THE LANCE GUIDRY ERA BEGINS AT MSU: Season Preview
By Rick Sarro
Football is a game of inches.
For the McNeese Cowboys, make that 36 inches.
That one yard made a world of difference at the end of the 2015 season. It was an unbeaten 10-0 regular season that included the program’s league-leading 14th Southland Conference championship, and was halted again in the first-round play-offs.
36 inches away from continuing a magical season.
36 inches away from possibly ending a 0-5 losing streak in the post-season’s opening round.
36 inches away from the team’s ultimate goal of staying in contention for a national championship.
Upon being named McNeese’s new head coach in January, Lance Guidry didn’t mince words. This Cajun native from Welsh never does. He boldly said he and his newly assembled coaching staff will speak openly about winning a national championship.
There are some in the coaching profession who feel championship talk before you even strap into helmets and pads is putting the cart before the horse. Bad mojo and all.
The majority opt for the coaching clichés of focus on practice first, then win game one and move on to the second game and so on.
The priorities should be winning the regular season and vying for a conference championship. Then, maybe, set your sights on a national title.
Guidry’s campaign platform is grounded on higher goals from the get-go. He once told me, “If you only settle for conference championships, then maybe that’s all you will ever get.” His thinking is: don’t shy away from the ultimate prize or hide your intentions. Talk about national titles freely, so the players allow those high expectations and lofty goals to strengthen their commitment and will to succeed.
I don’t believe this approach is seeded in overzealous cockiness or arrogance. Guidry wants his cards on the table and the players to truly go all in. The grind of August practice and the regular season can be daunting, so why not hold out the brass ring for all to see and strive for?
Those 36 inches are the one yard short of a go-ahead touchdown experienced late in last season’s 34-29 playoff loss to Sam Houston at Cowboy Stadium. Wide receiver Kent Shelby admitted during the recent SLC Media Days in Lake Charles that he blames himself for not running hard or fast enough to score that touchdown after not taking a reception and ensuing long run just one yard further.
Guidry understands Shelby’s angst, but knows many other factors contributed to the Cowboys going from the BearKats’ one-yard line back to the 40 after sacks, penalties and lost yardage — ultimately forcing McNeese to punt and see the game slip away.
“You want to learn from the past, but that was last year’s team,” Guidry said after the team’s very first August practice. “I told them last year’s team was deserving of winning the conference championship. But last year’s team was also deserving of losing the playoff game. If you were on last year’s team, then we know what we have to do. We have to be physically and mentally stronger in order to get over the hump.”
If you follow this Cowboys program, you know good and well what “hump” Guidry is referring to. The Pokes haven’t won a play-off game since their second appearance in the FCS national championship game in 2002.
That point has been pounded home the past 14 seasons — not only in the media, but also inside the McNeese locker room. “Anytime you take a hard loss like that [34-29 defeat to Sam Houston in the play-offs] it stays in the back of your mind,” says Ashari Goins, junior linebacker and team leader.
“With that in the back of your mind, it’s grind, grind, grind. Use it as motivation. You come together and form a bond. That’s what builds a team.”
Since 2002, the Cowboys have won five SLC titles. That’s the most of any conference team by far. Admittedly, it’s a great accomplishment. But McNeese has been absent from the national stage, which is the FCS semi-finals and championship game.
The lead player in that show has been North Dakota State — winners of an unprecedented five consecutive FCS championships.
The mission and goal are clear. The target has been sighted. The work has begun.
All that’s left are the games.
All-Star Coaching Staff
When he was tabbed to replace 10-year head coach Matt Viator earlier this year, Guidry became the conference’s only first-year head man. Ironically, before he left for UL-Monroe, Viator was the league’s longest-tenured head coach. Now that mantle falls on Lamar’s Ray Woodard, who’s starting his seventh season at the helm of the Cardinals.
The 45-year-old Guidry is a Cowboy mainstay, having played for and graduated from McNeese. He went through four different stints as a defensive assistant coach and coordinator. His passion is Blue and Gold, and “Cowboy Up” is his mantra.
He’ll bring a new vibe and energy to the position, and will lead and coach with loud outbursts, displays of emotion and hands-on teaching. Guidry admits the most fun he’s having now is being able to “antagonize both the offense and defense.” He says the biggest challenge is “learning how to be a head coach here at McNeese,” which entails strict time management, knowing where to go and whom to call to get things done, and dealing with academic, administrative and media details.
Nothing he can’t handle.
Four assistant coaches followed Viator to Monroe. (Slade Nagle ended up leaving UL-M for a position at Tulane during the off-season.)
