2015 McNeese State Cowboys football team

2015 McNeese State Cowboys football
Southland Conference Champions
FCS Playoffs Second Round vs Sam Houston State, L 29–34
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
STATS	#7
FCS Coaches	#9
2015 record	10–1 (9–0 Southland)
Head coach	Matt Viator (10th year)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Leger (9th year)
Defensive coordinator	Lance Guidry (3rd year)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium (Capacity: 17,610)

2015 Southland Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#7 McNeese State $^		9	–	0					10	–	1
#3 Sam Houston State ^		7	–	2					11	–	4
Central Arkansas		7	–	2					7	–	4
Incarnate Word*		5	–	4					6	–	5
Northwestern State		4	–	5					4	–	7
Lamar		4	–	5					5	–	6
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	5					4	–	7
Nicholls State		3	–	6					3	–	8
Abilene Christian*		3	–	6					3	–	8
SE Louisiana		3	–	6					4	–	7
Houston Baptist		0	–	8					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word ineligible for FCS Playoffs due to transition from Division II Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

The 2015 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys were led by tenth year head coach Matt Viator and played their home games at Cowboy Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 10–1, 9–0 in Southland play to win the Southland Conference title. They went undefeated 10–0 in the regular season. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the second round to fellow Southland member Sam Houston State.

Previous season

The Cowboys finished the 2014 season with a 6–5 overall record and were 4–4 in conference play. They were ranked in both FCS polls from the preseaon polls through the twelfth week. Their highest ranking was Number 5 in the Sports Network poll and Number 4 in the Coaches poll in weeks four through six. The Cowboys dropped out of both polls following a season ending loss to the Lamar Cardinals.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	6:30 PM	#14 (FBS) LSU*	#25	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	Canceled^[a]
September 12	6:00 PM	Incarnate Word		Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA	ASN	W 43–6	12,804
September 19	6:00 PM	at Stephen F. Austin		Homer Bryce Stadium • Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN3	W 28–14	12,018
September 26	6:00 PM	Mississippi College*	#25	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA		W 37–0	10,436
October 3	3:00 PM	at Nicholls State	#23	John L. Guidry Stadium • Thibodaux, LA	CST[1]	W 37–7	6,192
October 10	6:00 PM	#20 Southeastern Louisiana	#22	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA	CST	W 21–7	13,110
October 17	6:00 PM	at Central Arkansas	#15	Estes Stadium • Conway, AR (Red Beans and Rice Bowl)	ESPN3	W 28–13	10,527
October 24	6:00 PM	Northwestern State	#12	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA (Rivalry)	CST	W 47–27	9,806
October 31	2:00 PM	at Abilene Christian	#10	Shotwell Stadium • Abilene, TX	ASN	W 15–13	3,567
November 7	6:00 PM	#7 Sam Houston State	#9	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA	ESPN3	W 27–10	10,501
November 21	6:00 PM	at Lamar	#3	Provost Umphrey Stadium • Beaumont, TX (Battle of the Border)	ESPN3	W 20–14	9,808
December 5	7:00 PM	#6 Sam Houston State	#3	Cowboy Stadium • Lake Charles, LA (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	ESPN3	L 29–34	13,493
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

^[2]

^{^[a]} The game between LSU and McNeese State was canceled due to inclement weather. The game was delayed due to lightning after 5 minutes of play during each team held the ball for one drive and no one scored. Both schools' athletic directors decided not to reschdule the game, thus declaring it a "no contest". LSU did agree to pay McNeese State its promised fee of $500,000.

Schedule Source:^[3]

Game summaries

@ LSU

McNeese State at LSU

1 2 3 4 Total #25 Cowboys 0 0 0 0 0 Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 Date: September 5 Location: Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: CANCELLED Sources:[4]

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–1	2010	L 10–32

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Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 0 6 6 • Cowboys 7 2 20 14 43 Date: September 12 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 12,804 Game weather: Fair, 38% Humidity • Wind NNW 11 Referee: Ross Smith Sources:[5]

