SAN ANTONIO – McNeese will return to action on Saturday with a visit to No. 13/14 UIW, one week following its first of two open dates on the season, to continue Southland Conference play.
 
The Cowboys (4-3, 1-1 SLC) used the much-need open date to get some rest and heal some wounds, one of those being All-American linebacker Micah Davey who will return to action after missing the last four games.
 
UIW (4-2, 1-0 SLC) is coming off a 55-10 whipping of preseason favorite and defending champion Nicholls. The Cardinals are ranked No. 13 in this week's AFCA Coaches Top 25 and 14th in the STATS Perform Media poll. McNeese is receiving votes in both polls.
 
Saturday will mark the third ranked FCS opponent the Cowboys have faced this season (L, 26-23 at #21 Tarleton State on Aug. 24; W, 28-26 at #25 Weber State on Sept. 28).
 
The Cowboys be looking for its first SLC road win since Nov. 12, 2022 (21-10 at HCU), a string of four straight losses.
 
McNeese is playing UIW following an open date for the second straight year... last year the Cowboys built a 24-7 halftime lead over the No. 5 Cardinals before UIW scored 28 straight points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, to pull out the 35-24 win in Lake Charles.
 
McNeese is 5-5 in the last 10 games following an open date.
 
GAMEDAY NOTEBOOK:
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
98 – Number of offensive plays that have gained 10 yards or more this season.
36 – Total pass break-ups by the defense. Last year the Cowboys broke up 26 passes in 10 games.
19 – Total 4^th quarter points allowed all season.
16 – Number of punts of 50-yards or more by Finn Lappin. Last year McNeese's punter had five punts of 50 yards or more.     
 
SERIES HISTORY                              
• Saturday's game will be the 11th meeting between the Cowboys and Cardinals with the series knotted up at 5-5.
• The series began in 2014 with McNeese winning 41-21 in San Antonio.
• McNeese won the first four games in the series but UIW has won 5 of the last 6 meetings including two straight.
 
ROAD WARRIORS                               
• The Cowboys will continue their 6-week stint away from home this weekend at UIW.
• McNeese last played at home on Sept. 21 (def. Alcorn State 42-14) and will not play at home again until Nov. 2 when it hosts Texas A&M-Commerce.
• The Cowboys snapped an 8-game road losing streak with a  28-26 win at then-No. 25 Weber State on Sept. 28.
• McNeese will be looking for its first conference road win since defeating HCU 21-10 back on Nov. 12, 2022 (4 straight SLC road losses).
• Following Saturday's game, the Cowboys will close out their road trip at Nicholls on Oct. 26.
 
GET THAT OUTTA HERE                      
• McNeese's defense has recorded 36 pass break-ups on the season, 10 more than all of the 2023 slate (26).
• Transfer CB Yusef Leak leads the team with 7 PBUs which also ranks No. 1 in the SLC and 5th-most in the FCS.
• Levi Wyatt is third in the SLC with 4 PBUs while Boogsie Silvera, Reggie Ellis, Javon Davis and Jake Held all have three PBUs each.
• The school record for PBU's in a season is 85 which happened during the 2002 National Championship game run (15 games).
• The most PBUs in a regular season 64 (2019).
 
RUNNING WILD                                  
• McNeese's rushing game has recorded three 200-yard outings on the season, including two straight.
• The Cowboys rushed for a season-high 220 yards in the win at Weber State and prior to that, rushed for 211 in a win over Alcorn State.
• McNeese opened the season with 200 ground yards at Tarleton State.
• The Cowboys are 4th in the SLC and 37th in the FCS with 173.7 rushing yards per game.
• McNeese is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, also ranking it 41st in the FCS and 4th in the SLC.
• McNeese has scored 15 rushing TDs on the year, ranking as the 9th-most in the FCS and 1st in the Southland Conference.
• McNeese's 4 rushing TDs at Weber State were the most on the season for the Cowboys and the tops in the Southland.
 
FINN-SANITY: LAPPIN NAME SLC ST POW   
• McNeese freshman punter Finn Lappin, the Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 30, leads the SLC and is No. 2 in the NCAA with a 47.8 average.
• A native of Melbourne, Austrailia, Lappin has booted 16 punts that have gone for 50 yards or more on the season, 11 more than the Cowboys had all of last season.
• He's recorded three punts of 60 yards or more and has had 11 downed inside the 20-yard line.
• His current average of 47.8 is four yards more than the single-season record of 43.8 (Alex Kjellsten, 2018; Don Stump, 1979).
 
 REDZONE TRIUMPHS                         
• McNeese is ranked No. 6 in the FCS in redzone offense with 21 scores on 22 chances for 95%.
• 16 of those 22 scores have come by way of touchdowns - 14 rushing and 2 passing.
• The Cowboys are 11 for 11 in redzone scores in the fourth quarter - 10  TDs.
 
4TH QUARTER DOMINANCE                                         
• McNeese has dominated its opponents in the fourth quarter, outscoring teams by a score of 78-19.
• Offensively in 4th quarters, McNeese has outgained opponents 817-607 in total offense and 44-27 in first downs.
• McNeese has also converted on 10 of 19 third downs in the quarter while opponents are 6-for-25.
• The Cowboys are 11-for-11 in redzone chances in the quarter, 10 TDs, while opponents are 3-for-8.
 
VS. RANKED OPPONENTS                                             
• McNeese will play its third ranked FCS opponent of the season on Saturday when it visits No. 13/14 UIW.
• The Cowboys dropped a heartbreaker at then-No. 21 Tarleton State, 26-23, to open the season and beat No. 25 Weber State 28-26.
• Overall, McNeese is 57-78-1 when playing ranked opponents and has lost the last five matchups.
 
LECLAIR EXTENDS CONSECUTIVE STARTS STREAK      
• All-conference lineman and senior Cole Leclair will make his 29th consecutive start at UIW this weekend.
• In addition, he's started in 41 straight games in his college career.
• Leclair started all 14 games at Valdosta State before transferring to McNeese for the 2022 season.
• Leclair is second on the team with 458 snaps played on the season.