There will be no losing season this year for the Cowboys.

For the first time since 2019, McNeese State will finish no worse than .500.

The Cowboys broke the losing streak Saturday with an easy 35-3 victory over hapless Northwestern State inside Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches.

With one game remaining, McNeese improved to 6-5 overall and 3-3 in the Southland Conference by overwhelming the Demons (0-11, 0-6). The Pokes will finish their season against Lamar next Saturday night at Cowboy Stadium.

“Overall, a big win on the road,” said McNeese head coach Gary Goff. 

For the second straight game, Joshon Barbie and Bryce Strong each ran for over 100 yards. It was Barbie’s game in a row where he cracked the century mark.

Barbie finished with a career-high 139 yards on 22 carries, one more yard than his previous best against Lamar in last year’s finale. 

“He is Mr. Reliable,” Goff said of his top back. “He is a workhorse. He has a chance to be a special player.”

As a team, McNeese went over 300 yards on the ground (314) for the second straight time. The Cowboys rushed for 347 against East Texas A&M two weeks ago.

McNeese finished with 440 yards of total offense.

Strong ended with 106 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, all in the second half. Coleby Hamm also scored for McNeese.

“Anytime you can establish the run it takes the pressure off the defense and the quarterbacks,” said Goff. “That is a good thing.”

The Cowboy defense did the rest. For the second straight game, they didn’t allow a touchdown, giving up just two field goals over the last eight quarters. McNeese has not let an opponent reach the end zone in 128 minutes and two seconds.

The Pokes allowed just 157 yards on 57 plays, 58 of those coming on just one play. Take that play out and the Demons averaged just 1.8 yards a snap. Fourteen times NSU was tackled behind the line, the most for the Cowboys in 15 seasons.

“They are all in attack mode,” said Goff. “The linebackers played really good. All good sites to see.”

Sophomore Alex Flores came off the bench and pumped new life into the McNeese offense. He replaced Kamden Sixkiller late in the first half and guided the Cowboys on a 13-play, 91-yard drive right before halftime that opened things up.

Flores, who had played sparingly since transferring from Mt. San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, California, went 6-of-7 on the march for 44 yards. He ended it with a 2-yard touchdown toss to tight end Logan Mauldin with 29 seconds left in the half.

Flores had entered the game just 2-of-3 for 19 yards on the season. His TD toss gave McNeese a 14-3 lead. Flores finished 8-of-14 for 62 yards and two interceptions.

“Alex came in when his number was called and did a good job,” said Goff. “There are a couple of throws he wishes he had back but he did a good job.”

Sixkiller was 5-of-8 for 39 yards with an interception before being replaced. The redshirt freshman has been picked off three of his last 15 attempts.

Hamm’s 2-yard run early in the second quarter had opened the day’s scoring.

NSU’s only score came on a 25-yard field goal by Reed Honshtein 8:31 before the break. 

McNeese added a trick play into the fold in the third quarter when wide receiver Jamaal Levi took a handoff and fired a 25-yard TD pass to a wide-open Barbie in the end zone for a 28-3 lead. 

“That’s something we have been working on for a long time,” said Goff. “Jamaal has a great arm.”

Tristan Driggers and Thomas Miles had interceptions to help offset McNeese’s four turnovers. 

Star linebacker Micah Davey left the game in the second quarter after an injury he made with a touchdown-saving tackle. Davey has already missed three games this year with a rib injury.

The game was the first meeting in a longtime rivalry since 2021 after the teams played for 71 straight years. If you include four forfeits from last season, the Demons’ loss was the 23rd straight.

For the Cowboys, they have a chance to finish the season with three straight wins for the second time in Goff’s three seasons. It would also mark their second three-game win streak of the season if they can knock off Lamar.
“It’s a big game for us, a big rivalry game,” said Goff. “Excited to see these guys finish”.