LAKE CHARLES – McNeese found the quick start it has been searching for through the first third of the season as it scored 21 first quarter points to ignite a 42-14 blowout win over Alcorn State Saturday night in front of 10,252 in Cowboy Stadium.
 
The win propelled the Cowboys' record to 3-2 overall, marking the first time since the 2021 spring season they have been above .500 after McNeese defeated Tarleton State to open up that slate. The 42 points are the most scored under head coach Gary Goff and the most since putting up 44 points in a 44-3 win over HCU on November 13, 2021.
 
McNeese is also 3-0 at home for the first time since 2018 but now has to wait six weeks to attempt to improve on that unbeaten streak. The Cowboys will become road warriors for the next four games with an open date mixed in, and won't return home until November 2 when they host Texas A&M-Commerce for homecoming.
 
But on Saturday night, the only thing that mattered was getting the 'w' and McNeese did that with its best outing of the season.
 
Quarterback Clifton McDowell once again shined as he threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and another score. It's the third time in four games he's played this season where he's accounted for over 300 total offensive yards and multiple touchdowns in a game.
 
Running back Joshon Barbie matched McDowell with 76 rushing yards to lead the team and scored a touchdown while Jonathan Harris led the squad with five catches for 60 yards.
 
Defensively, edge Marques White recorded his first sack of the season to go along with two tackles for a loss and two pass break-ups. Johnquai Lewis and Jordan Allen each recorded sacks as well while Boogsie Silvera picked off his second pass of the season.
 
McNeese wasted little time getting on the board.
 
After holding Alcorn State (1-3) to a three-and-out in the game's opening possession, McDowell connected with Kameran Senegal for a 50-yard touchdown strike on the first offensive play of the game. Another quick defensive hold was followed by a 5-yard Barbie TD run to make it 14-0 just halfway through the first quarter.
 
McNeese made it 21-0 after Cody Smith blocked an Alcorn punt in the endzone and it was recovered for a TD by Jaylen Jackson. That was all setup, however, by a 38-yard Finn Lappin punt that was fair caught inside the 1-yard-line.
 
The Braves got on the board with 40 seconds to play in the second quarter but McNeese followed by running its hurry-up offense to perfection as it marched 54-yards down the field in five plays and 31 seconds and scored on a 2-yard D'Angelo Durham rush with three seconds on the clock.
 
McDowell added a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter then threw a 5-yard score to Jer'Michael Carter to make it a 42-14 game.
 
Next up, the Cowboys will play their first of four straight road games at Weber State next Saturday night in Ogden, Utah. Weber State defeated Northwestern State 39-0 on Saturday night to improve to 2-2 on the season.
 
Postgame Notes:
• McNeese scored on its first offensive play of the game on Saturday night… he last time that happened was in 2021 at Southern when it opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD by Mason Pierce.
• The last time McNeese scored 21 points in in the first quarter was on September 8, 2018 in a 51-34 victory over HCU.
• This is the second time this season McNeese scored 21 points in a quarter… the last was back on Aug. 31 against Southern when the Cowboys scored 21 in the fourth quarter.
• Cody Smith's blocked punt was the first for a Cowboy player since Sept. 18, 2021 vs. Southern (Tahj Samuel).
• Jaylen Jackson's TD off a blocked punt was the first for McNeese since Nov. 16, 2013 vs. Northwestern State (Jereon McGilvery).
• McNeese rolled up 327 first half offensive yards… that's the most under Gary Goff since gaining 335 in the first half at Eastern Illinois last season.
• The Cowboys recorded a season-high 457 offensive yards on the night, marking the third time this season to gain more than 400 in a game… by comparison, McNeese had just one game last season with 400 or more offensive yards.
• McNeese did not allow a point in the fourth quarter for the fourth time this season.
• Of the 59 offensive plays, 8 passing went for 15 yards or more while 9 rushing went for a gain of 10 yards or more.
• The Cowboys' defense recorded three sacks on the night to give them nine on the season, matching last season's total.
• Finn Lappin continues to impress with his punting… he averaged 44.2 yards on five punts on the night with a long of 58 and had two downed inside the 20, one of those at the 1.