# 2024 McNeese Cowboys football team

The 2024 McNeese Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University in the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys played their home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and compete in the Southland Conference. They were led by third–year head coach Gary Goff.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 22, 2024. The Cowboys were picked to finish sixth in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Nicholls | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Incarnate Word | 113 (8) |
| 3 | Southeastern Louisiana | 94 |
| 4 | Lamar | 88 (1) |
| 5 | Stephen F. Austin | 72 |
| 6 | McNeese | 64 |
| 7 | Houston Christian | 41 |
| 8 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 37 |
| 9 | Northwestern State | 25 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2024 preseason all-conference football team selections on July 22, 2024. McNeese had a total of three players selected.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 24 | 2:30 pm | at No. 21 Tarleton State* | | Memorial StadiumStephenville, TX | ESPN2 | L 23–26 | 16,125 |
| August 31 | 7:00 pm | Southern* | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | W 21–7 | 17,040 |
| September 7 | 11:45 am | at Texas A&M* | | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | SECN | L 10–52 | 92,345 |
| September 14 | 7:00 pm | Stephen F. Austin | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | W 28–24 | 8,223 |
| September 21 | 7:00 pm | Alcorn State* | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | W 42–14 | 10,252 |
| September 28 | 7:00 pm | at No. 25 Weber State* | | Stewart StadiumOgden, UT | ESPN+ | W 28–26 | 8,941 |
| October 5 | 6:00 pm | at Houston Christian | No. 22 | Husky StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | L 22–43 | 2,232 |
| October 19 | 4:00 pm | at No. 14 Incarnate Word | | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | L 17–30 | 1,634 |
| October 26 | 3:00 p.m. | at Nicholls | | Guidry StadiumThibodaux, LA | ESPN+ | L 19–24 | 6,593 |
| November 2 | 7:00 pm | Texas A&M–Commerce | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | W 31–3 | 8,584 |
| November 16 | 1:00 pm | at Northwestern State | | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 35–3 | 7,754 |
| November 23 | 7:00 pm | Lamar | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA (Battle of the Border) | ESPN+ | L 24–26 | 7,244 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 21 Tarleton State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 23 |
| No. 21 Texans | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX
* Date: Saturday August 24, 2024
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 96 °F (36 °C), SE at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 16,125
* Referee: Matthew Jones
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)
| Statistics | MCN | TAR |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Total yards | 66–445 | 69–339 |
| Rushing yards | 46–200 | 43–195 |
| Passing yards | 245 | 144 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14—20–1 | 12–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:32 | 34:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese | Passing | Clifton McDowell | 13/19, 242 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| McNeese | Rushing | Clifton McDowell | 20 carries, 67 yards |
| McNeese | Receiving | Matthew McCallister | 1 reception, 80 yards, TD |
| Tarleton State | Passing | Victor Gabelis | 11/18, 140 yards, TD |
| Tarleton State | Rushing | Kayvon Britten | 25 carries, 164 yards |
| Tarleton State | Receiving | Darius Cooper | 6 receptions, 85 yards |

### vs. Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: E at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
* Game attendance: 17,040
* Referee: Edward Bourgeois
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavaras (analyst)
| Statistics | SOU | MCN |
| First downs | 16 | 13 |
| Total yards | 198 | 272 |
| Rushing yards | 66 | 164 |
| Passing yards | 132 | 108 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–29–1 | 10–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:28 | 28:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern | Passing | Noah Bodden | 12/26, 118 yards, INT |
| Southern | Rushing | Kobe Dillion | 14 carries, 51 yards |
| Southern | Receiving | Jermaine Minor Jr. | 2 receptions, 37 yards |
| McNeese | Passing | Kamden Sixkiller | 9/19, 80 yards |
| McNeese | Rushing | D'Angelo Durham | 13 carries, 65 yards, TD |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 1 reception, 28 yards |

### at Texas A&M (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Aggies (FBS) | 14 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
* Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
* Game time: 11:45 a.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 92,345
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
| Statistics | MCN | TAMU |
| First downs | 14 | 29 |
| Total yards | 279 | 529 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 333 |
| Passing yards | 99 | 196 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 11–21–2 | 16–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:23 | 29:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese | Passing | Kamden Sixkiller | 9/19, 80 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| McNeese | Rushing | Bryce Strong | 6 rushes, 64 yards |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 2 receptions, 23 yards |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Conner Weigman | 11/14, 125 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | Le'Veon Moss | 9 rushes, 84 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Cyrus Allen | 5 receptions, 72 yards |

