2025 McNeese Cowboys football team

2025 McNeese Cowboys football
2025 McNeese Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	5–7 (4–4 SLC)
Head coach	Matt Viator (11th season);
Offensive coordinator	Tyler Bolfing (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Kyle Segler (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Tony Pecoraro (4th season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium

2025 Southland Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
No. 10 Stephen F. Austin $^	8	–	0	11	–	3
No. 17т Southeastern Louisiana ^	7	–	1	9	–	4
No. 25 Lamar ^	5	–	3	8	–	5
UT Rio Grande Valley	5	–	3	9	–	3
Nicholls	4	–	4	4	–	8
McNeese	4	–	4	5	–	7
East Texas A&M	3	–	5	3	–	9
Incarnate Word	3	–	5	5	–	7
Houston Christian	1	–	7	2	–	10
Northwestern State	0	–	8	1	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 McNeese Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University in the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys played their home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and competed in the Southland Conference. They were led by eleventh-year head coach Matt Viator, who was back as head coach after previously coaching the Cowboys from 2006 to 2015.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 pm	Louisiana Christian*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 54–9	11,279
September 6	7:00 pm	at Louisiana*	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA (Cajun Crown)	ESPN+	L 10–34	26,071
September 13	6:00 pm	Weber State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 41–42	11,702
September 20	7:00 pm	at Utah State*	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KMYU	L 7–48	16,273
September 27	7:00 pm	at Stephen F. Austin	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN+	L 17–34	10,684
October 4	6:00 pm	Southeastern Louisiana	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 0–38	9,207
October 18	6:00 pm	Houston Christian	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 27–0	10,339
October 25	3:00 pm	at Nicholls	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ESPN+	L 7–31	3,476
November 1	6:00 pm	Northwestern State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 50–3	10,044
November 8	4:00 pm	at East Texas A&M	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+	W 35–20	2,534
November 15	6:00 pm	UT Rio Grande Valley	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 13–28	9,929
November 22	3:00 pm	at No. 19 Lamar	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX (Battle of the Border)	ESPN+	W 21–19	13,674
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

Louisiana Christian (NAIA)

Louisiana Christian Wildcats (NAIA) (0–0) at McNeese Cowboys (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats (NAIA)	3	6	0	0	9
Cowboys	7	31	7	9	54

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: August 30
Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE 7 mph
Game attendance: 11,279
Referee: Austin Mezzacasa
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylie Eyster (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(12:03) LCU – Levi Hilborn 46-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 1:49; Louisiana Christian 3–0)
(5:00) MCN – Bryce Strong 7-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 7–3)

Second quarter

(14:00) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 38-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 10–3)
(9:07) MCN – Coleby Hamm 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:57; McNeese 17–3)
(7:12) LCU – Bryce Perkins 4-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 1:46; McNeese 17–9)
(4:45) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 21-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:20; McNeese 24–9)
(3:09) MCN – Jonathan Harris 15-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 0:53; McNeese 31–9)
(0:14) MCN – Jessie Campbell 11-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 6 plays, 96 yards, 1:19; McNeese 38–9)

Third quarter

(2:58) MCN – Bryce Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:59; McNeese 45–9)

Fourth quarter

(7:54) MCN – Marquez Davis 12-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 4:35; McNeese 52–9)
(7:02) MCN – 0-yard safety (McNeese 54–9)

Statistics	LCU	MCN
First downs	10	39
Total yards	141	664
Rushing yards	19	305
Passing yards	122	359
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	22:03	37:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana Christian	Passing	Phillip Jones II	6/15, 65 yards
	Rushing	Jaterrius Johnson	6 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Edward Scott Jr.	4 receptions, 51 yards
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	22/28, 329 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Davis	12 carries, 97 yards, TD
	Receiving	Logan Mauldin	3 receptions, 86 yards

at Louisiana (FBS, Cajun Crown)

McNeese Cowboys (1–0) at Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	3	0	10
Ragin' Cajuns (FBS)	7	10	0	17	34

at Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana

Date: September 6
Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SW 5 mph
Game attendance: 26,071
Referee: Marshall Lewis
TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst) and Ben Schafer (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter

(12:58) UL – Bill Davis 6-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:54; Louisiana 7–0)
(10:08) MCN – Devin Lippold 2-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:42; Tied 7–7)

Second Quarter

(1:06) UL – Bill Davis 36-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 0:47; Louisiana 14–7)
(0:00) UL – Tony Sterner 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 0:39; Louisiana 17–7)

Third Quarter

(11:50) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 45-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:10; Louisiana 17–10)

Fourth Quarter

(10:41) UL – Tony Sterner 37-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:19; Louisiana 20–10)
(3:48) UL – Landon Baptiste 10-yard pass from Daniel Beale, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:46; Louisiana 27–10)
(1:39) UL – Steven Blanco 34-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:03; Louisiana 34–10)

Statistics	MCN	UL
First downs	14	25
Total yards	238	401
Rushing yards	47	315
Passing yards	191	86
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	25:43	34:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	19/30, 191 yards, INT
	Rushing	Bryce Strong	7 carries, 17 yards
	Receiving	Joshua Jackson	4 receptions, 83 yards
Louisiana	Passing	Daniel Beale	14/22, 86 yards, TD
	Rushing	Bill Davis	19 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	KeDarius Wade	1 reception, 19 yards

