THE OFFICIAL HOME OF McNEESE ATHLETICS

LAKE CHARLES - Omiri Wiggins ran for 116 yards including a 74-yard third quarter score and McNeese's defense stopped East Texas A&M in the final minute of the game as the Cowboys picked up their first Southland Conference win of the season, 27-24, Saturday night.
 
McNeese improved to 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in league play while East Texas A&M fell to 1-4 and 1-2.
 
Wiggins led a Cowboys' rushing attacked that finished with 210 yards while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Jake Strong, making the start at quarterback in place of the injured Devin Lippold, threw for 202 yards on 17 of 27 and a touchdown while rushing for another 34 yards on nine carries. Tre'Vonte Citizen added 49 yards on the ground.
 
After going up 27-10 following a Hutch Swilley 6-yard touchdown with 4:35 to play in the third quarter, East Texas A&M responded with a 49-yard score on a pass by backup quarterback Eric Rodriguez to Kaden Taylor to cut the lead to 27-17 with 2:06 to play in the third.
 
McNeese was forced to punt its next two possessions. The Lions then pulled to within 27-24 on a 46-yard pass from Rodriguez to Rayshawn Glover with 4:33 remaining.
 
The Cowboys looked to run out the clock and moved the ball inside the ETAMU 30 with under a minute to play. Facing a 4th-and-3 at the 20, the Cowboys elected to go for the first down instead of kicking a field goal and came up one yard short.
 
Defensively on the ensuing possession, McNeese's Iy Adekoya came up with a big sack and three plays later, McNeese held the Lions to a short gain to end the contest.
 
McNeese scored on its first three possessions on two field goals and a touchdown. Things got going for the Cowboys on the opening kickoff when kicker Deaglan Camron's tackle on ETAMU return man Allijah Harrison knocked the ball loose and McNeese's Morris Taylor recovered.
 
McNeese got to the ETAMU 19 but settled for a 36-yard Camron field goal to go up 3-0 early. After the Cowboys forced the Lions into a punt on their first possession, Strong marched McNeese down the field with the big play coming on a 41-yard pass to Smiley Edwards to the Lions' 10. Strong's third down pass to Kameran Senegal was just out of reach for a touchdown and Camron came on to kick a 27-yard field goal to make it 6-0 with 6:19 to play in the first quarter.
 
The Lions took the lead on a 7-yard pass by Jack Jacobs to tight end Sean Sallis, using a McNeese late hit out of bounds and a pass interference in the end zone to get the ball inside the 5.
 
McNeese answered on the ensuing possession to take a 13-7 lead when Strong hit Jamaal Levi on a 2-yard screen pass for the score. The drive was set up with a 42-yard kickoff return by Senegal to get the drive started near midfield. The drive stayed alive after converting on a 4th-and-6 at the ETAMU 33 when Strong connected with Edwards for 15 yards. Citizen followed that with a 16-yard run to help set up the score.
 
East Texas A&M got a 26-yard field goal by Ozlo Rigby with five seconds to play in the half to cut the McNeese lead to 13-10 at the break.
 
The Cowboys came out in the second half and scored 14 straight points, beginning with Wiggins' 74-yard score to make it 20-10. Then Landon Barrett picked off his first career pass after a Lions' player was hit while making a catch with the ball popping loose into Barrett's hands. Barrett finished with a game-high 11 tackles.
 
A shuttle pass to Swilley for 42 yards was followed by a catch and run by Levi for 28 yards that set up Swilley's 6-yard score and a 27-10 lead with 4:35 to play in the third.
 
McNeese finished with 412 yards of offense while ETAMU recorded 475.
 
The Cowboys will be at LSU next Saturday night and then return to conference play on Oct. 17 at Northwestern State following an Oct. 10 open date.
 
Scoring:
1st, McN, 12:24, 36-yard field goal by Deaglan Camron. McN 3-0. 5 plays, 13 yards, 2:26.
1st, McN, 6:19, 27-yard field goal by Camron. McN 6-0. 11 plays, 69 yards, 3:52.
1st, ETAMU, 3:06, 7-yard pass from Jack Jacobs to Sean Sallis (Ozlo Rigby kick), ETAMU 7-6. 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:13.
2nd, McN, 14:14, 2-yard pass from Jake Strong to Jamaal Levi (Camron kick), McN 13-7. 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:43.
2nd, ETAMU, 00:05, 26-yard field goal by Rigby, McN 13-10. 14 plays, 55 yards, 6:28.
3rd, McN, 14:09, 74-yard run by Omiri Wiggins (Camron kick), McN 20-10. 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:51.
3rd, McN, 4:35, 6-yard run by Hutch Swilley (Camron kick), McN 27-10. 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:34.
3rd, ETAMU, 2:06, 49-yard pass by Eric Rodriguez to Kaden Taylor (Rigby kick), McN 27-17. 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:29.
4th, ETAMU, 4:33, 46-yard pass by Rodriguez to Rayshawn Glover (Rigby kick), McN 27-24. 3 play, 85 yards, 0:44.