The Cowboys have become the ultimate fixer-upper.

Fix the leaking pipes and the windows break.

Fix the windows and the roof leaks.

Fix the roof and … you get the picture.

McNeese State found more problems as the Cowboys opened the home portion of the schedule Saturday night.

Alcorn State used more McNeese miscues to win its first game of the season, 30-19 before 11,425 inside Cowboy Stadium.

The loss was the fourth straight for the Cowboys (0-3) dating to last season. Since 2019 McNeese is 2-7 at home and 7-14 overall.

The loss was the first by a McNeese team to a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 16 tries.

It was also the first in five games against Alcorn (1-2).

“We have got to get better,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “I don’t have any answers and I don’t have any excuses.”

McNeese tried to make things interesting, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. A 14-yard TD run by D’Angelo Durham was followed by a 21-yard scoring pass from quarterback Knox Kadum to freshman Cameron Senegal.

That cut the lead to 24-17 entering the final quarter.

But a pair of Kadum interceptions ended hopes of any comeback.

For the first time this season Kadum played the entire game. He finished 16 of 33 for career-high 260 yards and one touchdown to go with the two picks.

“We had our chances and we didn’t capitalize on them,” Goff said. “There are no moral victories. Yes we had flashes, but we have to get better.”

Mason Pierce made five catches for 80 yards on 13 targets. Deonta McMahon had his second consecutive 100-yard game, finishing with 102 yards on 10 carries.

But Kadum was sacked 10 times for 76 yards in losses and the Cowboys, who entered the game with four penalties on the season, committed eight for 90 yards and were 1 of 11 on third-down conversions.

McNeese quarterbacks have been sacked 20 times in the three games and are 4-for-31 on third downs.

“No matter how you slice it we have to find ways to make plays,” Goff said. “We have to get better. There are lots of places where we have to get better, it’s not just one thing.”

The Braves used a big second quarter to grab a 21-3, scoring three touchdowns in a span of 8 minutes.

The big play was an 89-yard bomb from Aaron Allen to running back Jarveon Howard that capped the run.

The Cowboys seemed to at least answer that one with a 53-yard pass and run from Kadum to Pierce. But a holding penalty wiped out the touchdown.

McNeese had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Garrison Smith 33 second before halftime.

Noah Kiani was 3-for-3 on field goals for the Braves.