THIBODAUX – The next game is always the most important.
 
That couldn't be a truer statement for the McNeese Cowboys when they visit Nicholls on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Guidry Stadium in a key Southland Conference matchup for both teams.
 
The Cowboys (4-4, 1-2) need a win over the Colonels (3-4, 1-1 SLC) to keep their playoff hopes alive and also potential league title chances intact.
 
Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+ and also on the McNeese Radio Network with Tom Hoefer and Bruce Merchant (92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com).
 
McNeese is coming off a hard-fought 30-17 loss at nationally ranked UIW last weekend while Nicholls blanked Northwestern State 20-0. The Cowboys have dropped two straight since winning three-in-a-row while Nicholls is 2-0 at home this season.
 
The game will also close out a brutal four-game, six-week road trip. McNeese is the only team in the country to not have a home game in the month of October.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• 112 – Number of offensive plays that have gained 10 yards or more on the season.
• 40 – Total pass break-ups by the defense on the year. Last season, McNeese recorded 26.
• 22 – Total 4^th quarter points allowed all season.
• 18 – Number of punts that have traveled 50 yards or more by Finn Lappin. Last season, McNeese had 5 of 50 yards or more from its previous punter.
 
GAMEDAY NOTES:
• Nicholls is the defending Southland Conference champion and was the preseason favorite to repeat.
• The Cowboys be looking for its first SLC road win since Nov. 12, 2022 (21-10 at HCU), snapping a string of five straight losses.
• McNeese will also be looking to win in Thibodaux for the first time since the 2015 season while snapping a 3-game skid in the process.
• The Cowboys haven't played at home since a Sept. 21 win over Alcorn State and did not play a home game in the month of October for the first time in school history.
• McNeese's 4 wins through 8 games are the most under Goff and most since 2019.
 
SERIES HISTORY                              
• Saturday's game will be the 49th meeting between the Cowboys and Colonels with McNeese leading 32-16.
• The series began back in 1972 and has been played every season since 1983.
• Nicholls has won three straight in the series, including last year's 31-10 win in Lake Charles.
• McNeese holds a 15-7 lead in games played in Thibodaux but has not won in Guidry Stadium since 2015 (37-7).
• The series is knotted up 5-5 in the last 10 meetings.
 
YUSEF LEAK, JOVONI BORBON NAMED MIDYEAR ALL-AMERICAN BY PHIL STEELE
• McNeese defensive back Yusef Leak and long snapper Jovoni Borbon have been named to the 2024 FCS Mid-Season All-American Team by Phil Steele, both garnering fourth-team honors.
• Leak, a senior from Orlando who is in his first season as a Cowboy after transferring from the University of St. Thomas, leads the team and is ranked second in the Southland Conference with seven pass break-ups on the season... He's also seventh on the team with 30 total tackles, has one pass interception, a tackle for a loss, forced a fumble and has a recovery.
• Borbon has been one of the most reliable and accurate deep snappers in the FCS all season, snapping for both punts, field goals and extra points.
 
FINN-SANITY: LAPPIN NAMED TO JERRY RICE AWARD WATCH LIST FOR FCS TOP FRESHMAN    
• McNeese freshman punter Finn Lappin is one of 30 FCS freshmen to be named to the in-season watch list for the Stats Perform 2024 Jerry Rice Award which honors the FCS Freshman of the Year.
• Lappin is the only player on the list to represent the Southland Conference.
• Through eight games, Lappin currently leads the league and is ranked No. 3 in the FCS in with a 47.8 punting average.
• He's also 1st in the conference and 16th in the FCS in net punting with a 40.5 average.
• His current average of 47.8 is four yards longer than the single-season school record of 43.8 (Alex Kjellsten, 2018; Don Stump, 1979) and is more than 1-yard longer than the current SLC single-season record (46.7 by Joe Zema of UIW set in 2017).
• A native of Melbourne, Australia, Lappin has booted 18 punts that have gone for 50 yards or more on the season, 13 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.
 
FAMILIAR FACES                             
• McNeese transfer cornerback Maurquel Price is a transfer from Nicholls.
• A native of Thibodaux and product of Thibodaux HS, Price has appeared in seven games this season while making two starts.
• He's recorded 11 total tackles, is 4th on the team with 3 pass break-ups, and has a tackle for a loss.
• In three years at Nicholls, Price appeared in 18 games and recorded 23 tackles, three PBUs and recovered a fumble.
 
MEMORABLE GAMES vs. NICHOLLS 
• McNeese and Nicholls are no strangers when it comes to memorable matchups.
• In 2022, the teams battled back-and-forth with the lead changing hands three times in the second half and the Colonels scoring the game-winner in the 4th quarter to pull out a 40-35 win in Thibodaux.
• The 2021 season saw Nicholls scored 10 fourth-quarter points to escape Cowboy Stadium with a 24-14 win... in that game, Collin Guggenheim rushed for 125 yards and 2 TDs.
• In the spring 2021 season, McNeese stunned the 11th-ranked Colonels 43-31 in Lake Charles.
• In 2018, McNeese prevailed 20-10 in a battle of top 15-ranked teams.
• In 2017, the Colonels kicked a 32-yard field goal by Lorran Fonseca as time expired to escape with a 37-35 home win.
• In 2008, the Colonels snapped a 10-game losing streak in Lake Charles by upsetting the nationally-ranked Cowboys 38-35, holding off a late Cowboy rally.
• In 1998, Nicholls shocked the 2nd-ranked Cowboys 31-30 with a 45-yard touchdown pass by Brad Zeller to Sullivan Beard with just 8 seconds to play.
 
DAVEY RETURNS FROM INJURY; PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF        
• All-American junior linebacker Micah Davey returned to the lineup against UIW last Saturday and immediately picked up where he left off, recording a team-high 10 tackles to go along with 1.5 tackles for a loss.
• Davey injured his ribs in the second half against Texas A&M back on September 7 and missed the next 4 1/2 games.
• He recorded 8 tackles with a sack in that one half at Texas A&M, snapping a 14-game streak with 10 or more tackles.
• He's recorded 269 tackles in his career which ranks him tied for 17th in the McNeese career record book.
• He's recorded 10 or more tackles in 16 career games.
 
ROAD WARRIORS                               
• The Cowboys will conclude their 6-week stint away from home this weekend at Nicholls.
• 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 (5 straight SLC road losses).
• Following Saturday's game, McNeese will return home on Nov. 2 for homecoming against A&M-Commerce.
 
MAULDIN = TIGHT END TARGET        
• McNeese tight end Logan Mauldin has become one of the top tight end targets in the Southland Conference, ranking tied for 6th among all TEs with 8 catches.
• The junior transfer from Coastal Carolina has been targeted 13 times this season, ranking as the 6th-most on the team.
• He's made at least one catch in four straight games and during that span, has 6 catches while being targeted 9 times.
 
LECLAIR EXTENDS CONSECUTIVE STARTS STREAK
• All-conference lineman and senior Cole Leclair will make his 30th consecutive start as a Cowboy at Nicholls this weekend.
• In addition, he's started in 42 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 521 snaps played on the season.