Southland Conference Logo

HOUSTON — The Southland Conference began its road to the 2017 football season Thursday at its annual media day in downtown Houston where coaches and a few select players shared their thoughts on the days to come.

McNeese State head coach Lance Guidry — with quarterback James Tabary and defensive lineman Jammerio Gross-Whitaker in tandem — brought his usual high-energy charisma to the podium as he answered questions about everything from skill positions, to his return to calling defensive plays, even to players’ nicknames.

But while energy has become a trademark of Guidry’s McNeese squad since he took the helm last year, the vibe this year is different.

This year, the Cowboys feel hungry, Guidry said.

“We had a good offseason,” he said. “I went back on the defensive side, so all of those guys are jacked up, and our offense know in their heart that it’s what’s best.”

But while Guidry’s decision to be his own defensive coordinator may have been what got the Cowboys excited initially, it’s the team’s new motto that has them yearning for success.

“Last year we learned a lot of things on the football field and off of it, mostly that life is short,” Guidry said. “You have to seize the moment.”

It’s these experiences that inspired Guidry to come up with “The Last Ride,” a short phrase that has become a mantra for the Cowboys leading up to a season following a year Guidry calls underwhelming.

“Last season we finished 6-5,” Guidry said. “And while that’s a winning season, 6-5 is not where we want to be. That is not the standard at McNeese.”

Tabary said Guidry threw blitz packages at him that took him weeks to figure out despite an explosive offense and a revamped offensive line bolstered by LSU transfer Andy Dodd.

“I can’t wait to see him put that scheme against an opponent and watch those guys struggle,” Tabary said. “It took me three weeks to get used to it. Those guys are only going to have a week, maybe two.”

With an experienced receiving corps, a bigger line in front of him and regular practice against a dangerous and speedy defense, Tabary said McNeese fans have only seen a sliver of what the Cowboys’ offense is capable of doing.

“We’re about to explode,” Tabary said about the offense. “To be honest, we only played up to our expectations in maybe two games last year. There is so much that we have left out, whether it be leaving yards on the field to not installing the entire offense. Now we’re trying to get it to the guys that make plays.”

McNeese, once considered to be the SLC’s gold standard, also received praise from other conference teams, especially those within the state of Louisiana.

‘We had a good offseason. I went back on the defensive side, so all of those guys are jacked up, and our offense know in their heart that it’s what’s best.’
Lance Guidry
Second-year Cowboys head coach
Clear-cut favorite
Sam Houston State was voted to repeat as Southland Conference champion. The Bearkats were 12-1 last season. Led by eight preseason all-conference selections, McNeese State was predicted to finish third.

Nicholls State head coach Tim Rebowe said the season opener between the Colonels and the Cowboys — Thursday, Aug. 31 — was the lone game on the schedule as far as he was concerned, and Southeastern Louisiana head coach Ron Roberts called the Lions’ win against McNeese last season a milestone moment for the program.

“McNeese and the tradition they’ve got, they’re just an unbelievable program for years,” Roberts said. “For us to be able to have success against them and do that hopefully leads back to our recruiting.”

The Cowboys are a long way from achieving their goals and they have a lot to prove, Guidry says. But they’re as confident as ever despite coming of a 6-5 season, and they have nothing short of national championship aspiration.

“We know what it feels like to be on top, and we know what it feels like to be at the bottom,” Gross-Whitaker said. “Last year definitely humbled us. Now we have almost 30 seniors. We’re all here, we’re all hungry and we all want it really bad.”