2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team
American college football season
The 2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season . Led by first-year head coach Frank Wilson , the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 3–4 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana .
On August 13, McNeese State Athletic Department decided to postpone all fall sports with the intent to play in the spring.[ 1] This decision canceled all games that were to be played from September through November 2020.
Preseason
Recruiting class
Reference(s) :[ 2]
US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Khaylon Chapple Defensive Line
Haughton, LA
Haughton HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Caron Coleman Offensive Line
St. Louis, MO
Pattonville HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
300 lb (140 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Luke Howard Tight End
Lafayette, LA
St. Thomas More Catholic HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Mason Kinsey Defensive End
Mansfield, TX
Mansfield Legacy HS Navarro College
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
230 lb (100 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Grayson Mays Defensive End
Bellville, TX
Bellville HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
240 lb (110 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Josh Parker Running Back
Baton Rouge, LA
Catholic HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Feb 5, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Tyler Patrick Offensive Line
Wamego, KS
Wamego HSButler College
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Brendan Sirls Wide Receiver
Arlington, TX
Mansfield Summit HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Rae'kwon Starks Cornerback
Harvey, LA
Helen Cox HS
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Feb 5, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Ridge Texada Defensive Back
Frisco, TX
Centennial HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Dec 1, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : ESPN : N/A
Quad Wilson Safety
San Antonio, TX
Brandeis HS
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Feb 5, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Leon Young Defensive Line
Dallas, TX
Cedar Hills HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
260 lb (120 kg)
Feb 5, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their spring preseason poll in January 2021. The Cowboys were picked to finish fourth in the conference.[ 3] In addition, three Bearkats were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team[ 4]
Predicted finish
Team
Votes (1st place)
1
Nicholls
67 (7)
2
Sam Houston State
65 (6)
3
Southeastern Louisiana
48
4
McNeese State
45 (1)
5
Incarnate Word
32
6
Northwestern State
20
7
Lamar
17
Preseason All–Southland Teams
Offense
1st Team
Cyron Sutton – Wide Receiver, SR
Defense
1st Team
Darion Dunn – Defensive Back, SR
2nd Team
Cory McCoy – Defensive Back, SR
Cyron Sutton – Punt Returner, SR
Schedule
[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Game summaries
At Tarleton State
McNeese State at Tarleton State
1
2 3 4 Total
• Cowboys
10
0 0 31
41
Texans
3
7 14 7
31
Scoring summary 1 09:15 MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal(12 plays, 61 yards, 4:31) MCNS 3–0
05:26 MCNS Joshua Matthews 13-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(3 plays, 15 yards, 0:44) MCNS 10–0
03:37 TAR Adrian Guzman 38-yard field goal(6 plays, 33 yards, 1:41) MCNS 10–3
2 01:05 TAR Ryheem Skinner 4-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick)(15 plays, 73 yards, 4:25) TIE 10–10
3 11:07 TAR Tariq Bitson 13-yard pass from Steven Duncan (Christian Hernandez kick)(6 plays, 60 yards, 1:34) TAR 17–10
02:31 TAR Braelon Bridges 27-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick)(10 plays, 77 yards, 3:31) TAR 24–10
4 12:09 MCNS Cody Orgeron 5-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(16 plays, 77 yards, 5:17) TAR 24–17
07:39 TAR Braelon Bridges 1-yard rush (Christian Hernandez kick)(13 plays, 83 yards, 4:24) TAR 31–17
