game 1 mneese at northern colorado saturday, …€¦ · 29/08/2018 · game 1 • mneese at...

GAME 1 • McNEESE AT NORTHERN COLORADO • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

@McNEESEFOOTBALL • #GEAUXPOKES

14 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS • 16 FCS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES • 1997 & 2002 FCS NATIONAL RUNNER-UP

GAME INFORMATION

McNEESE COWBOYSRecord: 0-0Rankings: 17 (STATS), 18 (Coaches)Head Coach: Lance GuidryAlma Mater: McNeese (1995)Overall Record: 16-8 (1-1 as interim)Record at McNeese: 15-7 (2 years)vs. Northern Colorado: 0-0

NORTHERN COLORADO BEARSRecord: 0-0Rankings: NR (STATS), NR (Coaches)Head Coach: Earnest Collins, Jr.Alma Mater: Northern Colorado (1996)Overall Record: 32-65 (10 years)Record at UNC: 24-53 (7 years)vs. McNeese: 0-0

DETAILSDate: Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018Kickoff: 3:05 (Central Time)Location: Greeley, ColoradoStadium: Nottingham FieldSurface/Capacity: Natural Grass/8,533Television: Pluto TVRadio: 92.9 FM The Lake Play-by-Play: Tom Hoefer Analyst: Johnny Suydam Sideline: Ron HayesLive Audio: McNeeseSports.comLive Stats: McNeeseSports.comFacebook: /McNeeseSports/Instagram: @McNeeseSportsTwitter: @McNeeseFootball, @McNeeseSports

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS

RUSHING YARDSMCN ............David Hamm • 805 yards (152 attempts) UNC ................. Trae Riek • 523 yards (131 attempts)

PASSING YARDSMCN ......... James Tabary • 2,511 yards (199-353 att.)UNC ..............Jacob Knipp • 1,352 yards (93-148 att.)

RECEIVING YARDSMCN ................... Lawayne Ross • 570 yards (42 rec.)UNC ....................Alex Wesley • 1,010 yards (55 rec.)

TACKLESMCN .................................... B.J. Blunt • 43 tacklesUNC .......................... Sherand Boyd, Jr. • 84 tackles

2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS (0-0, 0-0 SLC)

Date Opponent Time (TV)/Result Sept. 1 at Northern Colorado 3:05 p.m. (Pluto TV) 8 *at Houston Baptist 6:00 p.m. (Eleven Sports) 15 *NICHOLLS 6:00 p.m. (Cox Sports TV) 22 at BYU 5:00 p.m. (BYUtv/ESPN3) 29 *STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 6:00 p.m.Oct. 6 *ABILENE CHRISTIAN 6:00 p.m. 13 OPEN 20 *at Incarnate Word 4:00 p.m. 27 *CENTRAL ARKANSAS (HC) 6:00 p.m.Nov. 3 *at Southeastern Louisiana 7:00 p.m. 10 *at Northwestern State 6:00 p.m. 17 *LAMAR 6:00 p.m.

Home games listed in CAPSAll times are Central* - Southland Conference game

GAME OVERVIEW• McNeese will open up its 75th season of football on Saturday, Sept. 1 when it visits Northeren Colorado in Greeley at 3:05 p.m. central time. The game will air live on Pluto TV (Internet-based TV platform that runs as an app on 14 differ-ent platforms including Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and PlayStation consoles.• The Cowboys are coming off a 9-2 season in 2017 but were left out of the Division I playoffs despite having a better record and ranking than eight teams that earned at-large bid. McNeese was the first 9-win team from one of the top six FCS conferences to not make the playoff field since it expanded to 24 teams in 2013.• Northern Colorado posted a 3-7 record in 2017 but ended the year on a high note by blanking Cal Poly 42-0. Its Sept. 9 game at the University of Florida was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.• Saturday’s game will mark the eighth time in the last nine years the Cowboys have been scheduled to open the season on the road. However, the 2015 opener at LSU was canceled due to continuous thunderstorms and the following game, home against Incarnate Word, became the unexpected opener. McNeese is 2-3 in road openers since 2011 with a 2-2 mark against FBS opponents.

TOP STORYLINES• Head coach Lance Guidry will lead the squad for his third season, which as they say, the third time’s the charm.• The face of the Cowboys’ team is the stout DWA (Defense With Attitude). Last year’s defense led the FCS in three categories - rushing defense (54.5 ypg), first downs defense (150), and third-down defense (23.8 percent). The DWA also led the Southland Conference in 10 categories.• The Cowboys return most of their offensive production from a year ago, including 87 percent of their running game (1,662 of 1,906 yards), 97 percent of the passing game (2,511 of 2,585 yards) and 56 percent of the catches (116 of 207 receptions.• The running back stable of seniors David Hamm (805 yards in 2017), Ryan Ross (injured last season), and Benjamin Jones (141 yards); junior Justin Pratt (663), and redshirt freshman Mac Briscoe, will look to provide a punishing run-ning game that used to be the trademark for the McNeese offense.• Senior QB James Tabary has a chance to break nearly every school career passing record as he’ll enter the season with 5,547 yards (6th all-time), 44 TDs (4th), 448 completions (6th) and 768 attempts (7th). He’s already the first QB in school history to throw for 300 yards or more in five games in his career and tied a single-game record with five TD passes against Sam Houston State in 2016.



