As part of a 12-game slate, McNeese State will host Southern on Aug. 31, 2019, the school announced Thursday, marking the Jaguars’ first trip to Lake Charles.

“We’re excited to have such a great program come to Cowboy Stadium, in what will no doubt, draw a big crowd,” said McNeese Athletic Director Bruce Hemphill in a news release. “It’s always great when you can get an in-state team like Southern to come to your place. With their large fan base and alumni numbers, it will make for an exciting atmosphere and more than likely a capacity crowd.”

The two Football Championship Subdivision powers have one other prior meeting — a 2004 game at A.W. Mumford Stadium that McNeese won 35-18. Southern has nine Black College National Championships and 19 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles.

“With our commitment to broadening the Southern University brand, traveling to Lake Charles to face McNeese will provide a unique opportunity to add a storied in-state football program to our 2019 schedule and expose Southwest Louisiana to Jaguar football and the Jaguar Nation,” said Roman Banks, Southern interim athletic director.

Southern joins a 2019 schedule that features a guarantee game at Big 12 power Oklahoma State and a home tilt with Alcorn State.