02:46 MCNS Mason Pierce 26-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(5 plays, 65 yards, 1:22) TAR 31–24
00:35 MCNS Trevor Begue 12-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(7 plays, 56 yards, 2:10) TIE 31–31
1OT MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal(6 plays, 22 yards) MCNS 34–31
TAR Adrian Guzman 34-yard field goal(4 plays, 5 yards) TIE 34–34
2OT TAR Adrian Guzman 45-yard field goal(4 plays, -3 yards) TAR 37–34
MCNS Cody Orgeron 19-yard rush(2 plays, 25 yards) MCNS 40–37
Pregame line
Over/under
TAR −3.0
51
Statistics
McNeese State
Tarleton State
First downs
27
25
Total yards
400
408
Rushing yards
230
180
Passing yards
170
228
Turnovers
0
2
Time of possession
33:32
26:28
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
14/34, 170 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
Cody Orgeron
19 carries, 180 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Deonta McMahon
2 receptions, 35 yards
Tarleton State
Passing
Steven Duncan
22/39, 217 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Braelon Bridges
15 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Tariq Bitson
5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD
Incarnate Word
Incarnate Word at McNeese State
1
2 3 4 Total
• Cardinals
14
17 3 14
48
No. 19 Cowboys
3
0 7 10
20
Date: February 27, 2021Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 43 minutesGame attendance: 2,394Game weather: CloudyReferee: Ed BourgeoisTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 08:13 UIW Kaleb Ducros 35-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Cade Kostroun kick)(9 plays, 80 yards, 2:24) UIW 7–0
02:05 MCNS Jacob Abel 25-yard field goal(12 plays, 64 yards, 6:01) UIW 7–3
01:51 UIW Ce'Cori Tolds 100-yard kickoff returned (Carson Mohr kick)(12 plays, 64 yards, 6:01) UIW 14–3
2 11:37 UIW Carson Mohr 36-yard field goal(8 plays, 44 yards, 1:45) UIW 17–3
09:56 UIW Darion Chafin 56-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick)(2 plays, 57 yards, 0:31) UIW 24–3
04:40 UIW Jaelin Campbell 27-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick)(9 plays, 85 yards, 4:13) UIW 31–3
3 02:54 MCNS Carlos Williams 9-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(17 plays, 80 yards, 6:47) UIW 31–10
00:28 UIW Carson Mohr 48-yard field goal(8 plays, 44 yards, 2:26) UIW 34–10
4 12:24 UIW Roger McCuller 8-yard pass from Cameron Ward (Carson Mohr kick)(5 plays, 54 yards, 1:51) UIW 41–10
08:34 MCNS Jacob Abel 27-yard field goal(8 plays, 65 yards, 3:50) UIW 41–13
04:21 MCNS Cody Orgeron 12-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(5 plays, 50 yards, 1:47) UIW 41–20
00:33 UIW Ameer King 3-yard pass from Kevin Yeager (Carson Mohr kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 3:48) UIW 48–20
Pregame line
Over/under
MCNS −11.5
57
Statistics
Incarnate Word
McNeese State
First downs
22
24
Total yards
518
373
Rushing yards
209
171
Passing yards
309
202
Turnovers
0
0
Time of possession
25:24
34:36
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Incarnate Word
Passing
Cameron Ward
24/35, 306 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Kevin Brown
10 carries, 117 yards
Receiving
Jaelin Campbell
6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
18/32, 202 yards
Rushing
Cody Orgeron
18 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Joshua Matthews
4 receptions, 65 yards
At Southeastern Louisiana
McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana
1
2 3 4 Total
Cowboys
3
3 7 7
20
• No. 24 Lions
3
9 10 3
25
Date: March 6, 2021Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutesGame attendance: 3,050Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Fair • Wind: 9 N MPH Referee: Scott HardinTelevision network: ESPN+
Scoring summary 1 10:52 MCNS Jacob Abel 21-yard field goal(7 plays, 17 yards, 4:08) MCNS 3–0
03:51 SELA Mateo Rengifo 27-yard field goal(12 plays, 56 yards, 4:34) TIE 3–3
2 09:13 SELA Mateo Rengifo 29-yard field goal(16 plays, 79 yards, 7:02) SELA 6–3
05:58 MCNS Jacob Abel 45-yard field goal(9 plays, 38 yards, 3:15) TIE 6–6
00:00 SELA CJ Turner 8-yard pass from Cole Kelley (Mateo Rengifo PAT blocked)(12 play, 80 yards, 2:02) SELA 12–6
3 11:49 SELA Morgan Ellison 32-yard rush (Mateo Rengifo kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:11) SELA 19–6