Guidry rebuilt his staff in his own image in a way by tapping the rich history of talented former Hall of Fame players who never lost their love and passion for their alma mater.
It was a Who’s Who at the press conference to introduce his new staff. Many needed no introductions.
Joining the staff was former Cowboys quarterback great Kerry Joseph, who will serve as co-offensive coordinator and handle the receivers. Joseph is barely two years removed from his last playing stint in the Canadian Football League, where he won a Grey Cup championship and league MVP award.
Joseph is royalty in this program; considered the most talented quarterback in the program’s history.
Zach Bronson joins the Cowboys; he’s stepped right in where he’s most comfortable — in the defensive secondary. The McNeese Hall of Fame safety is the best defensive back to wear the colors. He brings eight years of NFL playing knowledge to the defensive backs. Bronson speaks softly, but commands the respect and attention of a position group in need of coaching up this season.
Linebackers coach Charlie Ayro is the third Hall of Fame inductee added to this staff. He’s a former All American, All SLC star and three-time McNeese defensive MVP. This is Ayro’s first college coaching job. But he will connect quickly with young players and teach what he was so proficient at as a player, which were the fundamentals.
Along with a new head coach, McNeese will usher in first-year offensive and defensive coordinators. Landon Hoefer is a holdover from Viator’s staff and gets his shot running the offense.
“Landon has a bunch of knowledge that he hasn’t been able to release because he has had a thumb put on him. But I am excited for him,” Guidry explained.
Tommy Restivo comes over from South Carolina State, where he was the defensive coordinator for two years. Last year, his defensive stats rivaled that of Guidry’s top-rated Cowboys defense. Restivo’s unit was ranked No. 3 nationally in passing defense, fourth in scoring and sixth in total defense.
The Cowboy defense under Guidry’s command was ranked 12th in the FCS in total defense, third in scoring defense, fourth in defending the run and seventh nationally in the critical third down conversion category.
Guidry likes the fact that Restivo worked with the likes of Ohio State’s Urban Meyer while he was at Florida and Texas coach Charlie Strong when he was head coach at Louisville.
Another newcomer is new running back and special teams coach Dennis Smith, who spent last year at Florida A&M. A graduate of the University of Miami, Smith has spent most of his coaching career in Florida. He’ll be a valuable asset in recruiting the talent-rich corners of the Sunshine State.
Veteran McNeese assistant Lark Hebert returns for his 15th year; he will shift to the defensive line. He will no doubt lend a hand, if it is needed, with the linebackers and special teams as well.
Offensive line coach Eman Naghavi is the staff’s prime young up and comer. The former McNeese star is not too far removed from his All SLC playing days from 2006-08. He replaced former OL coach Rob Sale, who left McNeese for the same position at Georgia and a hefty hike in salary.
The Cowboys may have a tough time keeping Naghavi on the staff, though. Texas A&M liked what they saw of his work last year enough for Naghavi to garner an interview with the Aggies over the off-season.
Guidry as head coach, with the three former Hall of Fame players, along with three holdovers and two newcomers, might be the kind of top-to-bottom coaching shake up this program needed.
New energy. New ideas. A new voice at the top, and new messengers from sideline to sideline. It’s a new coaching regime with many familiar and respected faces.
DEFENSE
This new defense, led by coordinator Restivo, will find it a chore to follow up on last year’s production.
There are two stats that jumped out at me from 2015. The Cowboys were No. 1 in red zone defense, giving up only six touchdowns and three field goals. McNeese was also top-ranked in third down conversions, holding opposing offenses to a low 28-percent success rate.
A defense’s main mission is to keep offenses from scoring points and to impede offensive drives and get the offense off the field.
A big question will be: can this defensive unit get anywhere close to last year’s?
Defensive Line
The defensive line will be the strength of the Cowboys from both sides of the ball.
The unit returns three of the four starters, with solid young depth waiting in the wings. Junior defensive end Jammerio Gross was tied for the team lead at four sacks, but says it’s not all about putting the quarterback down.
“Sacks are a big factor (in defensive line success), but stopping the run is important. You stop the run and force them to throw, and that’s when we get our sacks and interceptions.”
Gross has a goal of 10 sacks this season.
There are a few names penciled in at the other defensive end spot. Senior Jake Grode, sophomore Micah Udeh and Arizona transfer Kendal Franklin are pushing hard as the competition continues in camp. Sophomore Chris Livings, a former Barbe standout, might make a strong run as a starter coming off an impressive freshman year with two and a half sacks. Livings is cat quick and has a nose aimed at quarterbacks.