2017 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

TEAMCategory (Value) NCAA SLCScoring Defense (17.1) 11 1Passing Defense (208.1) 59 4Rushing Defense (54.5) 1 1Total Defense (262.5) 5 1Interceptions (16) 14 2Fumbles Recovered (10) 34 4Sacks (2.27) 47 5TFL (8.2) 7 2Pass Efficiency Defense (109.69) 17 1Red Zone Defense (.630) 3 1Defesive TDs (5) 3 1Passing Offense (235.0) 35 4Rushing Offense (173.3) 39 5Scoring Offense (29.8) 34 4Total Offense (408.3) 36 4Completion Pct. (.564) 64 5Yards Per Completion (12.49) 51 5Sacks Allowed (2.36) 76 7TFL Allowed (5.68) 41 3Passes Intercepted (8) 27 1Pass Efficiency (130.09) 47 3Red Zone Offense (.750) 74 73rd-Down Pct. (.349) 75 5Opp. 3rd-Down Pct. (.238) 1 14th-Down Pct. (.533) 38 3Opp. 4th-Down Pct. (.353) 23 1Blocked Kicks (5) 11 3Blocked Kicks Allowed (5) 102 7Blocked Punts (2) 10 3Blocked Punts Allowed (2) 100 9Fewest Penalties (94) 105 10Fewest Penalties Per Game (8.55) 108 11Fewest Penalty Yards (856) 102 10Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game (77.82) 108 111st Downs Defense (150) 1 11st Downs Offense (217) 51 7Fumbles Lost (5) 10 2Fumbles Recovered (10) 34 4Kickoff Return Defense (20.02) 57 5Kickoff Returns (21.5) 26 6Net Punting (34.54) 85 8Punt Return Defense (9.13) 84 7Punt Returns (5.83) 90 7Time of Possession (33:47) 4 1Turnover Margin (1.18) 8 1Turnovers Gained (26) 13 2Turnovers Lost (13) 13 1Winning Percentage (.818) 10 3

INDIVIDUAL TOP 50 (Returners Only) Category (Value) NCAA SLCGunnar Raborn, K FG Percentage (.923) 2 1 FG Per Game (1.20) 21 5

James Tabary, QB Passing TDs (21) 26 3 Passing Yards Per Game (228.3) 28 3 Completions Per Game (18.09) 29 2 Pts. Responsible For/Game (12.0) 34 3 Points Responsible For (132) 36 3 Passing Yards Per Completion (12.62) 37 5 Total Offense (224.9) 40 3

David Hamm, RB Rushing Yards Per Carry (5.30) 33 3 Rushing Yards Per Game (73.2) 37 3 Rushing Yards (805) 39 2

Kyree McLean, DB Blocked Kicks (2) 13 4

Alex Kjellsten, P Punting (40.1) 50 5

GAME CAPTAINS

Opponent Captain 1 Captain 2 Captain 3 Captain 4at Northern Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................at Houston Baptist ......................................................................................................................................................NICHOLLS ....................................................................................................................................................................at BYU .........................................................................................................................................................................STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ......................................................................................................................................................ABILENE CHRISTIAN .....................................................................................................................................................at Incarnate Word ........................................................................................................................................................CENTRAL ARKANSAS....................................................................................................................................................at Southeastern La. .....................................................................................................................................................at Northwestern State .................................................................................................................................................LAMAR ........................................................................................................................................................................

COWBOYS IN SEASON OPENERS• McNeese is 46-26-2 in season openers and since 1990 has posted a 17-11 record in openers. However six of those losses came at the hands of Miami (2000), Texas A&M (2001), South Florida (2006), North Carolina (2008), Kansas (2011), and Nebraska (2015).• The Cowboys are 14-14 when opening up on the road.• This will be the second time McNeese will open the season against a member of the Big Sky Conference. In 2007, the Cowboys defeated Portland State, 35-12, at home to begin what would eventually be a perfect 11-0 regular season campaign. The Big Sky Conference would get revenge in the playoffs as Eastern Washington ventured into Cowboy Stadium and cruised to a 44-15 first round win over the Cowboys.• Last year, Nicholls hit a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colonels a 37-35 win over the Cowboys in Thibodaux.

EIGHT PLAYERS ON 2-DEEP EXPECTED TO MAKE MCNEESE DEBUTS• McNeese might have a lot of youth on its team but it’s not lacking any experience.• Of the 44 players on the two-deep, just eight will be making their Cowboy debuts on Saturday - offensive linemen Jamarus Bolding (So.-TR), Cutter Leftwich (Fr.-TR), Zack Jones (Jr.-TR), and Tre Newton (Jr.-TR); WR Nate Briscoe (Fr.-RS), DL Camron Peterson (Fr.-RS), DB John Blunt (Fr.-HS), and FS Andre Sam (Fr.-RS).

BLUE WALL GETS TOUGHER• McNeese’s defensive front line, traditionally known as the “Blue Wall” for its toughest and ability to keep running backs from breaking through, returns three players with starting experience including junior end Chris Livings who was injured in the fourth game of the season last year and missed the remaining seven.• Livings will enter the season with 20.5 career sacks ranking him in the top 10 on the school’s career record list.• Sophomore Cody Roscoe will dig in at RE while juniors Marval Bourgeois and Jonta Jones will fill in the middle. • Redshirt freshman Camron Peterson could be the “Diamond in the Rough” with this group. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 262 pounds, Peterson has a long reach and a killer instinct that could become troublesome for opposing running games and quarterbacks.• Last year the Cowboys allowed just 54.5 yards rushing per game, ranking No. 1 in the FCS and setting a new school and Southland Conference record.

