Game Overview

• McNeese gets back to action this Saturday following an open week last week, when it hosts HCU for its homecoming game.
• The Cowboys (1-5, 0-2 SLC) will be looking to put an end to a 5-game losing streak while HCU (2-4, 1-1), who is coming off a 20-17 home win over Northwestern State last Saturday, will be aiming to win its third straight over McNeese in the series.
• The Cowboys have lost their last three games when coming out of an open date (twice to a nationally ranked UIW team).
• In the Huskies' win over the Demons, running back Xai'Shaun Edwards rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, coming just four yards shy of the single game school record. He was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
• Saturday will mark the 70th homecoming game in school history with the Cowboys compiling a 58-20-1 all-time record.• McNeese has won 10 of its last 11 homecoming games, including last year's 31-3 victory over East Texas A&M.
• The Cowboys dropped a 38-0 decision to Southeastern Louisiana in their last outing back on October 4, marking the worst home shutout loss in school history.
• McNeese is 1-2 at home this season while HCU is 0-3 on the road.
• Cowboys' head coach Matt Viator will enter Saturday's game as the Southland Conference's all-time leader in league wins with 54. He's compiled a 54-20 record in conference games for a .730 winning percentage. His overall win total of 79 victories is ranked 3rd all-time in the league while coaching in the Southland, trailing only Ran Randleman (SHSU, 99 wins) and Sam Goodwin (NSU, 83 victories). Viator has recorded 98 career wins.

McNeese vs. HCU - The Series
• Saturday will mark the 8th meeting between the Cowboys and Huskies with McNeese leading 5-2 all-time.
• HCU has won two straight in the series, including last year's 43-22 win over a nationally ranked Cowboys team that was coming off an impressive win at Weber State.
• In that game, HCU scored 21 second quarter points to take a 27-9 lead into the half.
• The Cowboys are 2-1 against the Huskies in Lake Charles and fell 35-24 the last time the two teams played in The Hole in 2023.•
• This will be the first-ever matchup against the Huskies for Matt Viator while HCU head coach Jason Bachtel is 1-0 versus the Cowboys.
• McNeese won the first five games in the series that started in 2017.
• None of the outcomes in the series have come by single digits.

Quick Hits
• McNeese leads the Southland with five players with at least 10 catches on the year. Nicholls is second with four players with 10  or more catches.
• The Cowboys have recorded at least one sack in every game this year and multiple sacks in two straight games.
• McNeese is tied for second in the Southland with 15 total sacks while HCU has given up 21 sacks, the most in the league.
• TE Logan Mauldin is No. 4 in the FCS and 1st in the Southland Conference among receiving tight ends with 239 receiving yards.
• Mauldin's 15.9 yards per reception average is ranked No. 5 among tight ends in the nation.
• DE Phillip Bradford is ranked 36th in the FCS with 6.5 tackles for a loss and has recorded at least half a TFL in all but one game this season. 
• QB Jake Strong is 49th in the FCS and 3rd in the SLC with 1,138 passing yards on the season. 
• WR Jonathan Harris has caught 3 TD passes in the last four games and has four scores on the year.
• Safety Shoes Brinkley recorded double-digits tackles in back-to-back games (10 at ULL, 11 vs. Weber State).
• RB Tre'Vonte Citizen ran for a career-high 117 yards against Weber State and scored on a 79-yard jaunt, the 10th-longest rushing TD in school history.
• WR Jonathan Harris recorded career highs against WSU with 7 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs.