Game Capsule: McNeese hosts Mississippi College

McNeese (0-3) vs. Mississippi College (1-2) 
Saturday, September 24, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
Cowboy Stadium (20,000) • Lake Charles, La. 

TV: ESPN+ LINK
Radio: 92.9 The Lake
Audio Stream: 929thelake.com
Live Stats: LINK

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese will look for its first win of the season in its final non-conference game before starting up Southland Conference play when it hosts Mississippi College at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Cowboy Stadium.

Both teams are coming off losses last weekend – McNeese 30-19 to Alcorn State and Mississippi College 41-19 to North Greenville in its conference opener.

The game will broadcast live on ESPN+ while McNeese radio will carry the game on 92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com.

COACHES 

• McNeese: Gary Goff (1^st season at McNeese, 0-3; 11^th season overall, 60-56)
• Mississippi College: John Bland (20-54 at MC; 95-80 overall)

COWBOYS AND CHOCTAWS 

• Saturday’s game against Mississippi College will be the fourth meeting in the series with the Cowboys holding a 3-0 lead.
• The two teams last met in the 2015 season with the Cowboys posting a 37-0 win in Lake Charles.
• McNeese is 21-1 against non-Division I opponents since 1990 with the first loss coming last season to the defending D2 national champion West Florida by a 42-36 score.

ABOUT THE COWBOYS 

• The Cowboys will enter the game 0-3 on the season, marking the first time since 1975 McNeese has started the season 0-3.
• The Cowboys rallied to win 7 of their next 8 games to finish the season at 7-4.
• McNeese is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in KO return defense (0.0 ypr)… 12th in fewest penalties per game (4.0) and 19th in total fewest penalties (19).
• RB Deonta McMahon is No. 1 in the SLC and 19th in the FCS in total rushing yards (268) and 2nd in rushing yards per game (89.3)… D’Angelo Durham is 4th in the SLC with a 61.0 ypg average.
• LB Kordell Williams is coming off a 15-tackle game against Alcorn State, 2 off his career-high, and now leads the SLC with 35 total tackles… he’s recorded double-digit tackles in back-to-back games.
• McNeese is a member of the FCS Southland Conference and is in its 79th season of playing football, 51st in the SLC.
• The Cowboys have won more football championships (14) and have made more playoff appearances (16) than any other Southland team, past or present.
• McNeese is coached by Gary Goff, who was named the program’s 18th head coach back in December, and comes from Valdosta State where he was twice named the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in two seasons and guided the Blazers to the Division II national title game last year.
• Coach Goff is no stranger to Mississippi College, while as the head coach at Valdosta State, the two were conference foes and led the Blazers to wins in 2019 (42-17) and in 2021 (41-14).

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 

• The Choctaws are 1-2 heading into Saturday’s game and are coming off a 41-19 loss to North Greenville in their conference opener.
• A member of the Division II powerful Gulf South Conference where it was picked to finish sixth in the league’s preseason poll.
• Ranked No. 1 in the GSC in rushing with a 322.0 ypg average and a 7.2 yards per carry mark.
• Averaging 19.7 ppg while allowing 25.7 points.
• RB DeAnté Smith-Moore leads the team and is ranked 4th in the league in rushing with a 62.7 average while Cole Fagan is 5th with a 62.3 mark.

McMAHON OFF AND RUNNING      

• Senior RB Deonta McMahon rushed for 100 yards or more for the second straight game last Saturday when he recorded 102 vs. Alcorn State.
• That marked his 5th 100-yard rushing game in his McNeese career which began in the 2021 spring season.
• Has rushed for 100 yards or more in 4 of last 5 games dating back to last season.
• Averaging a 1^st down per carry this season at 11.7 yards (268 yards on 23 carries).
• Averaging 78.8 yards per game rushing in home games in his career.
• To date, McMahon has rushed for 1,015 career yards and has scored 10 rushing TDs.
• He’s 458 yards away from breaking into the top 30 on the McNeese career rushing yards list.