FORMER FLORIDA GATOR ADDED TO COWBOY ROSTER• Former Florida starting defensive end Keivonnis Davis transferred to McNeese and will be making the trip to Greeley.• The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder will have two years remaining to play for the Cowboys. In 2016 as a sophomore at Florida, Davis played in all 13 games, starting five, and recorded 27 tackles, three tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and ranked second on the team with five quarterback hurries.• Davis missed the 2017 season due to team suspension.

TE AUSTIN NELSON RETURNS TO THE LINEUP• After battling back from brain surgery to remove a tumor in his pituatary gland in January 2017, junior tight end Austin Nelson returned to the field later that fall only to see his season come to an end due to a shoulder injury. He will be back in the starting lineup on Saturday at UNC.• Nelson has 10 catches for 106 yards and two TDs in his 16 games played.



SERIES CAPSULE

Series: First Meeting at UNC: N/A at Cowboy Stadium: N/A Neutral: N/ALast 10 Meetings: N/ALast McNeese Win: N/ALast UNC Win: N/ALargest Margin of McNeese Victory: N/ALargest Margin of UNC Victory: N/A

LAST 10 MEETINGS

Year Result Location2018 ........................................................... Greeley, Colorado............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... ...............................................................................................

2017 STATISTICAL COMPARISON

Category MCN UNCScoring Offense .................................... 29.8 ...................27.8Scoring Defense ................................... 17.1 ...................34.1Rushing Offense ................................. 173.3 .................105.7Rushing Defense .................................. 54.5 .................248.0Passing Offense .................................. 235.0 .................280.9Passing Defense ................................. 208.1 .................226.7Total Offense ...................................... 408.3 .................386.6Total Defense ..................................... 262.5 .................474.7Kick Return Avg. ................................... 21.5 ...................17.4Punt Return Avg. .................................... 5.8 .....................5.9Fumbles-Lost .......................................13-5 .................. 12-8Fumbles Recovered ................................. 10 ........................9Passes Intercepted..................................... 8 ......................12Interceptions ........................................... 16 ......................11Turnovers ................................................ 13 ......................20Takeaways ............................................... 26 ......................20Penalties-Yards .................................94-856 .............. 69-639 Yards Per Game ................................ 77.8 ...................63.9Net Punt Average ................................. 38.9 ...................36.5Time of Possession ............................. 33:47 .................26:45Third-Down Conversions ..................59-169 .............. 41-134 Percentage ...................................... .349 ................. .30.6Fourth-Down Conversions ....................8-15 .................. 5-14 Percentage ...................................... .533 ................. .35.7Opp. Third-Down Conversions ..........36-151 .............. 65-160 Percentage ..................................... .23.8 ................. .40.1Opp. Fourth-Down Conversions ............6-17 ................ 19-27 Percentage .................................... . 35.3 ...................70.4Sacks ....................................................... 25 ......................22Sacks Allowed ......................................... 26 ......................24Tackles For Loss .................................... 92.5 ...................52.5Field Goals-Attempts .........................15-18 ................ 11-14Red Zone Offense ...............................29-52 ................ 25-33 Touchdowns ..................................26-52 ................ 18-33Red Zone Defense...............................17-27 ................ 40-52 Touchdowns ..................................11-27 ................ 30-52

ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO• The Bears are a traditionally strong football program that joined the Big Sky Conference for the 2006 season after moving up from the NCAA Division II ranks where they won the 1996 and 1997 national championships.• UNC returns 9 starters on offense, 8 on defense and 7 on special teams.• The Bears run the spread offense and a 4-3 defense.• Senior QB Jacob Knipp returns after throwing for 1,352 yards in just six games last year, completing 93 of 148 pass-es and nine touchdowns.• Senior WR Alex Wesley reeled in 55 passes for 1,010 yards and six TDs in earning second team all-conference honors.• Senior DE Keifer Morris, a second team all-conference se-lection a year ago, registered 63 tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, anda pair of forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He ranked second in the Big Sky with nine sacks.• UNC’s two-deep features 16 seniors - nine on offense and seven defense.• Offensive line two-deep averages 6-foot-4, 290-pounds.• The Bears are coached by Earnest Collins Jr., a graduate of UNC, who will be entering his eighth season at the helm. Collins played for the Bears from 1991-94 and leaving his mark in the UNC record book, ranking second all-time in school history with 978 punt return yards.• The Bears’ home stadium is Nottingham Field which is a natural grass surface and has a capacity of 8,533 seats.

COWBOYS AGAINST THE BIG SKY• Saturday’s game will be the 29th time McNeese will face a member of the Big Sky Conference and first meeting since the 2013 FCS playoffs.• Overall, the Cowboys have played 10 members with UNC being the 11th, and have compiled 16-12 record.• The most familiar opponent is Montana where the two teams have split a 6-game series with four of those coming in the playoffs. The last meeting was in 2006 with the Grizzlies taking a 31-6 win in the first round of the playoffs at Montana.• In fact, 10 of the 28 contests were played in the playoffs.• The Cowboys’ most recent Big Sky opponent was Weber State in 2013, a 43-6 win for McNeese in Lake Charles.