Weber State

Weber State Wildcats (0–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	14	7	14	42
Cowboys	0	7	14	20	41

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: September 13
Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: SE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
Game attendance: 11,702
Referee: Gary Leeper
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylee Eyster (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter

(5:06) WEB – Jayleen Record 78-yard pass from Jackson Gilkey, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:42; Weber State 7–0)

Second Quarter

(14:46) WEB – Jackson Gilkey 50-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:56; Weber State 14–0)
(13:23) MCN – Bryce Strong 68-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:23; Weber State 14–7)
(0:21) WEB – Sloan Calder 10-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 4:38; Weber State 21–7)

Third Quarter

(12:02) MCN – Jonathan Harris 57-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:25; Weber State 21–14)
(5:48) WEB – Davion Godley 2-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:14; Weber State 28–14)
(2:21) MCN – Jake Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:19; Weber State 28–21)

Fourth Quarter

(11:05) WEB – Davion Godley 12-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:11; Weber State 35–21)
(9:45) WEB – BJ Carey 0-yard interception, Sloan Calder kick (Weber State 42–21)
(9:04) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 79-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 2 plays, 88 yards, 0:41; Weber State 42–28)
(4:56) MCN – Jonathan Harris 3-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 2:45; Weber State 42–35)
(0:42) MCN – Jake Strong 19-yard run (Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 1:32; Weber State 42–41)

Statistics	WEB	MCN
First downs	21	21
Total yards	447	537
Rushing yards	229	259
Passing yards	218	278
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	32:43	27:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Weber State	Passing	Jackson Gilkey	11/20, 218 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jackson Gilkey	15 carries, 114 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jayleen Record	1 reception, 78 yards, TD
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	20/39, 278 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tre'Vonte Citizen	11 carries, 117 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jonathan Harris	7 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD

at Utah State (FBS)

McNeese Cowboys (1–2) at Utah State Aggies (FBS) (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	0	7
Aggies (FBS)	13	21	14	0	48

at Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

Date: September 20
Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: N 4 mph
Game attendance: 16,273
Referee: Brad Carrell
TV announcers (KMYU): Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst) and Frank Dolce (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(5:46) USU – Kahanu Davis 45-yard pass from Bryson Barnes (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:03; Utah State 6–0)
(3:54) USU – Brady Boyd 53-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 2 plays, 58 yards, 0:37; Utah State 13–0)

Second quarter

(7:55) USU – Miles Davis 30-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:02; Utah State 20–0)
(5:59) MCN – Jonathan Harris 20-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:56; Utah State 20–7)
(1:33) USU – Bryson Barnes 3-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:26; Utah State 27–7)
(0:22) USU – Javen Jacobs 1-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 0:43; Utah State 34–7)

Third quarter

(9:37) USU – Bryson Barnes 21-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:03; Utah State 41–7)
(3:34) USU – Brady Boyd 9-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 89 yards, 1:50; Utah State 48–7)

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics	MCN	USU
First downs	13	27
Total yards	239	627
Rushing yards	109	334
Passing yards	130	293
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	28:46	31:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	7/23, 89 yards, TD
	Rushing	Tre'Vonte Citizen	12 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	Jonathan Harris	1 reception, 20 yards, TD
Utah State	Passing	Bryson Barnes	19/27, 293 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Bryson Barnes	13 carries, 128 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Braden Pegan	3 receptions, 95 yards

at Stephen F. Austin

McNeese Cowboys (1–3) at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	3	7	17
Lumberjacks	0	14	10	10	34

at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, Texas

Date: September 27
Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Rob Myers (play-by-play) and Hunter Taylor (analyst)

Statistics	MCN	SFA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Stephen F. Austin	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana Lions (3–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	14	24	0	0	38
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: October 4
Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavares (analyst)

Statistics	SELA	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Houston Christian

Houston Christian Huskies (2–4) at McNeese Cowboys (1–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: October 18
Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
Game attendance: 10,339

Statistics	HCU	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Nicholls

McNeese Cowboys (2–5) at Nicholls Colonels (1–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Colonels			0

at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, Louisiana

Date: October 25
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	NICH
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northwestern State (rivalry)

Northwestern State Demons (1–7) at McNeese Cowboys (2–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: November 1
Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	NWST	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at East Texas A&M

McNeese Cowboys (3–6) at East Texas A&M Lions (2–7) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

Date: November 8
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

UT Rio Grande Valley

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at McNeese Cowboys – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Vaqueros			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Date: November 15
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	RGV	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Rio Grande Valley	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 19 Lamar (Battle of the Border)

McNeese Cowboys (4–7) at No. 19 Lamar Cardinals (8–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
No. 19 Cardinals			0

at Provost Umphrey Stadium, Beaumont, Texas

Date: November 22
Game time: 3:00 PM CST
TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	LAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Lamar	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "2025 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

[1] "2025 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved February 6, 2025.

[1]

McNeese Cowboys football
Venues	Killen Field (1951–1953) Wildcat Stadium (1954–1964) Cowboy Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Central Arkansas: Red Beans and Rice Bowl Lamar: Battle of the Border Louisiana: Cajun Crown Northwestern State
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1940–1950 (junior college) 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025