Preview: McNeese hosts Northwestern State on Senior Day

LAKE CHARLES – Saturday will be a special day for McNeese football when the Cowboys host Northwestern State at 4 p.m. in Cowboy Stadium.

It’ll be the final regular season home game for the senior class as that group will be recognized in a pregame ceremony with their family members.

“This is my first senior class,” said head coach Sterlin Gilbert. “These guys will always be special to me. They’ve put their blood, sweat and tears into this program. We’re playing for them.”

The Cowboys will enter the game riding a two-game winning streak following last week’s 33-10 win at Stephen F. Austin (the first victory on the road this season) and a 42-27 homecoming win over HBU the week before.

At 5-4 overall and 3-3 in Southland Conference play, and with the unpredictability and competitive the league is this season, a league title, especially a postseason playoff berth, is still in sight.

McNeese will face a Northwestern State team (1-7, 1-4) that is playing its best football right now and coming off a 44-41 overtime win at then-first place Incarnate Word last week. Prior to that, the Demons missed on a two-point conversion with 1:30 to play to fall to first place Central Arkansas 31-30, and fell to then-first place Nicholls 45-35.

The Cowboys, however, are also playing their best football of the season in all phases of the game.

Offensively, the Cowboys have put up 400 yards or more in four straight games after not reaching that mark in the either of the first five.

In those four contests, McNeese has won three of the four games, is averaging 472 yards of offense and scoring 36 points per game.

Quarterback Cody Orgeron has been on point during that span, throwing for 1,057 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for another 232 yards and two TDs.

Defensively, the Cowboys have held their last five opponents to under 100 yards rushing each and are ranked second in the conference and ninth in the FCS with 95.6 rushing yards allowed per game. McNeese is fourth in the league in total defense by allowing 397.7 yards per game.

The Demons are fourth in the league and 14th nationally with 299.3 passing yards per game and are eighth in the conference in total defense with a 470.0 yards allowed average.

VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE
• Saturday’s game will mark the 69th meeting between McNeese and Northwestern State with the Cowboys holding a 46-21-1 lead in the all-time series.
• The Cowboys had won 13 straight in the series until NSU snapped the streak last season with a 37-34 double ot win.
• McNeese is 24-9 at home against the Demons and has won 14 straight in Cowboy Stadium with NSU’s last win in The Hole coming in the 1988 season.

4TH QUARTER DOMINANCE
• McNeese has produced two of its best fourth quarters of the season in back-to-back weeks – against HBU and at Stephen F. Austin.
• In those two games, the Cowboys outscored their opponents 27-7 in the final period; held the ball for an average of 10:16 of the 15 minute quarter; has converted on 6 of 11 third downs and 2 of 4 fourth downs; and has outgained oppnents 376-147 in total yards.
• McNeese gained 194 yards and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter at SFA while converting 5 of 6 on third downs.
• Against HBU, the Cowboys rolled up 182 offensive yards in the final frame, scoring 7 points and converting 2 of 4 on third downs.

McNEESE TEAM NOTABLES
• McNeese has accumulated 400 yards of offense or more in four straight games after not tipping 400 yards in each of the first five.
• The Cowboys have won the turnover battle in 7 of 9 games this season and are 4-0 when not committing a turnover.
• 5-2 on the year when leading at halftime and has won 48 of 55 games when leading at half dating back to the 2012 season.
• Defense has held its last six opponents to under 100 yards rushing.
• Cowboys are 4-0 on the year when not throwing an interception.
• Forced 20 turnovers through 9 games, ranking No. 6 in the FCS in turnovers forced.
• McNeese has forced a turnover in 22 of the last 23 games.

McNEESE PLAYER NOTABLES
• QB Cody Orgeron has thrown for 1,337 yards and 13 TDs in the last five games, a 267.4 passing average… averaging 317.0 total offensive yards per game during that stretch… has thrown multiple TDs in five straight games and seven times on the season… ranks 14th in the FCS with 19 passing TDs, 25th with 2,015 passing yards and 20th with 126 points responsible for… set a new school record with 403 total offensive yards against UCA… his 60 total plays registered at UCA was one off the school record of 61 set by Tim Leger in against Northern Iowa in 1996… his 26 completions at UCA ranks tied as the 7th-most in a game in school history… two 300-yard passing games on the season… 384 total plays on the year, closing in on the record of 454 held by Kerry Joseph (1995).
• WR Cyron Sutton set a new school record agianst SFA with his seventh straight game to catch a TD pass… has caught at least one pass in 18 straight games… ranks 8th in FCS with 9 touchdown catches which also ranks tied as the 2nd-most in school history in a season… 10th in the FCS with 795 receiving yards (9th in school history), and 25th with 88.3 receiving yards per game… leads the team with 12 catches of 20 or more yards.
• RB Justin Pratt has rushed for 100 yards or more in two straight games – 100 vs. HBU and 133 at SFA… has rushed for 10 yards or more on a carry eight times this season… ranks 6th in the SLC with a 4.7 yards per carry average… has rushed for 100 yards or more 6 times in his career… 173 yards shy of becoming just the 15th player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
• DE Chris Livings has recorded 4.5 quarterback sacks on the season and has 25 in his career to rank him second all-time in school history. He need six to tie and 6.5 to break the career record of 31 held by Bryan Smith (2004-07).
• DL Cody Roscoe has recorded at least a half a sack in four straight games and leads the team with 6.5 total sacks.
• WR Trevor Begue has set season bests with 41 catches for 607 yards and 6 TDs… needs 153 receiving yards to reach the 1,000 yards in a career milestone.
• LG Grant Burguillos will be making his 37th consecutive start on Saturday. The record is 52 straight held by Reggie Nelson from 1995-98.