ANOTHER ROADIE BEFORE OPENING AT HOME• Following Saturday’s game, McNeese will be on the road for another week when it opens up Southland Conference play at Houston Baptist.• It’ll be the first time the Cowboys will be making a visit to the HBU stadium and just the second time to face the Huskies in school history.• It will also be the first time for McNeese to open the season with two straight road games since 2005. It wasn’t sup-posed to be that way however. A home scheduled game against Southern to open the season on Sept. 3 was canceled. Three weeks later, Hurricane Rita hit the gulf coach and wrecked havoc on Lake Charles and McNeese. The Cowboys did not play a home game that season until October 29 against Sam Houston State, a 31-26 win.• The last time the Cowboys were scheduled to open the season with back-to-back road games was in 2000 (at Miami and at Prairie View).• McNeese will play three of its first four games on the road making it the second time in the last seven seasons that has happened.

ONE MORE TRIP TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST IN STORE• Saturday’s trip to Colorado won’t be the only time this year, or even in the month of September, that the Cowboys will get to see the Rocky Mountains.• McNeese will visit BYU just three weeks later for a Sept. 22 matchup in Provo.

POKES AGIANST BIG SKY OPPONENTS

Team Record Against Last Meeting*Cal Poly ........................ 0-1 ......................... 2010 (L, 40-14)Eastern Washington ....... 0-1 ......................... 2007 (L, 44-15)Idaho.............................. 3-0 ..........................1995 (W, 33-3)Montana ........................ 3-3 ........................... 2006 (L, 31-6)Montana State ............... 1-0 ........................2002 (W, 21-14)Nevada ........................... 0-2 ......................... 1992 (L, 31-21)Northern Arizona ........... 0-1 ........................... 2003 (L, 35-3)Northern Colorado ......... 0-0 ................. 2018 (First Meeting)Portland State ................ 2-1 ........................2007 (W, 35-12)Southern Utah ................ 4-2 ........................2007 (W, 41-20)Weber State ................... 3-1 ..........................2013 (W, 43-6)

* - Not a Big Sky Conference member when played



NATIONAL POLLS

STATS POLL AFCA COACHES POLL1. North Dakota State 1. North Dakota State2. James Madison 2. James Madison3. South Dakota State 3. South Dakota State4. Sam Houston State 4. Sam Houston State5. Kennesaw State 5. Kennesaw State6. Jacksonville State 6. Jacksonville State7. New Hampshire 7. Eastern Washington8. Weber State 8. Weber State9. Eastern Washington 9. New Hampshire10. Wofford 10. Samford11. Samford 11. Wofford12. Elon 12. Northern Iowa13. Northern Iowa 13. Elon14. North Carolina A&T 14. North Carolina A&T15. Delaware 15. Central Arkansas16. Central Arkansas 16. Delaware17. McNeese 17. Nicholls18. Nicholls 18. McNeese19. Villanova 19. Villanova20. Stony Brook 20. Illinois State21. Illinois State 21. Furman22. Austin Peay 22. Stony Brook23. Furman 23. Austin Peay24. Montana 24. Youngstown State25. Youngstown State 25. Montana

AROUND THE SLC

2018 STANDINGS SLC OverallTeam W L Pct W L PctAbilene Christian 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Central Arkansas 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Houston Baptist 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Incarnate Word 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Lamar 0 0 .000 0 0 .000McNeese 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Nicholls 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Northwestern State 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Sam Houston State 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Southeastern La. 0 0 .000 0 0 .000Stephen F. Austin 0 0 .000 0 0 .000

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULETeam Opponent (Date, Time)Southeastern La. ............. at Louisiana-Monroe (8/30, 7 p.m.)Northwestern State ................at Texas A&M (8/30, 7:30 p.m.)McNeese ......................at Northern Colorado (9/1, 3:05 p.m.)Central Arkansas .................................... at Tulsa (9/1, 6 p.m.)Nicholls ...............................................at Kansas (9/1, 6 p.m.)Lamar .............................. vs. Kentucky Christian (9/1, 6 p.m.)Houston Baptist ...............vs. Southwest Baptist (9/1, 6 p.m.)Stephen F. Austin ............. at Mississippi State (9/1, 6:30 p.m.Abilene Christian ..................................at Baylor (9/1, 7 p.m.)Incarnate Word ............................at New Mexico (9/1, 7 p.m.)

OPPONENT WATCH

Opponent Record Rank Last Game Next GameNorthern Colorado .......................0-0 ........................................................................................... vs. McNeese (9/1)Houston Baptist ...........................0-0 .............................................................................vs. Southwest Baptist (9/1)Nicholls ........................................0-0 ............... 18/17.......................................................................at Kansas (9/1)BYU ..............................................0-0 ...............................................................................................at Arizona (9/1)Stephen F. Austin .........................0-0 .................................................................................at Mississippi State (9/1)Abilene Christian ..........................0-0 .................................................................................................at Baylor (9/1)Incarnate Word .............................0-0 ........................................................................................at New Mexico (9/1)Central Arkansas ..........................0-0 ............... 16/15..........................................................................at Tulsa (9/1)Southeastern La. ..........................0-0 ............................................................................ at Louisiana-Monroe (8/30)Northwestern State ......................0-0 ........................................................................................at Texas A&M (8/30)Lamar ...........................................0-0 ............................................................................ vs. Kentucky Christian (9/1)

TABARY NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR CFPA PERFORMER OF THE YEAR• Senior quarterback James Tabary has been named one of 36 athletes to make up the 2018 CFPA FCS Performer of the Year watch list.• A preseason all-conference selection, the New Orleans native will be entering his third and final season as the starting QB for the Cowboys. He’s one of three players from the Southland Conference to be named to the list (Sam Houston State wide receivers Davion Davis and Nathan Stewart).

