# 2023 McNeese Cowboys football team

The 2023 McNeese Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Gary Goff, the Cowboys played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 24, 2023. The Cowboys were picked to finish third in the conference.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Southeastern Louisiana | 93 (9) |
| 2 | Incarnate Word | 91 (7) |
| 3 | McNeese | 65 |
| 4 | Nicholls | 62 |
| 5 | Northwestern State | 52 |
| 6 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 33 |
| 7 | Lamar | 28 |
| 8 | Houston Christian | 24 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2023 preseason all-conference football team selections on July 21, 2023. McNeese had a total of 4 players selected.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Tarleton State* | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | L 34–52 | 12,074 |
| September 9 | 6:30 p.m. | at Florida* | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | ESPNU | L 7–49 | 88,163 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at Alcorn State* | Casem-Spinks StadiumLorman, MS | | L 3–17 | 2,052 |
| September 23 | 2:00 p.m. | at Eastern Illinois* | O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL | ESPN+ | L 28–31 | 6,565 |
| September 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Nicholls | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | L 10–31 | 9,148 |
| October 7 | 7:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M–Commerce | Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | ESPN+ | L 10–41 | 4,817 |
| October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 5 Incarnate Word | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | L 24–35 | 7,415 |
| October 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Northwestern State | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 2–0 (forfeit) | |
| November 4 | 3:00 p.m. | at Southeastern Louisiana | Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA | ESPN+ | L 24–38 | 3,228 |
| November 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Houston Christian | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | L 24–35 | 6,724 |
| November 18 | 3:00 p.m. | Lamar | Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX (Battle of the Border) | ESPN+ | L 27–52 | 5,683 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Florida (FBS)

* Previous meeting
* First Meeting
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| McNeese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Florida | 13 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 49 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 7:35 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 88,163
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | MCN | FLA |
| First downs | 6 | 33 |
| Total yards | 40–112 | 74–560 |
| Rushing yards | 26–46 | 51–327 |
| Passing yards | 66 | 233 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 7–14–0 | 18–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:51 | 36:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese | Passing | Nate Glantz | 6/13, 62 yards |
| McNeese | Rushing | D'Angelo Durham | 11 carries, 45 yards |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jon McCall | 1 reception, 18 yards |
| Florida | Passing | Graham Mertz | 14/17, 193 yards, TD |
| Florida | Rushing | Montrell Johnson Jr. | 15 carries, 119 yards, 2 TD |
| Florida | Receiving | Ricky Pearsall | 6 receptions, 123 yards, TD |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Florida −47.5 | 55.5 |

## Postseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2023 all-conference football team selections on November 22, 2023. Three McNeese players were selected.