It was a bone-chilling February night in the winter of 2021 when the Cowboys welcomed Tarleton State into the world of Division I football.

With the wind-chill dropping into single digits, McNeese State scored two touchdowns in the final 2:46 of regulation just to force overtime. The Cowboys won in two OTs 40-37, ruining the Texans’ debut on the FCS level.

That game, which started the shortened spring season after COVID whipped out the previous fall, was the debut of Frank Wilson as McNeese’s head coach. He celebrated his victory when one of the team buses slid off the icy road while leaving Stephenville, Texas, and into a ditch.

Cowboy football has been on a slide ever since.

As for the Texans, their program has gained national attention since that game, beating McNeese last year in the season opener 52-34 in Lake Charles. Now the Texans find themselves ranked in the preseason FCS polls, coming in at No.21 in the Coaches version while the Cowboys look to turn their fortunes around. They are as high as No. 18 in other spots.

The Texans, who will be in their first full FCS season since coming up from D-II and coming off an 8-3 season, are the hot pick.

The two kick off their rare 12-game seasons with a game that will be played in much different conditions Saturday back in Texas.

“They are a very good football program and have really made the jump well,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “They have high expectations over there. They are nationally ranked and it will be a challenge that we are looking forward to.”

Picked for second in the United Athletic Conference, the Texans seem to have something cooking in Stephenville. Led by an offense that averaged 33.3 points a game last season and returns 10 starters.

Led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers and a strong offensive line, Tarleton has the weapons to score on anybody. Kayvon Britten is the main back. He ran for 1,150 yards and 16 touchdowns,

Derrel Kelley ran for over 1,000 yards for Tarleton in 2022. Last year he had 541 yards and four TDs on 109 carries as the backup.

All five starters are back on the offensive line, as are the top receivers, led by Darius Cooper, who had 622 yards on 28 catches and five scores in seven games. He and Britten have been named to preseason All-American teams.

Quarterback Victor Gabalis is also back after spending two years at Washington State and another at Utah Tech. He finished last season 164 of 301 for 2,492 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing 13 interceptions.

“They are going to be balanced,” said Goff. “They got a high-powered offense and scored a lot of points last year. They are pretty electric at receiver.

“It will be a great challenge for our defense, but I think we have vastly improved there.”

The Texan’s defense has holes to fill and was susceptible to giving up big scores. That will need to improve if they take the next step.

McNeese and the rest of the nation will get a look at just what type of a team Tarleton has Saturday.