In the fall of 1963, Lamar moved into Division I and joined the Southland Conference. However, it has not all been smooth sailing since.

For 20 years starting in 1990, the Beaumont, Texas school that is McNeese State’s biggest rival dropped football and became a basketball brand nationally.

Then, in the fall of 2010, the school brought back football and quickly rejoined the Southland. The Cardinals have had some tough times from there, making the FCS playoffs just once,  a first-round 16-13 loss at Northern Iowa in 2018.

Hard times, however, followed that season. The Cardinals went just 9-31 over the next four years, including a 1-10 debacle in 2022. That led to a coaching change.

Enter Peter Rossomando, who has led a rebuild over the last two seasons

After going 6-5 last year in Rossomando’s first season, the Cards are again 6-5 entering the season finale Saturday at McNeese.

Lamar is looking for its second straight winning season for the first time in the 1966 and 1967 campaigns. That is the pre-Nixon administration era.

Rossomando gives much of the credit to the senior class he will lose after today.

“In the end, they have done a really good job changing the narrative here at Lamar football,” Rossomando said. “All these guys who have transformed this place from a really tough place to play to where it is today, I’m very proud of them.

“They have really flipped the script on what’s expected of the Cardinals.”

McNeese has noticed the turnaround.

“He has done a good job turning that program around,” McNeese head coach Gary Goff said. “They have become a physical team that expects to win.”

It has added some pressure on a program that just two years ago was 1-10.

“Pressure is a privilege,” said Rossomando. “You earn pressure with how you play.”

Lamar and McNeese look a lot alike. They are the top two run teams in the Southland with the Cowboys averaging 197.3 yards a game on the ground while the Cardinals are at 174.

That doesn’t figure to change much this week as Lamar will challenge the McNeese defense which is also toughest in the conference to run against. The Cards will try to do it behind Khalan Griffin and a solid offensive line.

“When I look at them it’s almost like looking yourself in the mirror,” said Goff. “They are big and physical. They are going to want to run the ball right at us.

Griffin, who started his career at Rice, was a second-team all-SLC performer last year and is second in the league rushing this fall. He has run for 1,158 and seven touchdowns.

He could capture the rushing title as he enters the final game just six yards behind Anthony Martin of Southeastern (1,164). However, he is not expected to play as he left last week’s 24-7 win over Nicholls with an injury late.

“The other guys are good players,” said Rossomando. “They will look at this as an opportunity.”

Last season in the Cardinals’ 52-27 win over McNeese in Beaumont, Texas, Griffin ran for 123 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. As a team, Lamar rushed for 255 yards and four scores in the game.

Quarterback Robert Coleman is just 124 of 241 for 1,649 yards on the season. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Coleman was 12 of 17 for 132 yards and three scores against the Cowboys a year ago.

On defense, the Cardinals will look to get some turnovers like last week when they intercepted three Nicholls passes.

“Our defense was swarming,” said Rossomando. “That forced them to make some bad throws.”

As for playing against McNeese in the Battle of the Border, the Cardinals know what is at stake.

“We got to go play that team across the border,” said Rossomando. “Our guys are always excited to play them. They are in blue, we are in red.

“It should be fun.”