JT ON THE CUSP OF REWRITING SCHOOL PASSING RECORDS• Already the school career record holder with five 300-yard passing games in his career and is a co-holder of a sin-gle-game record with five TD passes in a game, Tabary is well within striking distance of career record such as passing yards, touchdowns, completions and attempts.• He’s thrown for 200 yards or more in 14 of his 22 games played as a Cowboy, needing five more to tie and six to break Blake Prejean’s career record of 19 games.• He ranks 2nd and 3rd on the list for most passing yards in a game - 384 at Northwestern State on Oct. 22, 2016 and 376 yards vs. Nicholls on Oct. 1, 2016.

KERRY JOSEPH SWITCHES FROM WR TO QB COACH TO MENTOR TABARY• Kerry Joseph, arguably the greatest QB in McNeese history and the holder of two career records, made the move from coaching wide receivers to quarterbacks prior to spring practice.• Joseph led McNeese to the 1993 and 1995 SLC titles and the ‘95 FCS semifinals, then went on to have a remarkable professional career that saw him play in the NFL, World League, and a star-studded career in the CFL.• His knowledge and expertise of the QB position will help Tabary possibly surpass his own career records for most TD passes and passes attempted.

TABARY RECORD WATCH

Career Attempts Career Completions Career Yards Career TDs 1. Kerry Joseph 1,114 1. Cody Stroud 627 1. Derrick Fourroux 8,226 1. Kerry Joseph 672. Cody Stroud 1,059 2. Derrick Fourroux 618 2. Kerry Joseph 7,874 2. Derrick Fourroux 643. Derrick Fourroux 1,034 3. Kerry Joseph 565 3. Cody Stroud 7,632 3. Cody Stroud 594. Blake Prejean 960 4. Blake Prejean 497 4. Blake Prejean 6,677 4. James Tabary 445. Scott Dieterich 841 5. Scott Pendarvis 462 5. Scott Pendarvis 5,995 6. Scott Pendarvis 810 6. James Tabary 448 6. James Tabary 5,5477. James Tabary 768

RECORDS HELD BY TABARY

Pass Completions in a Season415 in 2016

300-Yard Passing Games in a Season4 in 2016

300-Yard Passing Games in a Career5



2018 PRESEASON ACCOLADES

BJ Blunt, LB• Preseason All-Southland Conference 1st Team

Grant Burguillos, OL• Preseason All-Southland Conference 2nd Team

Colby Burton, CB• Preseason All-Southland Conference 2nd Team

Darion Dunn, CB• Preseason All-Southland Conference 2nd Team

David Hamm, RB• Preseason All-Southland Conference 1st Team

Alex Kjellsten, P• Preseason All-Southland Conference 1st Team

Gunnar Raborn, PK• Preseason All-American by Phil Steele 3rd Team• Preseason All-Southland Conference 1st Team

Lawayne Ross, TE• Preseason All-American by STATS 2nd Team• Preseason All-American by Phil Steele 3rd Team• Preseason All-Southland Conference 1st Team

James Tabary, QB• CFPA National Performer of the Year Watch List• Preseason All-Southland Conference 2nd Team

BAND OF BROTHERS• McNeese has always had the tradition of blood follows blood, meaning younger brothers have followed into their older brother’s footsteps and joined the Cowboy family and there have been several years when brothers played on the same team.• But in 2018, nothing has ever happened like it is this season... four sets of brothers.• There are the Orgeron twins - Parker (WR) and Cody (QB), the Fosters - Calum (DB) and Gabe (DB), the Ross’s - Ryan (RB) and Lawayne (TE), and the Raborn’s - Gunnar (PK) and Bailey (K/P).• Also, James Tabary’s younger brother, Frankie, walked on the Cowboys last season but hung up his cleats and is helping out as a student assistant this year.

LAWAYNE ROSS EXPLODED IN FIRST YEAR AS TIGHT END• Junior tight end Lawayne Ross wasn’t too keen on the idea of moving from running back to tight end after his 2016 freshman year to his sophomore campaign last season. Good thing he bought into the idea.• The 6-foot, 264-pound bruser was one of the top tight ends in the FCS last year, catching 42 passes to rank second on the team. He hauled in a single-season tight end school records with 42 catches and 570 yards and ranked ninth among all SLC receivers with 3.8 catches per game.• He ranked seventh among all tight ends in the FCS with his 42 catches.• He was named first team All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana honors for his efforts.• Ross will enter the season ranked 8th on the all-time TE receptions list with his 42 catches while his 53 career recep-tions is just outside the top 25 among all receivers in school history.

VETERAN SPECIALISTS A SPECIAL GROUP• Senior PK Gunnar Raborn and senior P Alex Kjellsten are expected to be two of the best in the Southland Conference, if not the FCS in 2018.• Raborn ranked second in the nation last season by making 12 of his 13 field goals while Kjellsten averaged nearly 41 yards per punt.• Kjellsten can also kick field goals while Gunnar’s younger brother Bailey, has a strong foot for both field goals and punts.

COWBOYS WILL BE SPORTING SMART HELMET TECHNOLOGY THIS SEASON• Back in June, the Lake Charles Memorial Foundation presented a check for $15,000 to Riddell that will be used to equip every McNeese football helmet with the Riddell InSite Training Tool, which is the leading impact monitoring system in football.• McNeese will be the only college football program in the state of Louisiana to currently use the system that will analyze the impacts sustained in practices or games.• The helmet is outfitted with a player unit that will communicate with an alert monitor on the sideline. The alert monitor will alert sideline personnel of impacts that are outside of the norm for a particular player position or skill level of play, which in this case will be the collegiate level.• When the game is over, the alert monitor plugs into a computer and the information from all the impacts from that particular game are downloaded into the computer.

