Last week the McNeese State football team lost its season and Southland Conference opener to Nicholls State due to a last-second kick in a game the Cowboys arguably should have one if statistics decided games. 

But that was the last thing concerning some of the Cowboys this week after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc across Southeast Texas and areas in Southwest Louisiana.

Multiple players have had to deal with the damage done by Harvey over the last two weeks in different ways. Some had families in the heart of the storm, others had to find a way out of the Houston area just to get back into Lake Charles to practice last week. 

“On Monday, I was stuck out in Houston and had to take some crazy route just to get back to practice,” said McNeese starting running back Justin Pratt. “Then when we had to practice, we had to go to Louisiana-Lafayette. I don’t think it really distracted us. Practice is practice, but it was different.”

Players weren’t the only ones affected by the storm, either. First-year offensive line coach Ben Norton — who lives in the Beaumont area — had to evacuate his home, which eventually saw several feet of flood water. He and his family are staying in the area due to the generosity of some boosters, but there is no doubt the storm has taken its toll on him and a good number of the players. 

Sometimes, while in the heat of football season, it can be tough to put these kinds of things in perspective. 

It’s easy to look at McNeese’s performance last week and point to a litany of problems that were frustrating and even déjà vu-inducing in the worst way. 

But in the long run, what does that loss really matter? Another loss for the Cowboys? Boo-hoo. They took the Southland Conference championship race out of their hands? Big whoop. 

The McNeese football team is made up of people who have been affected by this natural disaster in the same way a lot of people in this area have, and still the get out there and play football for the love of the game and the enjoyment of the fans who watched. 

“We had a tough couple weeks with people losing homes and their families and just having to travel up and down the road,” said head coach Lance Guidry. “I hate to say this, because I am the head coach, but it’s just a football game, especially with what’s happening in East Texas right now in Beaumont and Houston. I don’t think we’ll need to regroup. We’ll just move forward. 

“Sometimes you just have to chalk it up and turn it over to the football gods. We’ll get back on track and we’ll try to be better than we were last week.”

Guidry, along with other coaches throughout the nation, love the game of football, because to them it represents life. It has its ups and downs; one has to work tirelessly to achieve success, and when success comes, there is nothing sweeter. 

The highs are high, and the lows are low. The Cowboys hit a low point last week, both on and off the field. 

Now they go into a nonconference game against Division II opponent Florida Tech for their first home game of the season. Guidry said that he and the Cowboys can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd. Maybe that energy will lift them to some more highs. 

“We’re really excited to be back in ‘The Hole,’” Guidry said. “No excuses this week. We should have a good crowd at home, and its military appreciation night. We should play really well. It ought to be a good night of football.”

So go to Cowboy Stadium on Saturday night and support a team that has sacrificed a lot to play this kid’s game our culture has embraced over the last century. Whether the Cowboys bounce back and return to playing like McNeese teams of old or continue to struggle, at least you know they want to be there.

Tyler Nunez covers McNeese State athletics. Email him at tnunez@americanpress.com