Two days after announcing officially that it has signed to play two future, big-money games against LSU the Cowboys learned their schedule for next year.

McNeese State will play five non conference games before hitting their bye week and beginning Southland Conference games.

The league released its conference schedule for next season Thursday with the Cowboys learning they will play three of their seven SLC games at Cowboy Stadium.

That means McNeese will have seven road games in all as they will open the season playing two home games in Lake Charles and three away over the first five weeks. The 2024 season will consist of 12 total games for the Pokes instead of the usual 11.

McNeese, the SLC’s attendance leader last season despite a 1-10 record, played six games on the road in 2023. They only played four games at home with a fifth against Northwestern State canceled.

The conference announced the Cowboys will open the league portion of their slate at home against Texas A&M-Commerce on Oct. 12. The Lions have been in the league for two seasons and have beaten McNeese both years.

After that it’s two straight weeks on the road for the Pokes against the top two finishers in the league this season. First the Pokes are at Incarnate Word on Oct. 19 followed by Nicholls, the reigning SLC champs, on Oct. 26

McNeese will be back home to start a four-game November stretch against Southeastern on the second. On Nov. 9 they travel to Houston Christian and then have their second back-to-back SLC road game at Northwestern State on the 16.

The Cowboys will close out their regular season on Nov. 23 against I-10 rival Lamar at home in the Battle of the Border.

McNeese will open its season on Aug. 31 with a home game against Southern University before hitting the road for games at Texas A&M and Tarleton State the first two Saturdays in September.

The trip to Texas A&M will be the second for McNeese but first since the Aggies joined the SEC. It will be the second straight season they will play an SEC team, losing to Florida in Week 2 this year.

On Sept. 21 McNeese will return home to play Alcorn. This will be the third straight year the Braves and Cowboys will meet with Alcorn winning the last two.

The Pokes will travel to Weber State for their final non conference game on Sept. 28 leading into their bye week.

In other football news, redshirt sophomore linebacker Micah Davey finished seventh in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award. The award honors the national defensive player of the year on the FCS level and is named after the Kansas Chiefs Hall of Famer who was a college star at Grambling.

Davey finished with 46 points while picking up two votes for national Player of the Year. He also got three second and third place votes.

Davey was named to the All-Southland Conference First Team this year and led the FCS in total tackles with 153, tackles per game at 15.3 and solo tackles a contest with 8.3.

He recorded 10 tackles in each of McNeese’s 10 games. Davey finished strong with 20 tackles against Houston Christian and then ended the season with 21 at Lamar.

Davey is the fourth McNeese defender to finish in the top seven for the award over the last six seasons. Defensive end Isaiah Chamber placed four for the spring 2021 season and seventh that fall.

Linebacker B.J. Blunt was seventh in 2018.

The winner of the three finalists will be announced on Jan. 6.

Three finalists were named for the Buchanan. Defensive end Terrell Allen of Tennessee State and linebackers Dylan Kelly of UAlbany and Billy Shaeffer of Lafayette are in the running.

McNeese is hoping Davey elects to stay with the Pokes for his junior year and not enter the transfer portal which opened up Dec. 4 for 30 days.