Scoring summary 1 3:50 McNeese State Derrick Milton 36 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:33 7–0 2 1:39 McNeese State Team Safety; 0 plays, -1 yard, 0:07 9–0 3 10:36 McNeese State Trent Manuel 20 yard field goal, 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:24 12–0 3 7:38 McNeese State Austin Nelson 2 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel kick), 4 plays, 39 yards, 1:50 19–0 3 4:03 McNeese State Trent Manuel 22 yard field goal, 5 plays, 43 yards, 1:52 22–0 3 0:26 McNeese State Daniel Sams 2 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:37 29–0 4 12:01 McNeese State Grant Ashcraft 2 yard run (Trent Manuel Kick), 5 plays, 22 yards, 2:09 36–0 4 7:15 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 11 yard pass from Jordan Scelfo (two-point pass conv. failed), 10 plays, 90 yards, 4:46 36–7 4 3:56 McNeese State David Hamm 33 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 1 play, 28 yards, 0:09 43–7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2014	W 41–21

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@ Stephen F. Austin

McNeese State at Stephen F. Austin

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 14 0 7 28 Lumberjacks 14 0 0 0 14 Date: September 19 Location: Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 12,018 Game weather: High 80's • Sunny and clear • Wind SE 0-5 Referee: Brandon Cruse Sources:[6]

Scoring summary 1 11:15 McNeese St Wallace Scott 97 yard fumble return (Trent Manuel kick), 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:25 7–0 1 8:43 Stephen F Austin Aaron Thomas 14 yard pass from Hunter Taylor (Nick Bruno kick), 6 plays, 79 yards, 0:00 7–7 1 1:35 Stephen F Austin Braxton Bearden 55 yard pass from Hunter Taylor (Nick Bruno kick), 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:28 7–14 2 10:17 McNeese St David Bush 22 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel Kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:13 14–14 2 5:11 McNeese St Kent Shelby 5 yard pass from Grant Ashcraft (Trent Manuel kick), 10 plays, 64 yards, 3:28 21–14 4 6:05 McNeese St Daniel Sams 76 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:33 28–14

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
18–14	2014	L 16–31

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Mississippi College

See also: Mississippi College

Mississippi College at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Choctaws 0 0 0 0 0 • #25 Cowboys 13 7 10 7 37 Date: September 26 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 2:40 Game attendance: 10,436 Game weather: 75°F • Overcast 86% • SSE 2 mph Referee: M Vandervelde Sources:[7]

Scoring summary 1 7:56 McNeese State Derrick Milton 4 yard run (Trent Manuel PAT failed), 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:39 6–0 1 3:57 McNeese State Kent Shelby 40 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel kick), 3 plays, 52 yards, TOP 1:15 13–0 2 14:26 McNeese State David Bush 22 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel kick), 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:51 20–0 3 8:26 McNeese State Trent Manuel 43 yard field goal, 11 plays, 33 yards, TOP 4:20 23–0 3 3:43 McNeese State Ryan Ross 2 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 6 plays, 56 yards, TOP 2:44 30–0 4 9:56 McNeese State Grant Ashcraft 5 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 11 plays, 76 yards, TOP 4:55 37–0

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–0	1989	W 28–21

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@ Nicholls

McNeese State at Nicholls

1 2 3 4 Total • #23 Cowboys 7 20 7 3 37 Colonels 0 7 0 0 7 Date: October 3 Location: John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 6,192 Game weather: 76°F • Clear • NNW 11 mph Referee: Kevin Hassell Sources:

Scoring summary 1 8:25 McNeese State Daniel Sams pass complete to Tavarious Battiste for 34 yds for a TD, (Trent Manuel kick), 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:32 7–0 2 10:53 McNeese State Ryan Ross 6 yard run (Trent Manuel PAT missed), 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:22 13–0 2 1:51 McNeese State Daniel Sams 4 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 14 plays, 90 yards, 6:49 20–0 2 1:31 McNeese State David Bush 49 yard pass complete to Kent Shelby (Jean Breaux kick), 1 play, 49 yards, 0:12 27–0 2 0:27 Nicholls Tuskani Figaro 52 yard pass complete to Damion Jeanpiere (Francisco Condado kick), 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:04 27–7 3 6:13 McNeese State Anthony Yruegas 0 yard fumble return (Jean Breaux kick), 2 plays, -20 yards, 0:25 34–7 4 7:03 McNeese State Trent Manuel 36 yard field goal, 10 plays, 42 yards, 4:41 37–7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
28–11	2014	W 45–3

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Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total #20 Lions 0 7 0 0 7 • #22 Cowboys 14 7 0 0 21 Date: October 10 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 13,110 Game weather: 80°F • Sunny and Warm • NNW 6 mph Referee: Ross Smith Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:57 McNeese State Daniel Sams 3 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 10 plays, 86 yards, 5:03 7–0 1 5:00 McNeese State Ryan Ross 58 yard run, (Trent Manuel kick), 7 plays, 94 yards, 3:19 14–0 2 13:08 Southeastern Louisiana Xavier Roberson 1 yard run (Jonathon Tatum kick), 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:04 14–7 2 1:27 McNeese State Ryan Ross 4 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:39 21–7