The inside tackle positions are strongly anchored by returning All SLC star Isaiah Golden. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 335-pound junior-to-be is simply a mountain inside on the line. He tied up several blockers on nearly every play. Unfortunately, Golden is missing much of camp due to a Texas judge’s ruling a few months ago that Golden must serve some jail time for a burglary charge that was lodged against him while he was at Texas A&M three years ago.
Golden was sentenced to 120 days, and is currently doing his time in Beaumont. He’s in line for a possible early release due to good behavior. That matter will be determined at a scheduled hearing the week of Aug. 15. If it goes his way, Golden could salvage at least two weeks of practice. If it doesn’t, the Cowboys might not see his return until the UL-Lafayette showdown the week of Sept. 10.
While Golden has been away, his wife has given birth to a baby boy; and he was named to the preseason All SLC first team.
After transferring to McNeese over two years ago, Golden has been a model citizen on and off the field. He proved last season that his breakout freshman performance as an Aggie was no fluke. He is a force on the D.L. But he couldn’t outrun his past. He got caught up with the wrong crowd in College Station and made mistakes. It was time to pay up.
“There are consequences when you do an action, and he is paying his consequences,” said Guidry. “But it will pay off in the end, because if he is lucky and does what I think he should do, he will play on Sundays (that is, in the NFL). And all those things will be in front of him again, like fame, drugs and money … all those same things that got him in trouble. But him serving time now might be the key. It might save his life.”
Golden is a special player among a group of talented defensive linemen that includes tackles Anthony Yruegas and Antonio McGhee. Missing from that unit is defensive end Brian Hine, who tried to make a comeback from a knee injury back in spring. Unfortunately, Hine just couldn’t get back to 100 percent, and decided to end his playing career.
Linebacker
You can’t blame the Cowboys’ returning linebackers for looking around in hopes of seeing No. 10 in their midst.
The hole left by All SLC linebacker Bo Brown will be felt. Brown was a high-energy, smart player who was always around the ball, making tackles or forcing fumbles.
Luckily for the Cowboys, they have an equally energized backer returning in junior Ashari Goins. Smallish at 5 feet, 11 inches, 200 pounds, Goins says he plays with a chip on his shoulder because he constantly heard he was undersized for the position.
What Goins may lack in stature he makes up for with sheer grit and hustle. He seeks contact and the ball. That’s why his 65 tackles tied him for second with the team lead.
“I’m a hustler,” said a very determined and focused Goins. “I am very competitive. It was the way I was raised: to do your best and finish what you are doing. I am 5 11, but I play with a 7-foot heart. As long as you have heart and the will and you want it and stay hungry, you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
Joining Goins at linebacker will be junior Christian Jacobs, who saw action in all 11 games in 2015. Junior Ed Duplessis collected 29 tackles over 10 games as he came off the bench last year. Two sophomores will vie for snaps as well in Tre Porter and Sage Seay.
Several key defensive players contend this defense will not be undergoing any visible alterations from the last few years. The old adage of “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” certainly could apply.
Last year’s Guidry-led defense was No. 1 in the SLC rankings in a bevy of critical categories. It was top-ranked in total defense, allowing only 300 yards per game. It was at the top of the league in scoring defense, allowing a measly 13 points a game; and No. 1 in rushing defense, giving up a scant 2.8 yards per carry.
The Secondary
At first glance, the Cowboys’ pass defense was sub-par by comparison: ranked 6 out of 11 teams; allowing nearly 213 yards per game through the air, with opposing offenses completing 52 percent of their passes.
On closer inspection, though, McNeese was just behind No. 1 Southeastern Louisiana in passing efficiency defense, which combines all major pass defensive stats. Pretty good overall.
So, if you had to get nitpicky and target one area in which the Pokes need to up the ante, it’s the secondary.
Keep in mind in today’s pass-happy, spread and let-’em-fly-on-nearly-every-down game, pass defenders are under constant strain. One deciding factor is keeping offenses out of the end zone — in particular with the forward pass.
Last year, the McNeese secondary gave up only 11 touchdown passes, which was one behind league leader Southeastern Louisiana with 10.
On sheer manpower losses, the defensive backfield was hurt both in numbers and talent. Gone are defensive stalwarts Brent Spikes and Wallace Scott. The two safeties combined for 130 tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception and immeasurable leadership.
Another pair of cleats to fill are those of cornerback Gabe Hamner: a solid cover corner who picked up two fumbles and caused one.
A couple of skilled junior safeties have waited their turn and are ready to step into starting roles. Erik Jones and Andre Fuller played in nearly every game last year.
The secondary will be led by junior safety Dominique Hill, a returning All SLC star from last year who’s tabbed as a preseason first teamer this go-around.
