LAKE CHARLES – Clifton McDowell scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 31 second to play to lift McNeese to a thrilling 28-24 Southland Conference opening win over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night.
 
McDowell accounted for all four McNeese scores – two passing and two rushing – while throwing for 313 yards on 18 of 29 passing. He also ran for 35 yards.
 
The win evened McNeese's record to 2-2 on the season while snapping a five-game losing streak in league openers.
 
Stephen F. Austin (1-2, 0-1), playing a Southland game for the first time since the 2019 season, led 10-7 at the half but looked like it would lead 10-0 until the final play when McDowell escaped a sack back on his own 46 then heaved a throw to the endzone where Jihad Marks wrestled in the ball among a scrum of players for the Hail Mary score.
 
SFA grew the lead to 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter where McNeese took over, something it has done all season in the final frame.
 
With McDowell leading the charge, the Cowboys began to pick away at the SFA defense with short passes that turned into positive gains. Only once in its first drive of the fourth quarter did McNeese face a third down. That drive ended with McDowell scoring on a 6-yard keeper to cut the margin to 24-21 with 8:03 to play.
 
The defense forced SFA into a punt one the ensuing possession and took over on its own 20 with 4:45 remaining following a 39-yard punt.  
 
On the next drive, the Cowboys paced themselves by mixing up rushes and passing plays. One of the big plays of the drive came on the second play when McDowell completed a short pass up the middle to Jessie Campbell who turned it into a 17-yard gain and getting the ball to the McNeese 38.
 
After getting the ball to the SFA 49, four of the next six plays resulted in gains of 10 yards or more, including the game-winning rush by McDowell from 11 yards out with 31 seconds on the clock.
 
McNeese will be back in action next Saturday when it hosts Alcorn State at 7 p.m.
 
Scoring Summary:
2^nd | 5:22 | SFA Campos 31 yd FG |14-61, 5:43 | SFA 3-0
2^nd | 3:04 | SFA Williams 33 yd pass from Vidlak (Campos kick) | 1-33, 0:08 | SFA 10-0
2^nd | 0:00 | McN Marks 54 yd pass from McDowell (Larco kick) | 1-54, 0:03 | SFA 10-7
3^rd | 11:30 | SFA Green 24 yd pass from Vidlak (Campos kick) | 9-75, 3:30 | SFA 17-7
3^rd | 9:08 | McN Campbell 23 yd pass from McDowell (Larco kick) | 5-84, 2:16 | SFA 17-14
3^rd | 4:37 | SFA Davis 61 yd pass from Vidlak (Campos kick) | 5-85, 2:18 | SFA 24-14
4^th | 8:03 | McN McDowell 6 yd rush (Larco kick) | 12-75, 5:00 | SFA 24-21
4^th | 0:31 | McN McDowell 11 yd rush (Larco kick) | 12-80, 4:14 | McN 28-24
 
Postgame Notes:
• McNeese won its Southland Conference opener for the first time since the 2018 season.
• By outscoring SFA 14-0 in the fourth quarter, McNeese has now outscored its opponents 58-7 in the final frame through four games.
• With 313 passing yards, McDowell is the first Cowboy to throw for 300-plus yards since Cody Orgeron threw for 361 yards against West Florida on Sept. 4, 2021.
• McDowell is the first Cowboy to the responsible for four TDs since Deonta McMahon scored four TDs at Nicholls in 2022.
• He's the first McNeese QB to be responsible for four TDs since Cody Orgeron vs. Nicholls on April 3, 2021 in the spring season when he threw for four scores.
• WR Jessie Campbell scored his first TD of the season on a 23-yard pass from McDowell midway through the third quarter.
• P Finn Lappin had two punts that went for 60 yards or more and three punts total that went for 50 yards or more. He also had three punts downed inside the 20.
• LB Tristan Driggers recorded a career-high with 14 tackles.
• S Boogsie Silvera tied a career-high with 12 tackles to go along with a forced fumble and PBU.
• DL Masey Lewis recorded his second sack of the season.
• McNeese scored on both redzone chances and is now 9-for-9 on the season.
• The 449 total offensive yards are the most this season and marks the second time to gain 400 or more this year.