Cowboys open second half of season looking for first win

Published 1:04 pm Friday, October 20, 2023

Looking to find some beauty against age, the Cowboys open the second half of their season still searching for their first win.

If they are to get it Saturday night it won’t be easy.

The young Pokes welcome fifth-ranked Incarnate Word into Cowboy Stadium for a Southland Conference meeting that kicks off at 7 p.m.

The Cardinals, 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, sit a half-game out of first place and are the only league team ranked in the FCS polls. They will be led by a bevy of graduate transfers after advancing to the playoff semifinals last year.

McNeese State (0-6, 0-2) is on the other side of the ledger. The Cowboys will play a host of first-year players as they look to get their season finally on track.

“We need any kind of a win,” said second-year McNeese head coach Gary Goff. “The kids continue to work hard and have good energy, I just want them to be rewarded for their effort.”

This is already the worst start to a season in McNeese football history and the Pokes are guaranteed their fourth straight losing campaign unless they somehow were to win out and capture two playoff games.

Those odds seem just as long as upsetting UIW, which has lofty goals under first-year head coach Clint Killough.

“They are a very good football team,” said Goff. “They have a lot of experience and a lot of talent on both sides of the football. We will have to play a clean game to have a chance. If not, they can embarrass you.”

Embarrassing the Cowboys is something UIW teams seem to like doing. In their last three victories over McNeese, the Cardinals have scored late touchdowns in blowout games, leaving tensions a little high during postgame handshakes.

While McNeese leads the all-time series 5-4, UIW has won four of the last five. They have outscored the Pokes 172-57 in those victories, scoring at least 45 points three times.

Despite losing its core from last year’s 12-2 co-SLC champs, the Cardinals have used the transfer portal to quickly reload. Led by former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada, who started 10 games as an Aggie before playing at Auburn, the UIW offense is as strong as ever.

Calzada is sixth nationally on the FCS level in passing yards at 1,797, having thrown 11 touchdown passes. He does have seven interceptions though.

“He is an outstanding player who makes a lot of things happen,” said Goff. “He throws a great deep ball. We have to get pressure on him and get some turnovers. That is a key.”

Calzada has another grad transfer to throw to in Brandon Porter, who is fourth in the country in receiving yards at 636 with three TDs on 36 catches. Porter is averaging just over 17 yards a catch.

“We are looking forward to the challenge,” said McNeese freshman safety Boogsie Silvera. “We can’t give up the big plays and have to make some ourselves.”

UIW averages 314 yards a game through the air and another 153 on the ground.

Porter is one of two Cardinals named this week to the Phil Steele Midseason All-American Team on the FCS level. Porter was selected on the first squad with teammate and fellow grad transfer Stephen Parker, who leads the nation in tackles for loss at 14. He also has 6.5 sacks.McNeese has allowed 20 sacks on the season so checking on Parker will be another key.

“They can rush the passer and we have been working hard on our protection,” said McNeese offensive guard Cole Leclair. “We have to block better to give the offense time to work.”

The Cowboys have their own midseason award winner in redshirt sophomore Micah Davey, who is second in the country in total tackles with 82 (13.7 a game). He was named as a fourth-team All-American.

McNeese is hoping to get some of its offense back this week. Tailbacks Coleby Hamm and D’Angelo Durham missed the last game with injuries, forcing the Pokes to dig deep into the depth chart for runners.

Hamm has been cleared to play this week with Durham being called a “game-time decision” by Goff.

“We will make sure D’Angelo is fully healthy before we let him go,” said Goff. “He wants to play so bad but we have to be smart about it.”

The Cowboys hope to get more out of their passing which has struggled with Nate Glantz at quarterback. Glantz has hit on just 49 percent of his pass attempts with only three touchdown passes, all to Jon McMcall. Glantz has thrown five interceptions, three over the last two games.

“He can’t turn the ball over it’s that simple,” said Goff. “Nate can’t try to do too much and has to take what the defense is giving him.”

Goff expects that more young players will get increased playing time over the last five games starting against UIW as McNeese continues to try and rebuild its program and search for a victory.