Cornerback Jermaine Antoine will return as a starter; he intends to build on his team-leading two picks a year ago. Another junior, Antoine says his DB mates will once again “fly around the ball and knock some heads off.”
Their physical play is paramount in this scheme. But Antoine points to communication as the key to their success against passing offenses. “Communication is vital, because if the safeties don’t communicate with the corners, then blown coverages happen. Everybody has to be on the same page with the plays coach calls.”
OFFENSE
Those holes in the secondary and the process of finding top flight replacements for them aren’t what worries coach Guidry at night during the quiet times. (Yes, there must be a little bit of quiet in the Guidry house.)
Offensive Line
The loss of three solid senior starters on the offensive line is what concerns him the most, and for good reason.
Offensive linemen must jell, synchronize and work easily as a five-man assembly line. That’s not easy when you’re talking about young men who weigh 300-plus pounds and may not be ready to appear on Dancing with the Stars.
Footwork, hand and arm techniques, gaps, fundamentals and the always tricky pass blocking take their own sweet time to perfect. That’s exactly why coaches fret over working in new offensive linemen.
“When it comes down to it’s third and whatever and we got to knock people off the ball, we have to get it done,” said Guidry. “But I’ve got faith in Eman (Naghavi). He does such a great job with the O-Line. He’s a very positive coach, and he won’t put them down, which is important when you have some young guys like we do. They have to grow up and they have to play.”
The Cowboys will have a fair amount of youth on the offensive line, having to replace both tackles and one guard. Two starters coming back for their senior seasons are guard Thor Miller and center Mason Martin.
“From the outside looking in, it probably seems more [of] a task than [it does from the] inside. Every year, with guys returning or not, we focus on getting better,” said Martin, a preseason All SLC first team selection.
“I am confident in the guys I have at my side and we will get the job done. We are an unproven group, but we are confident and work very hard.”
The O-Line will be without All SLC talent like left tackle Quentin Marsh, right tackle Ben Jones and guard/center Nick Gorman — three experienced and well-skilled protectors. The competition and depth chart is ongoing, but Guidry sees enough talent and depth. No doubt it will be an offensive line in transition for the first few games of the season.
First-year offensive coordinator Landon Hoefer is keenly aware of an offensive line still getting their feet under them with three new starters. When he and his offensive brain trust devise formations and plays, those ideas will first be based on his offensive line’s capabilities. “We want to play to their strengths and allow them to do things they are good at. That’s what we stay up at night thinking about: that it starts with the O-Line. If it’s easy for the O-Line, then we will do it. If it’s not easy for the O-Line, then we are not going to do it. That would be the same even if we had older guys.”
They will all be transitioning to a new quarterback — especially Martin from his center position. For two years, quarterback Daniel Sams kept them on their toes and wondering where his speedy feet and legs were going on any given play.
“Daniel was back there and scrambled at times when he needed to. But we did not want him to have to do that. The quarterback can have that option, but we don’t want him to need to scramble. We always want to keep the quarterback clean and give him time to take shots downfield,” Martin explained.
The Backfield
Before this offense looks downfield, they will surely shorten their vision early in any series by establishing a well-grounded running game.
McNeese was third in the conference last year, averaging 233 yards per game, with a 5-yard average per carry. Conversely, the passing offense was ranked 8th among 11 league teams at 165 yards per game. The running backs shouldered the scoring load as well, with 25 TDs, compared to 15 through the air.
Junior tailback Ryan Ross has been the mainstay seemingly since his freshman season, when he burst into the line-up and led the team in rushing with nearly 600 yards as a rookie fresh out of Brazoswood High School in Texas. “Ryan has improved on every snap from his first fall to his first spring to his second spring and now to his third fall,” said Hoefer. “Every time we come back out for football, he is better than before, and that’s a sign of a guy that’s motivated.”
Last year, Ross came back with nearly 900 yards on the ground with seven touchdowns. He’ll be the focus running back in an offense geared to run first. “Everybody knows we want to run the ball. We’ve been working on the passing game, and it’s looking real nice. But we will the run the ball the majority of the game,” says the 6-foot, 200-pound tailback.
Ross will get the majority of the hand-offs in the running game, but he says his hands are “pretty good,” so he’s lobbied for attention in the passing game too.
Hoefer’s new offense has a few different wrinkles (more on that later) that Ross says everyone has caught on to quickly. “Everybody is buying into this new offense and rolling. At this time last year, we were not this far ahead. We are all on point.”
Senior running back and short-yard specialist Dylan Long is back from a knee injury that sidelined him all of last season. David Hamm, the former UTEP transfer, is back in the mix, along with sophomore tailback Benjamin Jones, who’s also coming off a sidelined season due to a knee injury.
