• McNeese opens its 52nd season of Southland Conference play on Saturday night when it hosts longtime foe Nicholls at 7 p.m.

• One of the teams will get its first win of the season - McNeese is 0-4 while Nicholls is 0-3.

• McNeese has lost its last four Southland Conference openers... the last league opening win came in 2018 when the Cowboys defeated HCU 51-34 in Houston.

• The Cowboys are coming off a heart-breaking 31-28 loss at Eastern Illinois last Saturday in a game where the Panthers connected on a 56-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining to win the game and rallying from a 28-7 second quarter deficit.

• Nicholls dropped a 36-7 decision at Tulane.

• McNeese is returning from a 3-game road swing and playing at home for the first time since the Sept. 2 season opener against Tarleton State.

• The Colonels will be playing their third straight game away from home before returning to Guidry Stadium next Saturday against HCU.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS-------------------------------------------------------

520 |  A win will give McNeese its 520th all-time win, having compiled a record of 519-318-13 for a 62 percent winning percentage.

80  |  McNeese is playing in its 80th season of football in 2023.

 

72  |  Yards on a touchdown run by Coleby Hamm against Eastern Illinois last Saturday. It was the longest TD run by a Cowboy since the 2021 season and ranks as the 15th-longest in school history.

 

59  |  Total number of tackles by sophomore linebacker Micah Davey through the first three games for a 14.8 per game average, ranking him No. 1 in the Southland and 2nd in the FCS. He's recorded double-digit tackles in all four games on the season and is on pace for 163 and threatening the school record of 171 (Charles Ayro, 1997).

 

41.1  |  Net punting average by Callum Eddings, ranking No. 1 in the SLC and 9th in FCS.

 

34  |  Consecutive PATs made by sophomore kicker Garrison Smith - made all 25 last season and is 5-for-5 this season.

 

26  |  Number of first time starters for the Cowboys through the first four games of the season - 13 against Tarleton, 6 at Florida, 2 at Alcorn State, 5 at Eastern Illinois.

SERIES HISTORY

• McNeese and Nicholls will be meeting for the 48th time on Saturday with the Cowboys holding down a 31-16 lead in the series.

• The series began in 1972 and the two teams have played each other every year since 1983.

• Nicholls has won two straight in the series and snapped a 6-game McNeese home winning streak in 2021 with a 24-14 win; the Colonels have won 3 of the last 4.

• McNeese is 17-8 at home against the Colonels.

• Since playing as Southland Conference rivals, the Cowboys hold a 23-9 series lead.

• McNeese and Nicholls will be opening the league season against each other for the first time since 2017 (at Nicholls, L 37-35), and just the fifth time ever (McNeese has won four of those).

• This marks the second straight season neither team is ranked in the Top 25 polls in the matchup.

• The two met in Week 7 of the season last year with the Cowboys entering the contest 1-5 on the year while Nicholls holding a 1-6 record.

• The McNeese-Nicholls series is the second-longest running series for McNeese, tying it with Southeastern and second-only to Northwestern State (71 matchups).

• In 5 of the last 6 meetings, the game has been decided by 12 points or less.

 

LAST TIME vs. NICHOLLS

• Nicholls prevailed in a shootout with the Cowboys, winning 40-35 in Thibodaux last October 22.

• The Colonels scored the game's first 14 points before McNeese answered with 22, second quarter points to take a 22-14 halftime lead.

• The Cowboys' lead grew to 29-14 following a Jalen Johnson 25-yard TD catch from Knox Kadum early in the 3rd quarter.

• Nicholls scored three straight TDs to go back up 34-29 midway through the third.

• A 9-yard run by McNeese's Deonta McMahon lifted McNeese to a 35-34 lead but the Colonels scored with 11:15 to play on a Julien Gums 4-yard run to take a 40-35 advantage.

• The Cowboys drove down to the Nicholls 25 with under 5 minutes to play but failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 and turned the ball over on downs.

 

ABOUT NICHOLLS

• Coached by Tim Rebowe who is in his 9th season and has compiled a 47-46 overall record, including a 40-25 Southland Conference mark.

• Nicholls was picked for a fourth-place finish in the Southland Conference preseason poll, right behind the Cowboys who were selected third.

• The Colonels have played two FBS teams through their first three games - at TCU (L, 41-6), at Tulane (L, 36-7).

• Nicholls returns five running backs, including Collin Guggenheim who has accumulated over 1,700 rushing yards in his career and will enter Saturday with 168 on the season.

• Guggenheim was named a preseason All-SLC first team selection.

• The Colonels had 7 other players named to the preseason All-SLC 1st team (OL Evan Roussel, OL Mark Barthelemy, DL Perry Ganci, LB Eli Ennis, DB Jordan Jackson, DB Tyler Morton, KR Jaylon Spears).

• P Kylan Dupre and LB Kylin White was named to the 2nd team.