05:18 MCNS Carlos Williams 9-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(7 plays, 61 yards, 2:37) SELA 19–13
01:55 SELA Mateo Rengifo 32-yard field goal(8 plays, 59 yards, 3:14) SELA 22–13
4 14:10 MCNS AJ Carter 2-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(8 plays, 67 yards, 2:39) SELA 22–20
09:19 SELA Mateo Rengifo 33-yard field goal(6 plays, 19 yards, 0:58) SELA 25–20
Pregame line
Over/under
SELA −11.5
62
Statistics
McNeese State
Southeastern Louisiana
First downs
20
26
Total yards
331
492
Rushing yards
166
191
Passing yards
165
301
Turnovers
4
1
Time of possession
30:59
29:01
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
13/20, 165 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing
AJ Carter
15 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Severyn Foster
2 receptions, 75 yards
Southeastern Louisiana
Passing
Cole Kelley
21/39, 301 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Morgan Ellison
15 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Javon Conner
5 receptions, 104 yards
Lamar
Lamar at McNeese State
1
2 3 4 Total
Cardinals
3
10 0 7
20
Cowboys
13
0 0 7
20
Scoring summary 1 11:05 MCNS Mason Pierce 80-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(1 play, 80 yards, 0:15) MCNS 7–0
06:31 LAMR Bailey Giffen 34-yard field goal(8 plays, 58 yards, 4:34) MCNS 7–3
03:52 MCNS AJ Carter 45-yard rush (Jacob Abel PAT failed)(6 plays, 76 yards, 2:34) MCNS 13–3
2 09:26 LAMR Griffin Hammond 13-yard pass from Jalen Dummett (Bailey Giffen kick)(12 plays, 90 yards, 5:52) MCNS 13–10
04:54 LAMR Bailey Giffen 37-yard field goal(8 play, 27 yards, 2:49) TIE 13–13
4 12:55 MCNS Carlos Williams 11-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(10 plays, 86 yards, 4:05) MCNS 20–13
04:33 LAMR Nathan Gaskamp 5-yard pass from Jalen Dummett (Bailey Giffen kick)(9 plays, 53 yards, 4:33) TIE 20–20
1OT MCNS Carlos Williams 5-yard rush (Jacob Abel PAT blocked)(4 plays, 20 yards) MCNS 26–20
LAMR Jalen Dummett 5-yard rush (Bailey Giffen kick)(5 plays, 25 yards) LAMR 27–26
Pregame line
Over/under
MCNS −14.0
48
Statistics
Lamar
McNeese State
First downs
21
18
Total yards
330
399
Rushing yards
223
321
Passing yards
107
78
Turnovers
0
1
Time of possession
38:15
36:45
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Lamar
Passing
Jalen Dummett
8/11, 100 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Marcellus Johnson
6 carries, 86 yards
Receiving
Kirkland Banks
4 receptions, 41 yards
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
9/16, 78 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Carlos Williams
16 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Jamal Pettigrew
1 reception, 31 yards
At Northwestern State
McNeese State at Northwestern State
1
2 3 4 Total
• Cowboys
7
0 14 0
21
Demons
7
0 0 0
7
Date: March 20, 2021Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutesGame attendance: 6,577Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SW 6 MPH Referee: Ed BourgeoisTelevision network: CST
Scoring summary 1 04:42 NSU Kendrick Price 13-yard pass from Kaleb Fletcher (Eddie Godina kick)(8 plays, 91 yards, 3:28) NSU 7–0
02:07 MCNS Jamal Pettigrew 2-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(5 plays, 59 yards, 2:29) TIE 7–7
3 13:45 MCNS Trevor Begue 75-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(3 plays, 96 yards, 1:07) MCNS 14–7
07:45 MCNS Walker Wood 1-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(7 plays, 66 yards, 2:30) MCNS 21–7
Pregame line
Over/under
NSU −3.5
48
Statistics
McNeese State
Northwestern State
First downs
20
21
Total yards
416
394
Rushing yards
110
33
Passing yards
306
361
Turnovers
1
2
Time of possession
30:36
29:24
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
17/22, 306 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Josh Parker
16 carries, 77 yards
Receiving
Trevor Begue
8 receptions, 165 yards, 1 TD
Northwestern State
Passing
Kaleb Fletcher
13/18, 171 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Scooter Adams
8 carries, 37 yards
Receiving
Javon Antonio
6 receptions, 103 yards
Nicholls
Nicholls at McNeese State
1
2 3 4 Total
No. 13 Colonels
14
3 7 7