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
22–17	2013	L 7–41

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@ Central Arkansas

McNeese State at Central Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total • #15 Cowboys 0 0 7 21 28 Bears 0 3 10 0 13 Date: October 17 Location: Estes Stadium Conway, AR Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 10,527 Game weather: 66°F • Clear Referee: K. Boitman Sources:

Scoring summary 2 3:13 Central Arkansas Jace Denker 42 yard field goal, 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:43 0–3 3 12:22 McNeese State Daniel Sams 5 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 3 plays, 46 yards, 1:08 7–3 3 6:42 Central Arkansas Dominique Thomas 1 yard run (Jace Denker kick), 12 plays, 78 yards, 5:32 7–10 3 3:13 Central Arkansas Jace Denker 44 yard field goal, 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:08 7–13 4 14:50 McNeese State Wallace Scott 45 yard fumble return (Trent Manuel kick), 5 plays, 10 yards, 2:16 14–13 4 9:47 McNeese State Ryan Ross 10 yard run (Trent Manuel Kick), 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:24 21–13 4 6:56 McNeese State Daniel Sams 2 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 5 plays, 16 yards, 1:56 28–13

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–4	2013	W 59–28

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Northwestern State (Homecoming)

Northwestern State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 7 3 10 7 27 • #12 Cowboys 7 7 13 20 47 Date: October 24 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 9,806 Game weather: 73°F • Cloudy/40% rain • NE 8 mph Referee: Kevin Hassell Sources:

Scoring summary 1 14:47 Northwestern State Ed Eagan 97 yard kickoff return (Chris Moore kick) 0–7 1 4:22 McNeese State Daniel Sams 1 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:22 7–7 2 14:56 McNeese State Tavarious Battiste 29 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Trent Manuel kick), 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:19 14–7 2 7:45 Northwestern State Chris Moore 20 yard field goal, 16 plays, 74 yards, 7:11 14–10 3 14:40 McNeese State Kent Shelby 73 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux kick), 1 play, 73 yards, 0:20 21–10 3 14:24 Northwestern State Joel Blumenthal 62 yard run (Chris Moore kick), 1 play, 62 yards, 0:29 21–17 3 5:45 Northwestern State Chris Moore 44 yard field goal, 11 plays, 44 yards, 4:33 21–20 3 2:17 McNeese State Ryan Ross 2 yard run (Jean Breaux PAT failed), 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:28 27–20 4 14:53 Northwestern State Tuff McClain 42 yard pass from Stephen Rivers (Chris Moore kick), 5 plays, 73 yards, 2:24 27–27 4 12:42 McNeese State Daniel Sams 52 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:11 34–27 4 5:25 McNeese State Austin Nelson 2 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux PAT blocked), 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:35 40–27 4 2:19 McNeese State Ryan Ross 1 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:51 47–27

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
43–20–1	2014	W 35–28

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@ Abilene Christian

McNeese State at Abilene Christian

1 2 3 4 Total • #10 Cowboys 3 3 6 3 15 Wildcats 0 6 0 7 13 Date: October 31 Location: Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX Game start: 2:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 3,567 Game weather: 65°F • Sunny • NNW 13 mph Referee: Marvel July Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:25 McNeese State Trent Manuel 28 yard field goal, 8 plays, 24 yards, 4:25 3–0 2 6:18 Abilene Christian Dallas Sealey 9 yard pass from Herschel Sims (Zach Lehr PAT blocked), 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:02 3–6 2 0:00 McNeese State Trent Manuel 27 yard field goal, 10 plays, 68 yards, 1:36 6–6 3 10:37 McNeese State Daniel Sams 2 yard run (Trent Manuel PAT blocked), 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:16 12–6 4 4:31 McNeese State Trent Manuel 23 yard field goal, 6 plays, 9 yards, 3:36 15–6 4 3:54 Abilene Christian Carl Whitley 24 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Zach Lehr kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:37 15–13