McNEESE ATHLETICS JOINS UNDER ARMOUR AND BSN SPORTS• McNeese Athletics, BSN Sports and Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA, UAA) announced a new partnership agreement on July 1 as the Baltimore-based global leader in performance footwear, apparel and equipment will became the official outfitter of McNeese Athletics. • The new official outfitter agreement includes apparel allotments each year and, marketing entitlements that will complement Under Armour’s brand marketing campaigns, through print and venue presence, at the University.

LONGTIME ATHLETIC TRAINER JIM “DOC” MURPHY RETURNS• Jim “Doc” Murphy, who previously spent 33 years in two stints heading the McNeese Athletic Training department, has returned for his third stint as he has been named the Director of Sports Medicine.• A 2011 McNeese Sports Hall of Fame inductee, the Springdale, PA native is also a member of the Louisiana Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame and has received the prestigious Jim Finks Award for his accomplishments in sports medicine.• Murphy began his McNeese career in 1975 when Jack Doland was the head football coach, and spent 13 seasons as the head trainer until taking a job in El Paso. He returned in 1994 for a 20-year run, then in 2014, took a job as a physical therapist out in west Texas where he’s spent the last 3 ½ years.



DEPTH CHARTOFFENSEQB 4 James Tabary Sr., 6-2, 215, New Orleans, La. 8 Cody Orgeron So., 6-1, 182, Mandeville, La.

RB 20 Justin Pratt Jr., 5-7, 205, Spring, Texas 32 David Hamm Sr., 6-0, 222, Klein, Texas

HBack 40 Lawayne Ross Jr., 6-0, 264, Richwood, Texas 1 Cyron Sutton So., 5-10, 174, New Orleans, La.

TE 85 Austin Nelson Jr., 6-3, 255, Sulphur, La. 80 Trey Conerly So., 6-3, 236, Plaquemine, La.

XWR 4 Kylon Highshaw Sr., 6-5, 210, Monroe, La. 83 Trevor Begue So., 5-11, 185, Lafayette, La.

ZWR 19 Parker Orgeron Jr., 6-0, 192, Mandeville, La. 13 Nate Briscoe RFr., 5-9, 167, Lake Charles, La.

LT 77 Kyle Zenon Sr., 6-4, 300, Abbeville, La. 71 Jamarus Bolding So., 6-2, 275, Houston, Texas

LG 70 Grant Burguillos Jr., 6-4, 281, Mandeville, La. 74 Blaise Scriber Jr., 6-4, 293, Lafayette, La.or 68 Caleb Gary So., 6-4, 284, Welsh, La.

C 62 Joe Latronico So., 6-4, 310, San Antonio, Texas 55 Cutter Leftwich Fr., 6-2, 275, El Paso, Texas

RG 66 Tyrae Johnson Jr., 6-2, 285, League City, Texas 68 Caleb Gary So., 6-4, 284, Welsh, La.or 61 Collin Fountain So., 6-3, 335, Lake Charles, La.

RT 75 Zack Jones Jr., 6-4, 290, Columbia, Miss. 72 Tre Newton Jr., 6-3, 300, Spring, Texas

DEFENSELE 49 Chris Livings Jr., 6-2, 210, Lake Charles, La. 30 Marcus Foster Jr., 6-1, 228, League City, Texas

NT 99 Marval Bourgeois Jr., 6-0, 279, Larose, La. 97 Camron Peterson RFr., 6-5, 262, Houston, Texas

T 60 Jonta Jones Jr., 6-2, 294, Vacherie, La. 52 Harris Tafah Sr., 6-3, 265, Mansfield, Texas

RE 57 Cody Roscoe So., 6-1, 260, Houston, Texas 56 Christian Robinson Jr., 6-5, 240, Houston, Texas

MLB 42 Christian Jacobs Sr., 5-11, 215, Houston, Texas 48 Andrew Hyacinth So., 6-0, 215, Hitchcock, Texas

WLB 8 B.J. Blunt Sr., 6-1, 220, New Orleans, La. 12 Tré Porter Sr., 6-1, 215, New Orleans, La.

BUCK 14 Cory McCoy So., 5-10, 178, Leesville, La. 3 Kyree McLean Sr., 5-11, 182, Zion, Ill.

FC 4 Colby Burton Jr., 5-10, 190, League City, Texas 6 Calum Foster Jr., 5-11, 175, Bon Wier, Texas

BC 1 Darion Dunn So., 6-1, 180, Oakdale, La. 31 John Blunt Fr., 6-0, 175, Arlington, Texas

WS 9 Trent Jackson Jr., 6-0, 180, Shreveport, La. 5 Jovon Burris Jr., 6-0, 200, Germantown, Md.

FS 7 Gabe Foster So., 6-2, 192, Bon Wier, Texas 21 Andre Sam RFr., 6-1, 170, Iowa, La.

SPECIALISTSP 37 Alex Kjellsten Sr., 5-9, 175, Lake Charles, La. 38 Bailey Raborn So., 5-10, 196, Lafayette, La.

FG/PAT 43 Gunnar Raborn Sr., 5-9, 185, Lafayette, La. 38 Bailey Raborn So., 5-10, 196, Lafayette, La.

