Cowboys get another chance to knock off an FBS school

Published 1:15 am Wednesday, September 19, 2018

LAKE CHARLES — Not so long ago a group of players from McNeese State traveled into the den of one of college football’s most historic programs.

Those Cowboys were given little chance to keep the game close and no chance to pull off a victory.

But in front of a sea of red and a national television audience, little McNeese put a great scare into mighty Nebraska. It took until the closing seconds and a tremendous play by a future NFL running back to beat back the Cowboys 31-24 that day back in 2014.

McNeese lost that contest but won the respect of the No. 19 Cornhuskers and their fans. They also gained national attention even if that proved to be the highlight of an otherwise uneventful season.

Now the Cowboys have a chance to do that same — except for that part about the unsuccessful season of course.

McNeese will once again travel to a former national college football power, play in front of a sold-out hostile crowd and try to come away with the upset that would surprise the nation.

Only difference is that this time the stands will be filled with folks wearing blue and white.

Saturday McNeese takes on Brigham Young University, which back in the day before twitter, the internet or even cell phones, was a great football program. The Cougars had their share of All-Americans, especially at quarterback.

Jim McMahon, Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young and Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer all played a part in the air circus that helped change college football forever.

“They have a great history there,” McNeese head coach Lance Guidry said. “They were one of the great programs.”

And the Cougars might be once again.

Last weekend BYU shocked the nation when it went into Camp Randall Stadium and beat then No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers 24-21. The upset was the first win by the Cougars over a Top 10 foe in a true road game since a 20-14 victory over No. 3 Pitt in 1984. The last top 10 team BYU defeated was No. 3 Oklahoma in 2009 in Dallas.

“That was really an impressive performance,” Guidry said of BYU’s upset. “That is quite a statement they made.”

These are not your father’s Cougars that McNeese will face. They are, much like the Cowboys, searching for attention in a crowded world of college football.

They got that and more last week, jumping into the Top 25 by gaining the last spot in the poll. It was the first time back in the poll for BYU since September of 2015.

At 2-1 and with big games still ahead against teams like Washington, Boise State and Utah, the Cougars could make some noise in college football’s top division.

But BYU won’t be the only team on the rise in Cougar Stadium Saturday. McNeese, 3-0 overall and sitting atop the Southland Conference at 2-0, is also on the move up national rankings. The Cowboys moved up to No. 9 in the STATS FCS poll and tenth in the coach’s poll. This after a 20-10 win over Nicholls State last weekend in the home opener.

Much like the Cougars, McNeese is trying to regain its winning tradition just on a different level.

“Look at all the Southland championships on the wall out there,” said Guidry as he pointed to a list of titles through the years. “We are the standard in the league.”

BYU has some of the same past credentials, but since becoming an independent the Cougars have suffered an identity crisis. School officials believed they would become the Notre Dame of the West after leaving conference play. And while they do have their own TV network the national attention has not followed — until last Saturday when a national television audience watched them pull off the upset.

All of this makes the Cougars a bigger target for McNeese, which seems to thrive in these situations.

“We are going to get off the plane and go play,” Cowboy quarterback James Tabary said. “We won’t be scared. We are looking forward to playing in that type of an environment.”

Tabary should feel comfortable since he started a game at USC back when he was the quarterback for Arkansas State.

“It’s a special feeling playing in that type of atmosphere,” he said.

The Cowboys hope that they can pull off an upset just like BYU did last Saturday.