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–0	2014	W 31–20

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Sam Houston State

Sam Houston State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total #7 Bearkats 10 0 0 0 10 • #9 Cowboys 0 14 3 10 27 Date: November 7 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:58 Game attendance: 10,501 Game weather: 64°F • NNE 13 mph • Overcast with rain Referee: Dan Romeo Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:38 Sam Houston State Darion Flowers 90 yard interception return (Tre Honshtein kick), 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:22 0–7 1 0:54 Sam Houston State Tre Honshtein 20 yard field goal, 7 plays, 95 yards, 2:06 0–10 2 1:40 McNeese State Daniel Sams 64 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 2 plays, 64 yards, 0:37 7–10 2 0:04 McNeese State Kent Shelby 6 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux kick), 8 plays, 70 yards, 1:06 14–10 3 3:48 McNeese State Jean Breaux 23 yard field goal, 11 plays, 81 yards, 4:53 17–10 4 5:20 McNeese State Jean Breaux 27 yard field goal, 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:09 20–10 4 5:11 McNeese State Ryan Ross 20 yard run (Jean Breaux Kick), 1 play, 20 yards, 0:09 27–10

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
25–10–1	2014	L 22–38

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@ Lamar

McNeese State at Lamar

1 2 3 4 Total • #3 Cowboys 17 0 0 3 20 Cardinals 7 0 0 7 14 Date: November 21 Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:11 Game attendance: 9,808 Game weather: 62°F • 17 mph • Cloudy and Windy Referee: Randy Christal Television network: ESPN3 Sources:[8]

Scoring summary 1 11:59 McNeese State Jean Breaux 32 yard field goal 5 plays, 22 yards, 1:49 3–0 1 6:19 Lamar Dedrick Garner 66 yard fumble recovery (Alex Ball kick) 3–7 1 5:30 McNeese State Ryan Ross 26 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:49 10–7 1 00:36 McNeese State Daniel Sams 32 yard run (Jean Breaux kick), 6 plays, 67 yards, 3:04 17–7 4 8:46 McNeese State Jean Breaux 31 yard field goal 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:48 20–7 4 4:42 Lamar Devonn Brown 32 yard pass from Joe Minden (Alex Ball kick), 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:33 20–14

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
21–8–1	2014	L 24–27

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FCS Playoffs

Second Round–Sam Houston State

Sam Houston State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • #6 Bearkats 7 17 10 0 34 #3 Cowboys 10 7 6 6 29 Date: December 5 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:33 Game attendance: 13,493 Game weather: 57°F • ENE 3 • Fair 45% humidity Referee: Jeremy Parker Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:58 McNeese State Jean Breaux 43 yard field goal 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:23 3–0 1 4:08 Sam Houston State LaDarius Brown 54 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Tre Honshtein kick) 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:04 3–7 1 0:39 McNeese State Kent Shelby 15 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux kick) 8 plays, 67 yards, 3:29 10–7 2 13:32 McNeese State David Bush 4 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux kick) 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:34 17–7 2 9:38 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 1 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick) 9 plays, 42 yards, 3:54 17–14 2 4:30 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 22 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Tre Honshtein kick) 10 plays, 86 yards, 3:11 17–21 2 0:00 Sam Houston State Tre Honshtein 47 yard field goal, 12 plays, 51 yards, 1:58 17–24 3 9:01 Sam Houston State Tre Honshtein 24 yard field goal, 10 plays, 60 yards, 3:31 17–27 3 2:22 McNeese State Zach Hetrick 3 yard pass from Daniel Sams (Jean Breaux PAT blocked), 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:58 23–27 3 1:21 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 28 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Tre Honshtein kick), 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:01 23–34 4 11:20 McNeese State Tavarious Battiste 43 yard pass from Daniel Sams (two-point conv. failed), 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:33 29–34

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
26–10–1	11/7/2015	W 27–10

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Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	25	RV	RV	25	23	22	15	12	10	9	3	3	3	7
Coaches	23	23	21	17	15	13	9	9	7	5–T	2 (1)	2 (2)	2 (1)	9

References

1. "Southland Conference Annouces Week Five TV Selections". Southland Conference. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
2. "2015 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
3. "2015 LSU Tigers Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
4. "Blame it on the rain: Cowboys–Tigers washed out". McNeese State University Department of Athletics. September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
5. "Incarnate Word (1-1) –vs– McNeese State (0-0)". McNeese State University Department of Athletics. September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
6. "McNeese (2-0, 2-0) –vs– Stephen F. Austin (0-3, 0-1)". McNeese State University Department of Athletics. September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
7. "Mississippi College (2-2) –vs– McNeese (3-0)". McNeese State University Department of Athletics. September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
8. "McNeese State (10-0, 8-0) vs Lamar University (5-5, 4-4)". lamarcardinals.com. Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved November 21, 2015.