McNeese (3-4, 2-2 SLC) at UIW (3-4, 2-2 SLC)
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 4 p.m.
Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium • San Antontio, Texas
 
Broadcast Information:
TV: ESPN+ (LINK) - EJ Sanchez (PxP), Cooper Burns (Analyst)
Radio: 92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com (Link) – Tom Hoefer (PxP), Mark Young (Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (Link)
Media Central: (Link)
 
SAN ANTONIO - McNeese will carry a two-game Southland Conference winning streak into Saturday's game at UIW with an opportunity to do something that hasn't been done in quite some time.
 
Sitting at 3-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play, the Cowboys are looking to get above the .500 mark in league play this deep into the season for the first time since the end of the 2019 season. McNeese is looking to pick up its first win at UIW since 2016 while also winning its third-straight Southland Conference game, something that also hasn't been done since 2019.
 
Kickoff is at 4 p.m. at UIW's Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium. The game will broadcast on ESPN+ and also on 92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com.
 
McNeese is coming off a 24-21 win at Northwestern State last Saturday while UIW (3-4, 2-2) defeated UTRGV 41-16 to snap a three-game losing streak. The Cardinals are 3-0 at home this season.
 
The Matchup
    Saturday's game will be the 12th meeting in the series between the Cowboys and Cardinals with UIW holding a 6-5 edge.
    It will be the first meeting since the 2024 season, a 30-17 UIW win in San Antonio.
    The Cardinals have won three straight in the series with the last McNeese win coming by way of a 28-20 score in Lake Charles on Oct. 23, 2021.
    UIW has won the last four match-ups in San Antonio. The last McNeese win at UIW was a 42-35 score on Sept. 24, 2016.
   
Team Comparison SLC Rankings - All Games:
    Scoring Offense: UIW (2nd, 35.1); McNeese (6th, 25.4)
    Total Offense:  UIW (2nd, 447.1); McNeese (4th, 282.7)
    Rushing Offense: McNeese (3rd, 166.3); UIW (7th, 154.0)
    Passing Offense: UIW (1st, 293.1); McNeese (4th, 217.4)
    Scoring Defense: McNeese (5th, 27.7); UIW (8th, 31.4)
    Total Defense: UIW (5th, 382.9); McNeese (10th, 455.4)
    Rushing Defense: UIW (5th, 154.9); McNeese (7th, 193.9)
    Passing Defense: UIW (6th, 228.0); McNeese (10th, 261.6)
 
Team Comparison SLC Rankings - SLC Only Games:
    Scoring Offense: UIW (3rd, 33.0); McNeese (7th, 22.0)
    Total Offense:  UIW (3rd, 423.0); McNeese (5th, 373.8)
    Rushing Offense: McNeese (5th, 158.3); UIW (7th, 141.5)
    Passing Offense: UIW (1st, 281.5); McNeese (5th, 215.5)
    Scoring Defense: UIW (6th, 26.3); McNeese (7th, 27.5)
    Total Defense: UIW (6th, 383.0); McNeese (9th, 442.8)
    Rushing Defense: UIW (5th, 159.2); McNeese (9th, 195.3)
    Passing Defense: UIW (7th, 237.8); McNeese (9th, 247.5)
 
Local players producing
• Four offensive skill players from Southwest Louisiana are providing positive results for the Cowboys this season - wide receivers Curtis Deville, Jamaal Levi, Kevin Rideau, and tight end Reed Boyd.
• The four have combined to haul in 41 of the 123 catches on the season (33%) for 628 yards and seven touchdowns.
• Deville, a senior from Kinder (Iowa HS), is ranked second on the team with 19 catches and 333 yards... he leads the team with four TD receptions and a 17.5 yards per reception average... he's made 3 or more catches in five games this season with a high of 5 grabs for 87 yards and 2 TDs vs. Tarleton State.
• Levi, a Lake Charles native (Barbe HS) has 12 catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for another 116 yards and a TD... made at least one catch in five straight games... totaled 110 all-purpose yards at LSU on a 64-yard touchdown run on an end around while making 2 catches for 46 yards, one being a 43-yard catch and run for a TD.
• Boyd, another Lake Charles native and Barbe HS produce, has six catches for 73 yards.
• Rideau, a true freshman from Westlake (Westlake HS), made his first collegiate start last week at NSU and caught two passes for 101 yards and a touchdown... he has four catches on the year for 110 yards.
 
RB Omiri Wiggins makes history with long runs
• Omiri Wiggins tied a school record on Sept. 26 against East Texas A&M with a 74-yard touchdown run marking his second 70+ yard TD run of the season to tie a single-season record.
• He's the first Cowboy to record multiple 70-plus TD runs in the same season since Kelvin Bennett in 2012, and only the third ever in school history (Theron McClendon in 1980).
• Wiggins had a 75-yard TD run against SFA in the season opener.
• He's one of just two RBs in the FCS this season to have multiple 74-plus yard scores on the season (Charles Kellomo of Eastern Illinois).
• Through six games, Wiggins continues to lead the Southland Conference in rushing in both total yards (396) and yards per game (66.0) - tying with Lamar's Jojo Uga.
• Both his 75- and 74-yard scores are the top two rushes in the league this season and two of only three recorded (70 by SFA's Jeffery Jones.
• He's looking to become the first 1,000-yard rusher for McNeese since Deonta McMahon (1,408 in 2022).
 
CB Mason Edwards and his No-Fly Zone
• McNeese senior cornerback Mason Edwards has knocked away 11 passes on the season, not only continuing to lead the FCS but tops all of Division I football.
• The second-year starter for the Cowboys broke up three passes against LSU's highly potent offense on Oct. 3, matching a career-best of three PBUs he recorded against Tarleton State and at UTRGV.
• His 11 pass break-ups this season are the 7th-most in a single-season in school history and the most since 2023 when Yusef Leak broke up 11 passes.
• The school record is 26 PBUs by Keith Smith in the 2002 season when the Cowboys played 15 games en route to the FCS National Championship game.
 
Big Plays
• McNeese has recorded a total of 75 'Big Plays' of 10 yards or longer on the season, 37 passing and 38 rushing.
• 38 plays have gone for 20 yards or more gains with 13 at 40 or more yards.
 
Last Time Out: McNeese 24, at Northwestern State 21
• After trailing 7-3 at the half, McNeese scored on its first three possessions of the second half to build a 24-7 lead on its way to a 24-21 win over Northwestern State to even its Southland Conference record to 2-2.
• It was the second straight league win for McNeese and the fourth consecutive victory over Northwestern State in the series. It was also the first road win of the season for the Cowboys.
• Quarterback Jake Strong completed 18 of 28 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown and an interception while running back Hutch Swilley added 70 yards on the ground with a TD.
• True freshman wide receiver Kevin Rideau, making his first career start, caught two passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
• Defensively, edge Royce Maloles recorded his third sack on the season while safety Morris Taylor picked off his first career pass.
• For the third time this season, McNeese did not allow a sack, and for the fourth game, didn't allow any punt return yards.
• Strong's 64-yard pass gain to Rideau was the longest completion of the season for the Cowboys.
• RB Omiri Wiggins' 16 carries were a season high for all McNeese RBs.
• The win improved head coach Matt Viator's career conference record to 60-24, and improving his mark as the league's all-time winningest coach in league games.
• Viator improved to 12-0 all-time against Northwestern State.
• McNeese forced five turnovers in the game (4 fumbles, 1 interception)... it's the most turnovers forced in a game since forcing five against HCU in a 44-3 win back on November 13,2021 (school record is 5 recoveries vs. Southern in 2019).