• The Colonels return all but one starter on defense and five offensive starters.

• Nicholls has lost three straight games on the road dating back to last season, and 7 of their final 8 away from home.

GAMEDAY TID-BITS                        

• McNeese is 0-4 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.

• Nate Glantz threw two TD passer at Eastern Illinois to mark the first throwing scores of the season for the offense.

• McNeese scored touchdowns on four straight, first half possessions at EIU.

• The Cowboys faced only three 3rd downs in the first half against the Panthers, converting on two of those.

• McNeese's offense was not held to a 3-and-out against EIU and has been held to only one the last two games.

• 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.

• QB Nate Glantz has thrown just two interceptions on the season, both coming against Alcorn State, and has attempted 29 straight passes without a pick.

• Glantz is 5th in the league in total offense (150.3 ypg).

• RB D'Angleo Durham is ranked No. 3 in the Southland Conference and 50th in the FCS in total rushing yards (258), 4th in the SLC in rushing yards per game (64.5) and 8th in the SLC in rushing yard per carry (5.0).

• RB Coleby Hamm is 1st in the SLC with 12.7 yards per carry, tied for 2nd with two rushing TDs, and has the longest rushing TD in the league of 72 yards.

• LB Micah Davey is ranked 1st in the SLC in total tackles (59), solo tackles (34), and tackles per game (14.8).

• Davey is ranked No. 2 in the FCS in both total tackles and tackles per game.

• DB Levi Wyatt is tied for 2nd in the conference with four passes defended (1 interception, 3 pass break ups).

• P Callum Eddings is No. 3 in the league in punting average (43.0) and is 2nd with 8 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

• K Garrison Smith is 3 for 5 on field goals this year, and has connected on all 29 of his PATs.

• Smith kicked a 51-yard FG at Alcorn State, matching the 4th-longest made field goal in school history.

• Smith is tied for 8th in the league in scoring with 4.5 points per game.

 

HAMM-ER TIME                              

• Sophomore running back Coleby Hamm had a breakout game at Eastern Illinois last Saturday, rushing for 131 yards on 8 carries and scoring a touchdown.

• The TD was the second on the season for the transfer from Tyler Junior College.

• Through four games, Hamm has rushed for 140 yards on 11 carries for a 12.7 yards per carry average, ranking tied atop the FCS rankings.

• He had a 72-yard touchdown run at Eastern Illinois to mark the longest rushing score since the 2021 season while tying as the 15th-longest rushing score in school history.

 

LB MICAH DAVEY OFF TO STRONG START   

• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Micah Davey has gotten off to a strong start through the first 4 games, totaling 59 tackles for a 14.8 per game average, ranking No. 1 in the Southland and 3rd in the FCS.

• He's coming off a 16-tackle game at at Eastern Illinois and has recorded 10 or more tackles in all four games on the season.

• He's recorded 10 or more tackles games 7 times in his career and has a career-high of 18 against Alcorn this season and Lamar last year.

• 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
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

 

26 FIRST TIME STARTERS               

• A total of 264 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.

 

COWBOYS MAKING 1ST COLLEGIATE START

Player, Pos.                       Opponent           Week

Levi Wyatt, DB                   Tarleton State            1

Boogsie Silvera, DB             Tarleton State            1

Jaylen Jackson, DB              Tarleton State            1

Khaylon Chapple, DL           Tarleton State            1

Welland Williams, DL          Tarleton State            1

Trey Winters, DL                 Tarleton State            1

Brayden Adams, LB             Tarleton State            1

David Duvall, OL                 Tarleton State            1

Hayes Creel, OL                  Tarleton State            1

Nate Glantz, QB                 Tarleton State            1

Jonathan Harris, WR           Tarleton State            1

Jihad Marks, WR                Tarleton State            1

Aalah Brown, WR               Tarleton State            1

Masey Lewis, DL                 Florida                       2

John Brown Jr., DL              Florida                       2

Grayson Mays, DL               Florida                       2

James Reddick, OL              Florida                       2

Makhi Paris, WR                 Florida                       2

Jadden Matthews, DB         Florida                       2

Cam Thomas, RB                Alcorn State               3

Tyronne Hayes, TE              Alcorn State               3

Thomas Miles, DB               Eastern Illinois            4

Jamori Evans, DB                Eastern Illinois            4

Elijah Melendez, OL            Eastern Illinois            4

Jasper Friis, OL                   Eastern Illinois            4

Reed Boyd, TE                    Eastern Illinois            4

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.

• 15 other Cowboys have seen action for the first time, bringing the total number of players seeing collegiate action for the first time to 41.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE GAMES

• McNeese will be opening up its 52nd season in the Southland Conference and looking to build on its league-record of 203 victories.

• The Cowboys have dropped their last four conference openers with the last win coming in the 2018 season (51-34 at HCU).

• McNeese is 10-9 in home SLC games the last five seasons.