A few hours delayed, but the Cowboys’ latest rebuild is officially under construction.

To beat the heat and storms of summer afternoons, the McNeese State moved their camp to morning workouts this year only to run into heavy rains Wednesday.

So McNeese’s first practice of the new season started in the afternoon as the Cowboys dodged the day’s final raindrops during their 2:15 workout.

That seems a fitting start for a team that will face many obstacles and challenges to right the struggling program.

“It’s been a long day,” said head coach Gary Goff. “We flipped the day. We had meetings and weightlifting in the morning.”

There was also no heat as the cooler-than-normal temperatures were a welcome change to the usual hot days that often forced breaks as the thermostat rose.

“We planned for the heat,” Goff said. “We planned for this at some point.

“It is not even August yet, we have plenty of time for the heat to get here. We have to expect these changes and get used to them.”

The lower temperatures made for a fairly crisp first practice.

“Everybody was ready to go,” said linebacker Micah Davey. “For the first day of camp, everything was pretty clean.”

Playing clean is a big part of what the Cowboys hope to do this season.

“We had a couple of hiccups but that is to be expected,” said defensive back Levi Wyatt. “I think we took a huge first step.”

McNeese had a full roster on the field for the first time since 2018 as the Cowboys’ numbers reflect increased work in recruiting. Fifty-seven of those are newcomers, going through their first camp workout for McNeese.

That alone made this a different first day for Goff and his staff. In their previous two seasons under Goff, the Cowboys were not able to fill the roster.

That, along with the increased talent, has led to hope of a big turnaround this season.

“We had a lot of energy and excitement out there,” said Goff. “We have been looking forward to this all summer.

“It is good to have a full roster. We have two and at some positions three deep.”

With the opening of camp the Cowboys also officially started the process of forgetting about the past season.

“We are not talking about last year,” said Goff. “We are moving forward.”

Come rain or shine.