### vs. Stephen F. Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lumberjacks | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 87 °F (31 °C) • Wind: SW at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 8,223
* Referee: James Brookhart
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavares (analyst)
| Statistics | SFA | MCN |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 453 | 449 |
| Rushing yards | 212 | 136 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 313 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–28–1 | 18–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:51 | 30:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Stephen F. Austin | Passing | Sam Vidlak | 18/28, 241 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Stephen F. Austin | Rushing | Qualan Jones | 27 carries, 155 yards |
| Stephen F. Austin | Receiving | Isaiah Davis | 3 receptions, 87 yards, TD |
| McNeese | Passing | Clifton McDowell | 18/29, 313 yards, 2 TD |
| McNeese | Rushing | Coleby Hamm | 8 carries, 45 yards |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 5 receptions, 67 yards |

### vs. Alcorn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Braves | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: SE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 10,252
* Referee: Tim Davis
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavares (analyst)
| Statistics | ALCN | MCN |
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| Total yards | 421 | 457 |
| Rushing yards | 217 | 211 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 246 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–41–1 | 16–23–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:19 | 26:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alcorn State | Passing | Xzavier Vaughn | 16/41, 204 yards, TD, INT |
| Alcorn State | Rushing | Xzavier Vaughn | 16 carries, 127 yards, TD |
| Alcorn State | Receiving | Damien Jones | 7 receptions, 105 yards |
| McNeese | Passing | Clifton McDowell | 15/21, 229 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| McNeese | Rushing | Clifton McDowell | 8 carries, 76 yards, TD |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jonathan Harris | 5 receptions, 60 yards |

### at No. 25 Weber State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 25 Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Stewart Stadium, Ogden, Utah
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| McNeese | Passing |
| McNeese | Rushing |
| McNeese | Receiving |
| Weber State | Passing |
| Weber State | Rushing |
| Weber State | Receiving |

### at Houston Christian

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Husky Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| McNeese | Passing |
| McNeese | Rushing |
| McNeese | Receiving |
| Houston Christian | Passing |
| Houston Christian | Rushing |
| Houston Christian | Receiving |

### at No. 14 Incarnate Word

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 14 Cardinals | 0 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, Texas
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 4:00 PM
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,634
* Referee: Matt Bech
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Sam Kaman (analyst) and Blair Villarreal (sideline)
| Statistics | MCN | UIW |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Total yards | 324 | 424 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 182 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 242 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–36–0 | 23–44–1 |
| Time of possession | 23:30 | 36:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese | Passing | Kamden Sixkiller | 21/36, 219 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Rushing | Joshon Barbie | 10 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 21/42, 204 yards, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 25 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Josh Lorick | 5 receptions, 76 yards |

### at Nicholls

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colonels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| McNeese | Passing |
| McNeese | Rushing |
| McNeese | Receiving |
| Nicholls | Passing |
| Nicholls | Rushing |
| Nicholls | Receiving |

### vs. Texas A&M–Commerce

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Texas A&M-Commerce | Passing |
| Texas A&M-Commerce | Rushing |
| Texas A&M-Commerce | Receiving |
| McNeese | Passing |
| McNeese | Rushing |
| McNeese | Receiving |

### at Northwestern State (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| McNeese | Passing |
| McNeese | Rushing |
| McNeese | Receiving |
| Northwestern State | Passing |
| Northwestern State | Rushing |
| Northwestern State | Receiving |

### vs. Lamar (Battle of the Border)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 10 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana
* Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Wind: SE 10mph • Weather: Clear • Temp: 55
* Game attendance: 7,244
* Referee: Edward Bourgeois
* TV: ESPN+
* Box score
| Statistics | LAM | MCN |
| First downs | 24 | 22 |
| Total yards | 404 | 386 |
| Rushing yards | 247 | 130 |
| Passing yards | 157 | 256 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–26–0 | 24–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:43 | 32:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Robert Coleman | 8/15, 100 yards, 1 TD |
| Lamar | Rushing | RJ Carver | 22 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD |
| Lamar | Receiving | Kyndon Fuselier | 5 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Passing | Alex Flores | 24/34, 256 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Rushing | Joshon Barbie | 24 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD |