McNeese visits Nicholls for the big Southland match

THIBODAUX – The next game is always the most important.

That couldn't be a truer statement for the McNeese Cowboys when they visit Nicholls at Guidry Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. in an important game for both Southland Conference teams.

The Cowboys (4-4, 1-2) need a win over the Colonels (3-4, 1-1 SLC) to keep their playoff hopes alive and also keep any potential championship chances intact.

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and also on the McNeese Radio Network with Tom Hoefer and Bruce Merchant (92.9 The Lake and 929thelake.com).

McNeese suffered a hard-fought 30-17 loss at nationally ranked UIW last weekend, while Nicholls defeated Northwestern State 20-0. The Cowboys have lost two games in a row since winning three in a row, while Nicholls is 2-0 at home this season.

The game also marks the conclusion of a brutal four-game, six-week road trip. McNeese is the only team in the country that didn't play a home game in October.

WITHIN THE NUMBERS:

• 112 – Number of offensive players who gained 10 yards or more on the season.
• 40 – Total number of pass breakups by the defense on the year. Last season, McNeese recorded 26.
• 22 – 4th overall^Th Quarter points are allowed all season long.
• 18 – Number of punts that traveled 50 yards or more Finn Lappin. Last season, McNeese had 5 of 50 yards or more from his previous player.

MATCHDAY NOTES:

• Nicholls are the defending Southland Conference champions and were favorites to repeat last season.
• The Cowboys are looking for their first SLC road win since November 12, 2022 (21-10 at HCU) and are coming off a string of five straight losses.
• McNeese is also looking to win in Thibodaux for the first time since the 2015 season while missing three games.
• The Cowboys haven't played at home since beating Alcorn State on Sept. 21 and didn't play a home game in October for the first time in school history.
• McNeese's 4 wins in 8 games are the most under Goff and the most since 2019.

HISTORY OF THE SERIES

• Saturday's game will be the 49th meeting between the Cowboys and Colonels, with McNeese leading 32-16.
• The series began in 1972 and has been played every season since 1983.
• Nicholls has won three straight in the series, including last year's 31-10 victory in Lake Charles.
• McNeese is 15-7 in games played in Thibodaux but has not won at Guidry Stadium since 2015 (37-7).
• The series is knotted 5-5 in the last 10 sessions.

YUSEF LEAK, JOVONI BORBON NAMED MIDYEAR ALL-AMERICAN BY PHIL STEELE

• McNeese defender Yusef Leak and long snapper Jovoni Borbon were named to the 2024 FCS Mid-Season All-American Team by Phil Steele, both were selected to the fourth team.
• Leak, a senior from Orlando in his first season as a Cowboy after transferring from the University of St. Thomas, leads the team and is second in the Southland Conference with seven pass breakups this season… He is also seventh on the team with 30 total tackles, has a pass intercepted, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and a recovery.
• Borbon was one of the most reliable and accurate deep snappers in the FCS all season, hitting punts as well as field goals and extra points.

FINN-SANITY: LAPPIN ON THE JERRY RICE AWARD WATCHLIST FOR THE FCS TOP FRESHMAN

• McNeese freshman Finn Lappin is one of 30 FCS rookies named to the season's watch list for the Stats Perform 2024 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS rookie of the year.
• Lappin is the only player on the roster representing the Southland Conference.
• Lappin currently leads the league in eight games and is third in the FCS with a 47.8 punting average.
• He also ranks 1st in the conference and 16th in the FCS in net punting with a 40.5 average.
• His current average of 47.8 is four yards longer than the school single-season record of 43.8 (Alex Kjellsten, 2018; Don Stump, 1979) and is more than 1 yard longer than the current SLC single-season record (46, 7 by Joe). Zema hired by UIW in 2017).
• A native of Melbourne, Australia, Lappin has completed 18 punts of 50 yards or more this season, 13 more than the Cowboys had all of last season.
• Recorded three punts of 60 yards or more and had 11 throws inside the 20-yard line.

FAMILIAR FACES

• McNeese moves to cornerback Maurquel Price is a transfer from Nicholls.
• A Thibodaux native and Thibodaux HS native, Price appeared in seven games this season, making two starts.
• He recorded 11 total tackles, is fourth on the team with 3 pass breakups and has one tackle for a loss.
• In three years at Nicholls, Price appeared in 18 games and recorded 23 tackles, three PBUs and one fumble.

UNFORGETTABLE GAMES against NICHOLLS

• McNeese and Nicholls are no strangers to memorable duels.
• In 2022, the teams battled back and forth, with the lead changing three times in the second half and the Colonels scoring the game-winner in the fourth quarter to take a 40-35 win in Thibodaux.
• In the 2021 season, Nicholls scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to outrun Cowboy Stadium in a 24-14 win…in that game, Collin Guggenheim rushed for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• In the 2021 spring season, McNeese defeated the 11th-ranked Colonels in Lake Charles, 43-31.
• In 2018, McNeese went 20-10 in a battle of the top 15 teams.
• In 2017, the Colonels kicked a 32-yard field goal from Lorran Fonseca as time expired to escape with a 37-35 home win.
• In 2008, the Colonels ended a 10-game losing streak in Lake Charles by defeating the nationally ranked Cowboys 38-35, staving off a late Cowboys surge.
• In 1998, Nicholls stunned the second-ranked Cowboys 31-30 with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Brad Zeller to Sullivan Beard with just 8 seconds left in the game.

DAVEY RETURNS AFTER INJURY; Continues where he left off

• All-American junior linebacker Micah Davey He returned to the lineup last Saturday against UIW and immediately picked up where he left off. He recorded a team-high 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
• Davey injured his ribs in the second half against Texas A&M on Sept. 7 and missed the next 4 1/2 games.
• Recorded 8 tackles with a sack in this one half at Texas A&M, ending a 14-game streak with 10 or more tackles.
• Recorded 269 career tackles, ranking him 17th in the McNeese career record book.
• He has recorded 10 or more tackles in 16 career games.

STREET WARRIOR

• The Cowboys will complete their six-week road game this weekend at Nicholls.
• McNeese last played at home on Sept. 21 (defeating Alcorn State 42-14) and won't play at home again until Nov. 2, when it hosts Texas A&M-Commerce.
• The Cowboys ended an eight-game road losing streak with a 28-26 win at then-No. 1-25 Weber State on Sept. 28.
• McNeese is seeking its first conference road win since beating HCU 21-10 on Nov. 12, 2022 (5 straight SLC road losses).
• After Saturday's game, McNeese will return home for the Nov. 2 home game against A&M-Commerce.

MAULDIN = TIGHT END GOAL

• McNeese tight end Logan Mauldin has emerged as one of the Southland Conference's top tight end targets, ranking 6th among all TEs with 8 catches.
• The junior transfer from Coastal Carolina has been targeted 13 times this season, sixth most on the team.
• He has made at least one catch in four straight games and has six catches during that time while being targeted nine times.

LECLAIR EXTENDS SUBSEQUENT STARTING STROKES

• All-conference lineman and senior Cole Leclair will make his 30th consecutive start as a Cowboy at Nicholls this weekend.
• Additionally, he has played in 42 consecutive games in his college career.
• Leclair started all 14 games at Valdosta State before transferring to McNeese for the 2022 season.
• Leclair is second on the team with 521 snaps played this season.