Expect to see a dash of redshirt freshman running back LaWayne Ross, the younger brother of Ryan. The younger Ross carries a significantly heavier load at 250 pounds, but has surprising speed and cutting ability.
Receivers
Hoefer is looking for six top-flight receivers for his offense, and says he will have “no problems” finding those hands.
Sophomore speedster Tavarious Battiste is coming off a 28-catch, nearly 400-yard, season in 2015. He is a versatile player with great hands and runs exceptionally well after the catch, which is evidenced by his 14-yard per catch average.
Kylon Highshaw played in 10 games last year. He brings a big 6-foot, 4-inch, 215-pound frame to the table. Two FBS transfers will see a lot of snaps: Darious Crawley from Kansas and Tre Roberts from Oklahoma State.
True freshman Parker Orgeron, out of Mandeville (son of LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron), may be hard to keep off the roster as a rookie. Early in camp, Orgeron caught everything that came his way, including pesky mosquitos and flies.
The receiving unit will be anchored by last year’s top pass catcher and playmaker Kent Shelby. The junior preseason All SLC first team pick is the Cowboys’ true deep threat and hands-on ball possession receiver as well. Shelby is coming off his best season, with 36 receptions, 668 yards and six touchdowns. His 18.6 yards per catch average was 16th in the nation.
But it was that one yard — those 36 inches that Shelby didn’t get — that still bothers him the most. He was on the receiving end of that long pass and run, headed toward the end zone, late in the play-off game against Sam Houston. Shelby was caught at the one-yard line …
You know the rest of the story.
“[With] my expectations of myself to be a great football player, I could not allow myself to not score,” Shelby confided. “When I didn’t score, I hung my head and I was mad. I put it on my shoulders. When my name was called (the play selection in the huddle), you have to make that play. I made the play, but didn’t finish the play. Who knows? We could have won the game.”
The New Orleans native, who’s fought back from a season-ending knee injury during his redshirt freshman season, holds himself “accountable,” and says he knows now what he needs to do in the off-season to better prepare himself to make that one extra yard.
Shelby will be called on the stretch in the field in Hoefer’s offensive scheme. The Cowboys will need more 20-plus-yard down-field receptions to open up the middle of the field and running game. “I’m more effective going deep, but don’t take that for granted because I can go across the middle,” Shelby noted. “I take pride in myself catching balls. Me catching curls, slants and hitches and converting them in 16 or 20 more yards is what I work on.”
Hoefer expects Shelby to be his go-to guy and primary target in the passing game, and feels once again the team’s No. 1 receiver is up to the task. “Kent Shelby had a great spring. I wanted to see him come into camp and pick up where he left off, and he did that.”
In August camp, every minute, hour and day of practice time is crucial for the quarterbacks and receivers to improve their timing on routes and throws. The recent heavy rains and thunderstorms have disrupted practice times and a critical intra-squad scrimmage and have tested the patience of players and coaches.
A positive by-product, according to Shelby, has been more face-to-face locker room time and allowing the team to become closer as a unit. “It’s given us time to build as a team and bond together in the locker room. Sitting next to each other and talking to guys we really haven’t talked to before means we can bond and get that special brotherhood.”
Quarterback
The offensive playmakers Shelby and Ross both admitted they’re glad the quarterback decision won’t fall in their laps. It’s a tight competition at quarterback between spring camp starter Grant Ashcraft, returning junior back-up Joe Lissard and recent Arkansas State transfer James Tabary.
Guidry has said since spring that the quarterback job is Ashcraft’s to lose. During spring, the heir apparent was really only battling Lissard. Now, with the addition of Tabary, the quarterback position has gotten really interesting.
This will be Guidry’s most important decision as the Cowboys’ first-year head coach. The person he and his staff select as the starting quarterback will largely decide how this season will play out.
“We have a pre-determined time-line in how we want this thing to play out,” said Guidry. “After the first scrimmage (cancelled due to storms) and leading up to it, there may be some movement on the depth chart at quarterback. And of course, after the second scrimmage, there will be some more movement. By the week classes start, and we begin preparing for Tarleton State and UL-L, we will have our starter.”
It’s difficult to handicap the QB duel right now with so many weather-delayed work-outs and the cancelled scrimmage. But Ashcraft has shown he can run this offense and make the plays. At 6 feet, 6 inches, 220 pounds, he’s a prototype pocket passer, but one who can move. “Grant can extend plays because he is athletic,” said Guidry. “It’s going to be interesting. Once we get offensive and defensive pads on, we’ll know.”
