The Cowboys say they enter the second week of spring football workouts feeling good about their first three days on the field.

While head coach Matt Viator says there is still much work to be done, there has been solid success in the early going.

“I like the attitude and the work we have put in,” said Viator, who returns to the program he led for a decade. “I think it went pretty good, about as good as you could hope for.”

After Saturday’s practice, the coach said he moved from the morning until the afternoon in anticipation of rains that never came to Lake Charles. The coach said he liked the way his team reacted to the switch.

“They came ready to work,” Viator said. “They adjusted.”

The first week saw the players, mostly in shorts and helmets, working on fundamentals and finding a rhythm to Viator’s coaching style and pace of play. Things will ramp up a bit this week when they put on more pads, but the real physical stuff is still a ways away, Viator said.

“We will put the pads on and install more of the offense and defense,” he said. “We won’t get real physical until the third week or about the ninth practice. You want to make sure they are learning everything first.

“Right now we are still in the early part of all that. We need to continue to install stuff and get everybody in the right place. It is a process, but I like what I see.”

The Cowboys will be back at practice this afternoon. They work out Tuesdays and Thursdays after classes and Saturday mornings.

The Cowboys have been working on an entirely new offense as Viator and his former quarterback, now offensive coordinator Tyler Bolfing, put their system in place. While Viator says he has been happy, he also said there are a lot of things to clean up.

“Lots of mistakes, but that is to be expected,” he said.

With a new head coach and offense, a lot of eyes have been on the quarterbacks, led by transfer Jake Strong, who came from Texas Tech. Viator said Strong has looked good early, as has Alex Flores, a returning junior who figures to battle Strong for the starting job.

However, Viator said he is a long way from naming a starter. Running back Bryce Strong, who came on late last year, is also off to a nice start, Viator said.

The Cowboys are trying to do the same after posting a 6-6 campaign last year. McNeese is looking for its first winning season since 2019, the longest streak of non-winning seasons in program history.