31
• Cowboys
3
21 7 12
43
Date: April 3, 2021Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 40 minutesGame attendance: 5,289Referee: Vidal JonesTelevision network: CST
Scoring summary 1 07:28 NICH Dontaze Costly 10-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick)(11 plays, 69 yards, 4:08) NICH 7–0
03:22 MCNS Jacob Abel 42-yard field goal(4 plays, 3 yards, 1:22) NICH 7–3
00:08 NICH Dai'Jean Dixon 2-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick)br/>(9 plays, 75 yards, 3:14) NICH 14–3
2 13:43 MCNS Mason Pierce 4-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(4 play, 65 yards, 0:32) NICH 14–10
07:20 MCNS Walker Wood 4-yard rush (Jacob Abel kick)(7 plays, 86 yards, 2:59) MCNS 17–14
05:47 MCNS Mason Pierce 85-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(1 play, 85 yards, 0:13) MCNS 24–14
01:23 NICH Gavin Lasseigne 26-yard field goal(11 plays, 66 yards, 4:24) MCNS 24–17
3 12:08 MCNS Joshua Matthews 28-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(8 plays, 79 yards, 2:52) MCNS 31–17
05:43 NICH Julien Gums 8-yard rush (Gavin Lasseigne kick)(16 plays, 75 yards, 6:25) NICH 31–24
4 12:48 MCNS Joshua Matthews 13-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel PAT failed)(2 plays, 19 yards, 0:34) MCNS 37–24
11:17 NICH Dai'Jean Dixon 11-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 1:31) MCNS 37–31
10:21 MCNS Deonta McMahon 67-yard rush (two-point conversion pass failed)(3 plays, 75 yards, 0:50) MCNS 43–31
Pregame line
Over/under
NICH −13.5
60
Statistics
Nicholls
McNeese State
First downs
29
21
Total yards
562
541
Rushing yards
273
187
Passing yards
289
354
Turnovers
3
2
Time of possession
35:26
24:34
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Nicholls
Passing
Lindsey Scott Jr.
26/53, 289 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Lindsey Scott Jr.
28 carries, 137 yards
Receiving
K. J. Franklin
4 receptions, 76 yards
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
20/27, 354 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Deonta McMahon
11 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Joshua Matthews
7 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TDs
At Sam Houston State
McNeese State at Sam Houston State
1
2 3 4 Total
Cowboys
3
0 3 7
13
• No. 5 Bearkats
7
10 10 0
27
Date: April 10, 2021Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutesGame attendance: 3,103Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear & Sunny • Wind: 9 N MPH Referee: Dan LewisTelevision network: ESPN+
Scoring summary 1 07:09 MCNS Jacob Abel 19-yard field goal(12 plays, 79 yards, 5:31) MCNS 3–0
02:53 SHSU Noah Smith 19-yard pass from Eric Schmid (Seth Morgan kick)(8 plays, 64 yards, 4:11) SHSU 7–3
2 03:27 SHSU Ramon Jefferson 1-yard rush (Seth Morgan kick)(7 plays, 47 yard, 3:28) SHSU 14–3
00:00 SHSU Seth Morgan 21-yard field goal(11 plays, 34 yards, 2:17) SHSU 17–3
3 12:17 SHSU Seth Morgan 33-yard field goal(6 plays, 49 yards, 2:37) SHSU 20–3
07:43 SHSU Donovan Williams 2-yard rush (Seth Morgan kick)(7 plays, 85 yards, 3:06) SHSU 27–3
04:58 MCNS Jacob Abel 25-yard field goal(10 plays, 68 yards, 2:45) SHSU 27–6
4 11:18 MCNS Joshua Matthews 24-yard pass from Cody Orgeron (Jacob Abel kick)(4 plays, 45 yards, 1:23) SHSU 27–13
Pregame line
Over/under
SHSU −15.0
59
Statistics
McNeese State
Sam Houston State
First downs
19
19
Total yards
328
392
Rushing yards
37
190
Passing yards
291
202
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
30:02
29:58
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
McNeese State
Passing
Cody Orgeron
27/42, 291 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Cody Orgeron
18 carries, 18 yards
Receiving
Joshua Matthews
6 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
Sam Houston State
Passing
Eric Schmid
12/24, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing
Eric Schmid
15 carries, 92 yards
Receiving
Jequez Ezzard
3 receptions, 87 yards
Roster
References
Venues
Killen Field (1951–1953)
Wildcat Stadium (1954–1964)
Cowboy Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries People Seasons
Members Beach volleyball-only members Golf-only members Tennis-only members Multi-sport affiliate Related entities