Tabary has had a confident look about him in practice. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 205-pound New Orleans native sets up nicely in the pocket and delivers crisp throws on target. “He has a great quick release, good arm strength and [is] a complete opposite of Daniel (Sams),” said Guidry. “He is more of a thrower than runner. James has been in [a] system of quick throws and quick release stuff.”
Tabary comes in with more starts and real game snaps under his belt than Ashcraft and Lissard combined. He started three games for Arkansas State as a freshman, and played in eight total, connecting on 65 of 105 passes for 788 yards and four scores.
He was dismissed from the team in Jonesboro for violating some undisclosed team rules after being passed over as the starting quarterback after spring workouts.
Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson has said Tabary is a good character guy, but just made some bad decisions. In a written statement in April, Anderson announced the decision. “Due to an unfortunate situation between James and our program which I won’t discuss in detail because it is an internal team matter, we have made the decision that it is in the best interest of everyone involved to dismiss him (Tabary) from our team. There were inappropriate and disappointing choices made by James and I am hopeful he will learn from this.”
A short time later, Tabary transferred to McNeese, giving the Cowboys three years of eligibility and a juiced-up quarterbacks competition.
Whoever gets the starting nod, Hoefer will be depending on him to make line-of-scrimmage decisions. He will have more freedom to call an audible. “We won’t have him like Peyton Manning calling Omaha 19 times,” said Hoefer. “We don’t want him to do that. Just get out of one of my bad calls and go to an obvious option.
“We have less plays, so it’s a little easier to teach them. And these plays have major problems (posed by a defensive formation). And if these major problems arise, here are the things you can do to help us out of a bad play. The main thing is, we don’t want to look like a bunch of ground hogs looking over to the sideline because defenses will pick up on that.”
Hoefer, a former Texas Tech wide receiver, says former McNeese coach Matt Viator’s imprint will still be on his offense because “Viator taught me a lot and was a great influence.”
There will be formation, scheme and tempo differences and the effort to allow the quarterback to get in and out of plays. First and foremost, Hoefer preaches physical play from every offensive player on the field.
“We have to be physical and be good blockers. That’s how an offense moves the ball. Our second step is getting the ball to our skill guys with just a little bit of space. We have great players, so we just need to get the ball to them with a little space. That’s on the quarterback, and that’s why he will have more freedom at the line of scrimmage.”
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Cowboys have a huge hole to fill in special teams with the loss of the SLC’s top punter Jean Breaux.
It appears that St. Louis High will supply McNeese with another punter in the long list of great kickers out of the Saints program run by former McNeese punter Pat Neck.
Freshman punter Michael Mack has boomed several 60-yard-plus kicks in practice. And if he displays the needed consistency, he should be the opening game punter.
“Mack has punted the ball really well and gets the ball off quick,” said new special teams coach Dennis Smith. “He and kicker Trent Manuel are competing for kickoffs, so we will see.”
Mack averaged 42.9 yards per punt on 43 kicks for St. Louis last year. Breaux led the Southland Conference with the same 42.9 average in 2015.
Manuel was in the middle of the SLC pack last year, hitting 7 of 11 field goals, with his longest coming at 43 yards, along with 23 of 26 PATS. McNeese will need better percentages from Manuel in both field goals and extra points. Smith emphasizes there is no replacement for experience, and coming off a freshman season, Manuel will have more game skins on his belt.
Last year, the Cowboys had one of the league’s top punt returners in David Bush, who averaged nearly 12 yards a return. McNeese was near the bottom of the conference in kick-off returns.
Smith says the team is working in both areas and expects significant improvements. The techniques and schemes are in place, but it’s all about the talent on the field when it comes to special teams, says Smith.
“I would much rather have great players. And as coaches, we must understand our personnel. We have to know what our kids do well, and adapt our schemes to what the kids can do. We don’t have the biggest players in some positions, but boy, we can run.”
THE SCHEDULE. EXPECTATIONS. THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS.
It rarely happens. But this year, the Cowboys’ schedule rotates perfectly between home and away games. There are no back-to-back home or consecutive road games anywhere on the 11-game schedule.
I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. It’s definitely a positive not to have back-to-back road trips.
Since 2000, McNeese has played a much larger FBS opponent on the road 14 out of the 15 seasons. These games, commonly called “guaranteed money match-ups,” had contracts that paid McNeese upwards of $500,000. (Teams included LSU, Nebraska, Missouri, North Carolina, Miami and Texas A&M.)
Mixed in were dates against smaller FBS schools Florida International, South Florida, Middle Tennessee and, of course, UL-Lafayette in 2007.
Eight years have passed, but the Cowboys and arch rival Ragin’ Cajuns will finally square off again in Lafayette in the season’s second game on Sept. 10.