KO 37 Alex Kjellsten Sr., 5-9, 175, Lake Charles, La. 38 Bailey Raborn So., 5-10, 196, Lafayette, La.

LS 39 Jack Smith Jr., 5-10, 187, Sulphur, La. 51 Trey Vondenstein Fr., 6-2, 200, Katy, Texas

LKOR 6 Ryan Ross Sr., 5-9, 205, Richwood, Texas 28 Benjamin Jones Sr., 5-11, 196, Kentwood, La.

RKOR 20 Justin Pratt Jr., 5-7, 205, Spring, Texas 8 B.J. Blunt Sr., 6-1, 220, New Orleans, La.

PR 19 Parker Orgeron Jr., 6-0, 192, Mandeville, La. 1 Cyron Sutton So., 5-10, 174, New Orleans, La.



NUMERICAL ROSTERNo. Player Pos. Hgt Wgt Cl./Exp. Hometown (Previous School) 1 Darion Dunn DB 6-1 180 So./1L Oakdale, LA (Oakdale HS)1 Cyron Sutton WR 5-10 174 So./1L New Orleans, LA (Lake Area New Tech HS)2 Cory McCoy DB 5-10 178 So./1L Leesville, LA (Leesville HS)3 Kylon Highshaw WR 6-5 215 Sr./3L Monroe, LA (Neville HS)3 Kyree McLean DB 5-11 182 Sr./1L Zion, IL (Zion-Benton HS/Central Lakes College)4 Colby Burton DB 5-10 190 Jr./2L League City, TX (Clear Creek HS)4 James Tabary QB 6-2 215 Sr./2L New Orleans, LA (Holy Cross HS/Arkansas State)5 Josh Batiste WR 5-11 181 Sr./1L Marksville, LA (Marksville HS)5 Jovon Burris DB 6-0 200 Jr./TR Germantown, MD (Seneca Valley HS/Fullerton College)6 Calum Foster DB 5-11 175 Jr./2L Bon Wier, TX (Newton HS)6 Ryan Ross RB 5-9 205 Sr./3L Richwood, TX (Brazowood HS)7 Gabe Foster DB 6-2 192 So./1L Bon Wier, TX (Newton HS)7 Tré Roberts WR 6-2 204 Sr./2L Houston, TX (Eisenhower HS/Oklahoma State)8 B.J. Blunt LB 6-1 220 Sr./1L New Orleans, LA (McDonough 35/Garden City CC)8 Cody Orgeron QB 6-1 182 So./1L Mandeville, LA (Mandeville HS)9 Dade Dieterich WR 5-11 172 So./1L Maurice, LA (North Vermilion HS)9 Trent Jackson DB 6-2 180 Jr./2L Shreveport, LA (Evangel Christian Academy)10 Matt Keller QB 6-0 194 So./1L Harvey, LA (Archbishop Shaw HS)11 Quincy Cage WR 5-10 185 Fr./RS New Orleans, LA (De La Salle HS)12 Tré Porter LB 6-1 215 Sr./3L New Orleans, LA (Warren Easton HS)13 Nate Briscoe WR 5-9 170 Fr./RS Lake Charles, LA (Barbe HS)14 Draysean Hudson WR 6-0 180 Jr./TR Berkeley, CA (Berkeley HS/Sierra College)17 Darius Daniels LB 5-11 205 Fr./HS Iowa, LA (Iowa HS)18 Trent Winbush DB 5-11 200 Fr./HS Rayne, LA (Rayne HS)19 Parker Orgeron WR 6-0 192 Jr./2L Mandeville, LA (Mandeville HS)20 Justin Pratt RB 5-7 205 Jr./2L Spring, TX (Klein Collins HS)21 Andre Sam WR 6-1 170 Fr./RS Iowa, LA (Iowa HS)23 Kordell Williams DB 5-10 190 Fr./RS Carencro, LA (Carencro HS)24 Mac Briscoe RB 6-0 188 Fr./RS Bellville, TX (Bellville HS)26 Keshon Bell DB 6-0 205 So./1L Welsh, LA (Welsh HS)27 Enos Lewis DB 5-11 176 Fr./RS Miami, FL (Miami Central HS)28 Benjamin Jones RB 5-11 196 Sr./3L Nederland, TX (Jewell Sumner HS)30 Marcus Foster LB 6-1 228 Jr./2L League City, TX (Clear Falls HS/UCF)31 John Blunt, Jr. DB 6-0 175 Fr./HS Arlington, TX (Mansfield Timberview HS)32 David Hamm RB 6-0 222 Sr./3L Klein, TX (Klein HS/UTEP)34 J’Cobi Skinner RB 5-9 178 Fr./RS Sulphur, LA (Sulphur HS)35 Khoury Kraus LB 6-2 216 Jr./2L Lake Charles, LA (Barbe HS)36 Dontay Hargrove TE 6-2 221 So./1L Wharton, TX (Pickering HS)37 Alex Kjellsten P 5-9 175 Sr./2L Lake Charles, LA (St. Louis Catholic HS)38 Bailey Raborn PK/P 5-10 196 So./1L Lafayette, LA (STM/LSU)39 Jake Smith LS 5-10 187 Jr./2L Sulphur, LA (Sulphur HS)40 Lawayne Ross TE 6-0 264 Jr./2L Richwood, TX (Brazoswood HS)41 Joseph Marshall LB 6-0 230 Jr./TR Glen Ellyn, IL (Al Raby HS/College of Dupage)42 Christian Jacobs LB 5-11 215 Sr./3L Houston, TX (North Shore Senior HS)43 Gunnar Raborn K/P 5-9 185 Sr./2L Lafayette, LA (St. Thomas More HS/Alabama)44 Jacob Logan TE 6-3 217 So./1L Deer Park, TX (Deer Park HS)47 J’uan Gross RB 5-11 245 Fr./HS Ponchatoula, LA (Ponchatoula HS)48 Andrew Hyacinth LB 6-0 215 So./1L Houston, TX (North Shore Senior HS)49 Chris Livings DE 6-2 210 Jr./2L Lake Charles, LA (Barbe HS)51 Trey Vondenstein LS 6-2 200 Fr./HS Katy, TX (Seven Lakes HS)52 Harris Tafah DL 6-3 265 Sr./1L Mansfield, TX (Legacy HS/Navarro JC)55 Cutter Leftwich OL 6-2 275 Fr./HS El Paso, TX (Franklin HS)56 Christian Robinson DL 6-5 240 Jr./1L Houston, TX (Friendswood HS/Blinn JC/UAB)



