As the season slips away, the Cowboys aren’t quietly riding off into the the sunset.

They want to leave a lasting impression despite their struggles.

McNeese State’s season will come to a close Saturday inside Cowboy Stadium when it hosts Northwestern State. The Pokes won the first meeting between the two this season 35-17 back on Oct. 16 in Natchitoches.

“We are playing an old rival that we have a lot of respect for,” said McNeese head coach Frank Wilson. “We want to finish strong and set the tone for our offseason.”

Wilson also wants to send his seniors off right. A win would give McNeese (4-6, 3-4 in Southland Conference) a .500 league mark.

“That’s important to us,” Wilson has said.

So is how the Cowboys play.

Led by a surging defense that took produced five turnovers last week in a 44-3 thumping of Houston Baptist, McNeese is looking to end the year winning four of its last six games.

All-American defensive end Isaiah Chambers led the way for the Cowboys in his return home to Houston. Chambers, a graduate transfer from the University of Houston, was the leader of a Poke crew that held HBU to 182 yards of total offense and just seven rushing.

His strip sack of HBU quarterback Orion Olivas led to the game’s first touchdown.

On consecutive plays in the third quarter, Chambers broke up a pass at the line on second down and provided the pressure that led to another deflected pass on third down. Chambers finished the day with three tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

That effort led the SLC to name Chambers as its Defensive Player of the Week. It was his second such honor this season and fourth of his career, which has been for just 17 games. For the season, Chambers leads the league with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss and has moved into eighth all-time in school history with 17 career sacks.

“Isaiah has been incredible all season,” said Wilson. “He is so disruptive.

“He is a young man of high quality who comes to play everyday, every practice.

“He is as humble as a guy can be. He comes in, puts his hard hat on and goes to work.”

Chambers was not alone in having a big day.

Freshman defensive back Quad Wilson intercepted a pass, the first of his career, and recovered a fumble. Quad Wilson is the son of the head coach.

“I had to put my coach’s hat on but I was very proud of him,” said Frank Wilson. “I told him that. He has worked really hard and been improving.”

Running back Deonta McMahon earned honorable mention honors for the offensive weekly award following a career-high 124 yards rushing and a touchdown while kicker Nolan Heitmeier garnered honorable mention accolades for the special teams award after he connected on five of six PAT kicks and booted a 23-yard field goal to mark the first make for the Cowboys since week three against Southern.

Now the Cowboys hope for one more big showing to finishing things off right.

“We get a chance to play one last time together as a group,” Frank Wilson said. “It will be emotional and something we should relish and remember.”