McNeese bulldozed UL-L 38-17 in a sell-out affair that brought back great memories for Cowboy fans who cherished the old annual rivalry games against the Cajuns. Since UL-L moved up the NCAA ranks to the 1-A FBS Sun Belt Conference, there’s been only that one 2007 game between the two schools.
The Cowboys have stated many times over they would love to play UL-L every year and anywhere — even if it meant going to Lafayette every season. McNeese was willing to give its fans what they wanted, and that was a head-knocker against the Cajuns. UL-L and its athletic and university administrations have been the obstacles to this game.
Ever since the ’07 rout at the hands of the Cowboys, UL-L has realized it has far more to lose by way of image, strength of schedule, perception and recruiting bravado if its falls to a smaller FCS McNeese State.
Since 2007, UL-Lafayette has hired head coach Mark Hudspeth, who’s turned the Cajuns into a Sun Belt contender and won four straight New Orleans Bowl games from 2011 through 2014. Hudspeth’s golden touch has been tarnished, as the Cajuns were hit with NCAA sanctions involving the use of ineligible players.
UL-L were docked game victories over the past two seasons, and lost scholarships as well.
Despite the NCAA black cloud, former LSU starting quarterback Anthony Jennings transferred to Lafayette, and is vying for the quarterback position.
UL-L will open it’s season Sept. 3, hosting Boise State before the Cowboys come to town. The Cajuns will have two consecutive big game preparations to deal with, which may work in their favor.
In a few weeks, once the depth chart is complete, Lance Guidry will begin game-planning for Tarleton State and UL-Lafayette at the same time. He knows how critical the UL-L game will be for his club’s early season confidence and momentum. A road win at Lafayette could be a positive springboard into the SLC schedule, which begins the following week at home against Stephen F. Austin.
Guidry, who ironically never played or coached against the Ragin’ Cajuns while at McNeese — he did beat UL-L twice while coaching at Western Kentucky — will soon give his Cowboys a crash course in the history of this heated rivalry.
“These guys will be taught about the rivalry. They don’t know. They heard about it, but they really don’t know. (Many of the current players were in grade school when the two teams last played in 2007, and all the players weren’t born when the annual rivalry game ended in 1986.) I grew up watching it and know. It’s going to be exciting for us.”
This will be McNeese’s only FBS money game this season. (MSU won’t garner anywhere near the usual $400,000 pay day from past FBS match-ups.) But what the UL-L match-up may lack in dollars, the game will surely make up for in emotion and fan appeal.
Coming off an unbeaten 10-0 regular season and another SLC championship, the Cowboys will be surrounded by high expectations — and rightfully so for a team with so many returning starters and quality players waiting to show their skills.
The SLC sports information directors and coaches’ preseason polls both tabbed McNeese a solid No. 2 behind Sam Houston, who made a second straight appearance in the FCS semi-finals last year.
I think the conference will be top-heavy with Sam Houston, McNeese, Central Arkansas and Lamar. You can’t discard SFA or Southeastern Louisiana, as these two clubs could be spoilers late in the year.
For the Cowboys, every game will be key. Tarleton State is Division II and a gimme game, but still the season home opener.
UL-Lafayette. Enough said.
Stephen F. Austin at home will open the SLC run of games, where one loss could put you behind in the race.
I see three critical match-ups that could swing the Cowboys’ campaign either way this year — the Oct. 8 game at Southeastern Louisiana, who owns a 3-1 edge over McNeese over the last four years; the Oct. 15 home date with Central Arkansas; and of course, the Nov. 5 trip to Sam Houston State.
The Cowboys’ offensive line and how it comes together early holds the keys to McNeese’s run at another SLC title. I believe McNeese will get solid quarterback play from whoever goes under center. This new Hoefer-coordinated offense will work the perimeter better and allow the quarterbacks to make decisions and plays.
If Isaiah Golden and the defensive line comes back strong again, which I think they will, and the secondary fills holes and stays healthy, this defense will be close to last year’s grade A performance.
The special teams need to hold up their end with consistent punting and kicking from Mack and Manuel, respectively.
And I have no doubt this McNeese team will buy in and feed off of Lance Guidry’s intense emotion, passion and will to do what it takes to win the one-on-one battles that decide football games.
If all this falls into place, then the Cowboys could be hoisting another SLC trophy come November.
MCNEESE RANKED 11TH IN STATS PRESEASON POLL
The defending Southland Conference champion McNeese Cowboys were ranked No. 11 in the preseason STATS top 25 poll.
The Cowboys, 10-1 last season after posting a perfect 10-0 regular season mark, collected 2,151 votes to rank just outside the top 10.
