes of the first half against Nicholls after suffering a knee injury, but he returned in the second half.
• He has recorded 10 or more tackles in all five games on the season and 8 times in his career.
• Has a career-high of 18 tackles against Alcorn this season and Lamar last year.
• Those 18 stops vs. Alcorn on Sept. 16 is ranked as the 3rd-most by an FCS player this season.
• He recorded his first-career 10-tackle game at Rice in the second game of the 2022 season.
• He's the son of former LSU standout quarterback and NFL veteran Rohan Davey.
 
DAVEY 10+ TACKLE GAMES
TKLS                            Opponent Date
12                               vs. Nicholls 9/30/23
16                               at Eastern Illinois 9/23/23
18                               at Alcorn State    9/16/23
13                               at Florida 9/9/23
12                               vs. Tarleton State  9/2/23
18                               vs. Lamar 11/19/22
10                               at HCU 11/12/22
10                               at Rice 9/10/22
 
Mcneese single-season tackle leaders
TKLS                            Player     Year
171                             Charles Ayro 1997
160                             Roderick Royal    2002
159                             Terry Irving 1993
156                             Doug Fruge 1978
                                   Bob Howell           1977
153                             Vince Landrum   1994
137                             Charles Ayro 1998
133                             Devin Babineaux 1988
                                   Vance Robichaux   1985
132                             Terry Irving 1991
 
26 FIRST TIME STARTERS               
• A total of 26 players have made their first collegiate start throughout the first four games.
• 13 players made their starting debuts against Tarleton State in the season opener; 6 more got their first career start the next week at Florida; 1 at Alcorn State; and 4 at Eastern Illinois.
• The defensive backfield and defensive line have seen the most first-time starters with 6 each, offensive line with 5, wide receivers with 4, 2 tight ends, 1 linebacker, 1 quarterback and 1 running back.
 
FIRST TIME PLAYERS                       
• In addition to the 26 players having made their first-ever collegiate start through the first four games, a host of others have seen their first collegiate action.
• 18 other Cowboys have seen action for the first time, bringing the total number of players seeing collegiate action for the first time to 44.
 
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE GAMES
• McNeese is in its 52nd season in the Southland Conference and looking to build on its league-record of 203 victories.
• The Cowboys have compiled an all-time conference record of 203-115-7 and has won a conference-record 14 championships while making 16 playoff appearances, also an SLC record.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT                       
• McNeese entered August camp with 57 new players, half of those freshmen.
• Through the first five games of the season, McNeese has seen 16 freshmen play significant time with five of those making starts.
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS RETURN FROM INJURIES
• The Cowboys will get the services back of a couple of DBs for the Commerce game - Javon Davis and Jaylen Jackson.
• Davis, a preseason all-conference selection and starter as a freshman last year, was injured in the first game of the year against Tarleton with a broken hand and has missed the last four games while Jackson, who started in weeks 2 and 3 and missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, will make the trip.