Eager for Revenge
Last year’s loss to Colonels has stuck in motivated Cowboys’ craw
The McNeese State Cowboys prepare this week for a game they’ve had circled on their calendars for more than a year now when they host Nicholls State a year after losing 37-35 to the Colonels in the season opener.
Cowboys head coach Guidry said he doesn’t plan to use last season’s loss as a motivating tool because, frankly, he doesn’t think he’ll have to.
“We’re trying to make it not bigger than it is,” Guidry said. “It’s game No.
3. Of course, the past and the history has something to do with this game. We lost the first conference game of the season last year against them and it came back to bite us as we missed the playoffs.
“You don’t have to remind the kids of that. That’s not something we have to harp on. They were there. They have that memory in their memory banks. We don’t have to keep bringing it back up. It’s just about getting that next win.”
Last week, Houston Baptist found success running an up-temp, no-huddle offense against the Cowboys. Guidry said the Huskies essentially scored two touchdowns with not lined up by the time the ball was snapped.
Guidry said he expects Nicholls to attack in similar fashion, going with four wide receivers when necessary and trying to keep the Cowboys on their heels.
“You can’t really prepare for it,” Guidry said. “You can’t get your scout team to go as fast as that. Really, you have to get in the game and get a feel for it. We do have some good teaching off of it.”
Guidry said one of the most difficult parts of defending a no-huddle offense is the fact that the defense doesn’t have enough time to call a play, so the Cowboys have to run a default defense that is picked exactly for those types of situations.
The Colonels are led by senior quarterback Chase Fourcade, a familiar foe of McNeese quarterback James Tabary. The two have played against each other since high school. And with Fourcade getting the win last season, Tabary will likely have extra motivation this weekend.
But Guidry said he doesn’t expect Tabary to think about Fourcade much during the week. It’s the defense he’s going against, not the opposing quarterback, he said.
“Unless James is rushing after Chase and Chase is rushing after James, I don’t think it plays a factor at all,” Guidry said. “They’re playing against the other team’s defense, so I’m sure they’re not watching each other on film this week.”
Guidry did call the rivalry a healthy one, and he said he knows both quarterbacks take pride in leading their team to victory.
McNeese’s home opener might be a game that fans and players alike have been looking forward to since last season, but Guidry tried to downplay the significance during Tuesday’s news conference. He wants to ensure his team knows that in the grand scheme of thing’s it’s just as important as every other Southland Conference game — no more, no less.
“By any means, this game’s not going to define us,” Guidry said. “If we win the game, it’s not all wrapped up like we’re going to the playoffs and winning conference. But, of course, it will help and it’s a big match-up this week in (Football Championship Subdivision) between two ranked teams.”
McNeese wide receiver Parker Orgeron runs the ball during a game earlier this season against Nicholls State