# 2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The 2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Frank Wilson, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 3–4 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
On August 13, McNeese State Athletic Department decided to postpone all fall sports with the intent to play in the spring. This decision canceled all games that were to be played from September through November 2020.

## Preseason
### Recruiting class

Reference(s):
US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Khaylon Chapple Defensive Line | Haughton, LA | Haughton HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Caron Coleman Offensive Line | St. Louis, MO | Pattonville HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Luke Howard Tight End | Lafayette, LA | St. Thomas More Catholic HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Mason Kinsey Defensive End | Mansfield, TX | Mansfield Legacy HS Navarro College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Grayson Mays Defensive End | Bellville, TX | Bellville HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Josh Parker Running Back | Baton Rouge, LA | Catholic HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Tyler Patrick Offensive Line | Wamego, KS | Wamego HS Butler College | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Brendan Sirls Wide Receiver | Arlington, TX | Mansfield Summit HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Rae'kwon Starks Cornerback | Harvey, LA | Helen Cox HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Ridge Texada Defensive Back | Frisco, TX | Centennial HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Dec 1, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Quad Wilson Safety | San Antonio, TX | Brandeis HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Leon Young Defensive Line | Dallas, TX | Cedar Hills HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||

### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their spring preseason poll in January 2021. The Cowboys were picked to finish fourth in the conference. In addition, three Bearkats were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Nicholls | 67 (7) |
| 2 | Sam Houston State | 65 (6) |
| 3 | Southeastern Louisiana | 48 |
| 4 | McNeese State | 45 (1) |
| 5 | Incarnate Word | 32 |
| 6 | Northwestern State | 20 |
| 7 | Lamar | 17 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams
## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| February 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at Tarleton State* | | Memorial StadiumStephenville, TX | FSSW+ | W 40–37 $^{2OT}$ | 1,324 |
| February 27 | 12:00 p.m. | Incarnate Word | No. 19 | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | ESPN+ | L 20–48 | 2,394 |
| March 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 24 Southeastern Louisiana | | Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA | ESPN+ | L 20–25 | 3,050 |
| March 13 | 12:00 p.m. | Lamar | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA (Battle of the Border) | ESPN+ | L 26–27 $^{OT}$ | 4,523 |
| March 20 | 4:00 p.m. | at Northwestern State | | Harry Turpin StadiumNatchitoches, LA (rivalry) | CST | W 21–7 | 6,577 |
| April 3 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 13 Nicholls | | Cowboy StadiumLake Charles, LA | CST | W 43–31 | 5,289 |
| April 10 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Sam Houston State | | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPN+ | L 13–27 | 3,103 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Tarleton State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys | 10 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 41 |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TAR −3.0 | 51 |
| Statistics | McNeese State | Tarleton State |
| First downs | 27 | 25 |
| Total yards | 400 | 408 |
| Rushing yards | 230 | 180 |
| Passing yards | 170 | 228 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:32 | 26:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 14/34, 170 yards, 3 TDs |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Cody Orgeron | 19 carries, 180 yards, 2 TDs |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Deonta McMahon | 2 receptions, 35 yards |
| Tarleton State | Passing | Steven Duncan | 22/39, 217 yards, 1 TD |
| Tarleton State | Rushing | Braelon Bridges | 15 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs |
| Tarleton State | Receiving | Tariq Bitson | 5 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD |

### Incarnate Word

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 14 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 48 |
| No. 19 Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MCNS −11.5 | 57 |
| Statistics | Incarnate Word | McNeese State |
| First downs | 22 | 24 |
| Total yards | 518 | 373 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 171 |
| Passing yards | 309 | 202 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:24 | 34:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Cam Ward | 24/35, 306 yards, 4 TDs |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Kevin Brown | 10 carries, 117 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jaelin Campbell | 6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 18/32, 202 yards |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Cody Orgeron | 18 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Joshua Matthews | 4 receptions, 65 yards |

### At Southeastern Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| • No. 24 Lions | 3 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 25 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SELA −11.5 | 62 |
| Statistics | McNeese State | Southeastern Louisiana |
| First downs | 20 | 26 |
| Total yards | 331 | 492 |
| Rushing yards | 166 | 191 |
| Passing yards | 165 | 301 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:59 | 29:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 13/20, 165 yards, 2 INTs |
| McNeese State | Rushing | AJ Carter | 15 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Severyn Foster | 2 receptions, 75 yards |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Passing | Cole Kelley | 21/39, 301 yards, 1 TD |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Rushing | Morgan Ellison | 15 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Receiving | Javon Conner | 5 receptions, 104 yards |

### Lamar

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MCNS −14.0 | 48 |
| Statistics | Lamar | McNeese State |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 330 | 399 |
| Rushing yards | 223 | 321 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 78 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 38:15 | 36:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Jalen Dummett | 8/11, 100 yards, 2 TDs |
| Lamar | Rushing | Marcellus Johnson | 6 carries, 86 yards |
| Lamar | Receiving | Kirkland Banks | 4 receptions, 41 yards |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 9/16, 78 yards, 1 INT |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Carlos Williams | 16 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Jamal Pettigrew | 1 reception, 31 yards |

### At Northwestern State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Demons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NSU −3.5 | 48 |
| Statistics | McNeese State | Northwestern State |
| First downs | 20 | 21 |
| Total yards | 416 | 394 |
| Rushing yards | 110 | 33 |
| Passing yards | 306 | 361 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:36 | 29:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 17/22, 306 yards, 2 TDs |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Josh Parker | 16 carries, 77 yards |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Trevor Begue | 8 receptions, 165 yards, 1 TD |
| Northwestern State | Passing | Kaleb Fletcher | 13/18, 171 yards, 1 TD |
| Northwestern State | Rushing | Scooter Adams | 8 carries, 37 yards |
| Northwestern State | Receiving | Javon Antonio | 6 receptions, 103 yards |

### Nicholls

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Colonels | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| • Cowboys | 3 | 21 | 7 | 12 | 43 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| NICH −13.5 | 60 |
| Statistics | Nicholls | McNeese State |
| First downs | 29 | 21 |
| Total yards | 562 | 541 |
| Rushing yards | 273 | 187 |
| Passing yards | 289 | 354 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:26 | 24:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nicholls | Passing | Lindsey Scott Jr. | 26/53, 289 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Nicholls | Rushing | Lindsey Scott Jr. | 28 carries, 137 yards |
| Nicholls | Receiving | K. J. Franklin | 4 receptions, 76 yards |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 20/27, 354 yards, 4 TDs |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Deonta McMahon | 11 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Joshua Matthews | 7 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TDs |

### At Sam Houston State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| • No. 5 Bearkats | 7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SHSU −15.0 | 59 |
| Statistics | McNeese State | Sam Houston State |
| First downs | 19 | 19 |
| Total yards | 328 | 392 |
| Rushing yards | 37 | 190 |
| Passing yards | 291 | 202 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:02 | 29:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese State | Passing | Cody Orgeron | 27/42, 291 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Cody Orgeron | 18 carries, 18 yards |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Joshua Matthews | 6 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD |
| Sam Houston State | Passing | Eric Schmid | 12/24, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| Sam Houston State | Rushing | Eric Schmid | 15 carries, 92 yards |
| Sam Houston State | Receiving | Jequez Ezzard | 3 receptions, 87 yards |