After missing last Saturday’s game at Texas A&M with an ankle injury, Clifton McDowell was back at quarterback Tuesday for the Cowboys.

The senior transfer from Montana took his usual number of first-team snaps during a morning practice as McNeese State started preparations for its first conference opener.

The Cowboys will host Stephen F. Austin (1-1) Saturday night and McDowell is expected to be back starting barring any setbacks.

“I feel good,” McDowell said after practice. “I feel 100 percent. I will be good to go.”

McDowell missed most of last week’s workouts while getting treatment for an injury he suffered during the Cowboys’ comeback win over Southern two weeks ago. McDowell came back off the bench to score a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. 

He finally managed to practice last Thursday, but it was limited. He was ruled out after trying to go through pregame work last Saturday. However, head coach Gary Goff and the training staff chose to rest him.

“The trainers said it was a good idea to sit him and I’m always going to go with their options,” said Goff Monday. “Clifton wanted to play but we wanted to practice caution.”

Not getting a chance to play against the SEC power Aggies disappointed McDowell.

“I wanted to play but now you have to be ready for conference,” McDowell said. “We will be ready to go Saturday.”

The Cowboys (1-2) will take Wednesday off due to the weather. The campus will be closed all day and with the facilities shut down while the players will shelter at home and watch films.

“We will get rested, eat some snacks, and work on the game,” said defensive back  Yusef Leak. “It is some extra adversity we have to work through.”

Goff said the team is expected to adjust its practice plans on Thursday and Friday depending on the storm. 

Leak, a junior transfer from St. Thomas University has been a big part of an improved McNeese secondary which will likely get challenged Saturday. 

“They like to throw the football,” said Leak. “We are looking forward to the challenge.”

McDowell knows SFA’s quarterback, Sam Vidlak very well. The two were teammates last year at Montana and helped lead the Grizzlies to the FCS national title game. 

McDowell won the starting job but Vidlak played in seven games and threw for three touchdowns. Both transferred at the end of the season.

“It is a little strange,” said McDowell. “He (Vidlak) is a good friend. He was family at one time and we went through a lot of adversity together.”

Vidlak is off to a good start for the Lumberjacks, throwing for 469 yards and six touchdowns. Most of that came against NAIA North American University in SFA’s opening 77-0 victory. 

McDowell, despite the injury, has accounted for four of McNeese’s seven touchdowns this season. He has thrown for two and rushed for two in his two games of work.

Now he will get a chance to be back on the field and take on an old friend.

“Sam is like me, he is a competitor,” McDowell said. “He is going to want to win just like me. It will be fun.”, 

Another old friend will be on the SFA side of the field this weekend. Lumberjack punter Callum Eddings, who played in 31 games over the last three years for McNeese, transferred to SFA this season. He is averaging 41 yards on six punts this year.