NUMERICAL ROSTERNo. Player Pos. Hgt Wgt Cl./Exp. Hometown (Previous School) 57 Cody Roscoe DL 6-1 260 So./1L Houston, TX (Heights HS)58 Tanner Pugh OL 6-0 280 Fr./RS League City, TX (Clear Creek HS)61 Collin Fountain OL 6-3 335 So./1L Lake Charles, LA (Barbe HS)62 Joe Latronico OL 6-4 310 So./1L San Antonio, TX (Ronald Reagan HS) 66 Tyrae Johnson OL 6-2 285 Jr./2L League City, TX (Clear Creek HS)68 Caleb Gary OL 6-4 284 So./1L Welsh, LA (Welsh HS)70 Grant Burguillos OL 6-4 281 Jr./2L Mandeville, LA (Mandeville HS)71 Jamarus Bolding OL 6-3 275 So./TR Houston, TX (Spring Westfield HS/Blinn College)72 Tre Newton OL 6-3 300 Jr./TR Spring, TX (Klein HS/Blinn College)73 Calvin Barkat OL 6-3 280 Fr./HS Sachse, TX (Sachse HS)74 Blaise Scriber OL 6-4 293 Jr./2L Lafayette, LA (Acadiana HS)75 Zack Jones OL 6-4 290 Jr./TR Columbia, MS (Columbia HS/MS Gulf Coast)77 Kyle Zenon OL 6-4 300 Sr./3L Abbeville, LA (Vermilion Catholic HS)80 Trey Conerly TE 6-3 236 So./1L Plaquemine, LA (Plaquemine HS)81 Deon Cormier WR 5-11 180 Fr./HS Humble, TX (Summer Creek HS)83 Trevor Begue WR 5-11 186 So./1L Lafayette, LA (St. Thomas More HS)85 Austin Nelson TE 6-3 255 Jr./2L Sulphur, LA (Sulphur HS)86 Rodnell Cruell WR 6-1 200 Sr./TR New Orleans, LA (McDonough HS/Tusculum College)87 Trevor Moye WR 6-0 180 Fr./HS Shepherd, TX (Shepherd HS)90 Jonta Jones DL 6-2 294 Jr./2L Vacherie, LA (St. James HS)91 Tyrique Gibson DL 6-1 253 Fr./RS Port Sulphur, LA (Ponchatoula HS)92 Keivonnis Davis DL 6-4 254 Jr./TR Miami, FL (Miami Central/University of Florida)94 Ronell Burbank DL 6-2 275 Fr./HS New Orleans, LA (Karr HS)96 CJ Semien DL 6-3 215 Fr./HS Lake Charles, LA (Barbe HS)97 Cameron Peterson DL 6-5 262 Fr./RS Houston, TX (Kempner HS)99 Marval Bourgeois DL 6-0 279 So./1L Larose, LA (South Lafourche HS)

COACHING STAFFHead Coach: Lance Guidry (McNeese ‘95) - third season at McNeeseOffensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers: Landon HoeferCo-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Kerry JosephOffensive Line/Running Game Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator: Ben NortonSpecial Teams Coordinator/Running Backs: Dennis SmithDefensive Line: Lark HebertSafeties: Zach BronsonTight Ends: Tyler BolfingLinebackers: Charlie AyroCornerbacks: Wayne CordovaDefensive Ends: Alec Osborne

PRONUNCIATION GUIDETrevor Begue ....................................................................................................... Beg-EKeshon Bell ................................................................................................. Key-shawnMarval Bourgeois ...................................................................................... Booge-wah Grant Burguillos ..........................................................................................Bur-gill-usJovon Burris ................................................................................................... Joe-vohnDade Dieterich ..............................................................................................Dee-trichKylon Highshaw ............................................................................................... Kay-lunAndrew Hyacinth .................................................................................. High-uh-cinthAlex Kjellsten .................................................................................................. Jell-stinJoe Latronico ....................................................................................... Luh-tron-eh-coBailey Raborn ................................................................................................ Ray-burnGunnar Raborn .............................................................................................. Ray-burnCyron Sutton .....................................................................................................Ki-ruhnJames Tabary .............................................................................................. Tab-uh-reeHarris Tafah ..................................................................................................... Tah-fuh



2017 FINAL STATISTICS

game 1 mneese at northern colorado saturday, …€¦ · 29/08/2018 · game 1 • mneese at...

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