McMahon 100-Yard Rushing Games: 

102 (10 carries) vs. Alcorn State (Sept. 17, 2022)

101 (5 carries) at Rice (Sept. 10, 2022)

111 (17 carries) vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 20, 2021)

124 (23 carries) at HBU (Nov. 13, 2021)

111 (11 carries) vs. Nicholls (Apr. 3, 2021)

LB WILLIAMS = TACKLING MACHINE  

• Fresh off a season-best 100 tackles in 2021, Cowboy senior linebacker Kordell Williams is already a third of the way to that mark through the first three games.
• Williams, a Carencro native, leads the Cowboys and is ranked No. 1 in the SLC and 5th in the FCS with 35 total tackles heading into Saturday’s game against Mississippi College.
• He recorded 15 last Saturday vs. Alcorn State, the second-most in his career (17 vs. SLU last October).
• In his career, he’s recorded 254 tackles, ranking him 19th on the school’s career list.
• He’s collected 10 or more tackles 10 times in his career and since recording his first 10-tackle game, has posted 10 or more in 10 of his last 15 games going back to the 2021 spring season.

WILLIAMS 10+ TACKLE GAMES 

TKLS                                  Opponent Date
15                                      vs. Alcorn State    9/17/22

12                                      at Rice 9/10/22

11                                      vs. Nicholls 11/6/21

12                                      at Southeastern    10/30/21

11                                      vs. UIW 10/23/21

17                                      vs. Southeastern  10/2/21

10                                      at UIW 9/25/21

11                                      at Southern 9/18/21

10                                      at LSU 9/11/21

13                                      at Sam Houston   4/10/21

KICKING IT DEEP                                    

• New Cowboy kicker Garrison Smith has done a tremendous job of launching his kickoffs.
• In 11 KOs this season, all 11 have gone for touchbacks helping McNeese’s KOR defense rank No. 1 in the nation with a 0.0 KOR avg.

FIRST TIMES vs. ALCORN STATE      

• There were several “firsts” for the Cowboys against Alcorn State last Saturday.
• Quarterback Knox Kadum recorded his first-career 200-yard passing game when he threw for 274 yards and a TD on 17 of 34 passing.
• True freshman Kameran Senegal made his first career-catch then followed that up with his first collegiate touchdown.
• TE/HB Kyle Klink made his first reception as a Cowboy.
• RS-Freshman LB Micah Davey recorded his first career sack and safety.

CAREER BESTS vs. ALCORN                

• Knox Kadum career-high 274 passing yards on 17 of 34 passing, both also career bests.
• DE Mason Kinsey posted a career-high 11 tackles.
• FS Enos Lewis tied a career-high with 11 stops.

KEEPING AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOK        

• WR Josh Matthews has 73 receptions in his career and needs just one more to move into the top 20 all-time in McNeese history, tying him with Darius Carey and R.C. Slocum at 74.

Career CATCHES 

    Name (Years)       Catches

1. Jermaine Martin (1999-02)….. 160

———————————————

18. Immanuel Friddle (2006-09)… 79
19. James Moore (1969-72)   ……… 76
20. Darius Carey (2011-12) ……. 74
    C. Slocum (1964-67)              74

Moving Up: 

    Josh Matthews (2020-)                73 

• Matthews has one TD on the season to give him 8 in his career, two short of breaking into the Top 15 all-time.

Career Touchdown Catches 

    Name, Years                                 Tds 

1. Terence Davis (1992-95) 21

———————————————

12. Diontae Spencer (2010-13) 11

Jeff Delhomme (1987-90) 11

Jermaine Martin (1999-020         11

15. James Moore (1969-72) 10

Carlese Franklin (2004-07)           10

Moving Up: 

    Josh Matthews (2020-)                  8 

• With his 33 yards receiving at Rice, Matthews became just the 26th player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
• He’ll enter Saturday’s game with 1,040 career receiving yards, only 25 away from breaking into the Top 25 in school history.

Career Pass Receiving Yardage 

    Name, Years            Yards

1. Jermaine Martin (1999-02) 2,636

———————————————

19. Ernest Celestie (2011-14) 1,320
20. Britt Brodhead (2000-03) 1,320
21. Immanuel Friddle (2006-03) 1,206
22. Keith Ortego (1981-84) 1,202
23. Gary Broussard (1973-76) 1,201
24. James Moore (1969-72) 1,124
25. Arthur Alexander (1984-87) 1,065
26. Josh Matthews (2020-) 1,040

• WR/RS Mason Pierce is tied for the career record with 2 kickoffs returned for TDs, needing one to hold the record alone.
• LB Kordell Williams has recorded 35 tackles on the season, increasing his career total to 255 and moving him to No. 19 on the school’s career tackles list.

Career Tackles 

    Name, Year                         Tackles 

1. Charles Ayro (1995-98) 486

———————————————

15. Vance Robichaux (1983-85) 289
16. Rod Royal (2002-03) 276
17. Richard Vidrine (1967-70) 269
18. Darrell Jenkins (2008-11) 263
19. Kordell Williams (2018-) 255