Box Score BEAUMONT, Texas – Kam Sixkiller threw for three touchdowns, two to Jihad Marks, but Lamar scored off all three McNeese turnovers and ran for 255 yards as the Cardinals posted a 52-27 win over the Cowboys in the season finale on Saturday.
 
The loss ends the Cowboys' season at 1-10 (1-6 SLC) and without a win on the field. Lamar finished the season 6-5 overall and 5-2 in league play and captured its first winning season since 2018. It's the first win by Lamar over the Cowboys on its home turf since the 1989 season in what was the final game before Lamar discontinued its football program for the following 21 years.
 
Sixkiller, who completed 16 of 29 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, became the first Cowboys' quarterback under head coach Gary Goff to throw for three TDs in a game. The last was Cody Orgeron against Southeastern Louisiana in 2021. Sixkiller was playing with an injured non-throwing shoulder and then early in the game, turned his ankle and played on it for most of the contest.
 
Running back Joshon Barbie recorded his second 100-yard game in four outings as he rushed for a career-high 138 yards on 22 carries for a 6.3 average.
 
McNeese scored on its opening possession in both the first and third quarters but sandwiched in between, Lamar scored 28 consecutive points to take a 28-7 halftime lead.
 
The Cowboys cut the margin to 28-14 early in the third when Kixkiller connected with Jihad Marks for a 14-yard touchdown. McNeese's defense was able to hold Lamar to a three-and-out on its second straight possession to re-take possession, but on 1^st-and-10 at the Lamar 49, Sixkiller's pass would be intercepted by Kevin Anderson and returned to the McNeese 38.
 
Five plays later, the Cardinals scored on a 23-yard pass by Robert Coleman to Devyn Gibbs to give them a 35-14 lead. Sixkiller would throw his second interception on the next possession and that led to a 4-yard touchdown pass by Coleman to Andre Dennis to make it a 42-14 advantage.
 
Sixkiller would find Marks in the endzone for the second time on the next possession to cut the margin to 42-21, then after a 42-yard field goal by Chris Esqueda made it 45-21 early in the fourth, D'Angelo Durham scored from 1-yard out to cut the lead to 45-27 after a failed 2-point attempt.
 
Lamar added one more score to give it 52 points, the most by a Cardinals' team against McNeese in the series.
 
Coleman ended the day 12 of 17 passing for 132 yards and three TDs while Khalan Griffen led the Cardinals with 123 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
 
The Cowboys outgained the Cardinals in total offense 397-387.
 
McNeese linebacker Micah Davey recorded 20 tackles in the contest and became the first Cowboy player in school history to post 20 tackles in back-to-back games. He ends the season with 152 on the year, the sixth-most in a season in school history, while his 15.2 tackles per game sets a new single season school record.