North Dakota State, a five-time FCS national champion, is the preseason No. 1 team, with 3,941 votes, including 152 first place votes. Conference foe Sam Houston State is ranked No. 2, with two first place votes, while Jacksonville State is third. Richmond, Northern Iowa, Chattanooga, Charleston Southern, South Dakota State, William and Mary, and Illinois State round out the top 10.
With the preseason poll, McNeese will enter the 2016 season ranked in 36 consecutive top 25 polls. The Cowboys were ranked seventh in the final FCS STATS polls last season.
The Cowboys return 13 starters from last year’s squad, including defensive lineman Isaiah Golden, who has been named STATS Preseason All-America.
McNeese will open the season on Sept. 3 at home against Tarleton State.
MSU SPORTS HALL OF FAME TO WELCOME SIX NEW INDUCTEES
McNeese Athletics recently announced the 2016 inductee class for the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame.
The class will include football players Keith Ortego, Vincent Landrum, B.J. Sams and Richard Vidrine; baseball player Chip Stratton; and basketball player Dean Glenn.
The six will be officially inducted at halftime of the Sept. 17 Southland Conference opener against Stephen F. Austin. A banquet will be held a 2 pm that afternoon in the Cowboy Room in Cowboy Stadium. The event will be open to the public.
Ortego is the only McNeese player to have ever been a part of a Super Bowl championship team, that being the 1985 Chicago Bears, a team many say is the greatest in NFL history.
Prior to his three-year career with the Bears, Ortego was an All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana wide receiver for the Cowboys from 1981-84. He led the team in receptions in 1983 (21-340) and 1984 (32-602). He ended his college career with 1,202 receiving yards, which at the time ranked No. 2 on the school’s all-time career list. That number is still ranked in the top 20 at No. 19.
With the Bears, he played in 31 total games as both a wide receiver and punt returner. In 1986, he caught 23 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged 18.7 yards per catch. In the Super Bowl championship season, he returned 17 punts for 158 yards for a 9.3 average. He returned two punts for 20 yards in the Super Bowl. He was also featured in the famous “Super Bowl Shuffle” music video.
Sams had a superb four-year career at McNeese, and is currently ranked third on the career list with 2,038 receiving yards, and is tied for second in receptions, with 136.
In addition to his receiving numbers, Sams, who played for the Cowboys from 2000-03 and was named the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year in 2003, is the school’s career record holder in punt return yards (922), punt returns (84) and all-purpose yards (4,903). He’s fourth in kickoff return yards, with 1,306.
Sams is one of eight football players to earn the team’s MVP award multiple times (2002 and 2003), and he was named the Desmond Jones Athlete of the Year for the 2002-03 academic season.
During Sams’ playing career, the Cowboys won three straight league titles, 2001-03, played in the 2002 national championship game, and compiled a 39-12 record, including a 21-3 league mark.
Sams had a five-year career in the NFL; four of those with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played in 43 games as a punt and kickoff returner. His best season was his first, during which he returned 55 punts for 575 yards and scored two touchdowns, along with returning 59 kickoffs for 1,251 yards.
Landrum (1992-95) was one of the staples of the D.W.A. (Defense With Attitude) that helped put McNeese football back on the map.
The 1994 McNeese Defensive Player of the Year, Landrum was a two-time first team all-SLC performer (1994 and 1995), while also garnering first team all-Louisiana accolades in 1994, in addition to earning all-America honors by the Associated Press and The Sports Network. In 1995, he garnered all-America honors by Walter Camp.
He earned team MVP honors in 1994, and was named the league’s defensive MVP that same season after recording 153 total tackles, currently the sixth most in a single season in school history.
As a freshman, Landrum was a part of a Cowboys team that won their first-ever postseason playoff game, and as a senior in 1995, helped the team to its very first semifinal appearance.
During his career, the Cowboys won two SLC championships, and compiled a 42-11 record, including a 23-2 mark in league play.
Glenn led the Cowboys in scoring both seasons he was with the team (1966-67, 1967-68), and helped guide the Cowboys to a 20-5 record his senior season, averaging 15.4 points per game. That year, McNeese won the Gulf States Conference championship, was ranked as high as No. 5 in the Division II polls, and played in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Glenn earned all-Gulf States Conference honors, and was named the team’s MVP in 1967. His 17.1 career scoring average continues to rank high on the all-time McNeese chart, currently at No. 10.
Stratton was, and still is, one of the greatest home run hitters in school history.
A two-year star for the Cowboys in 1987 and 1988, Stratton was named the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year in 1988 after posting a then-school record 17 home runs to go along with a .341 batting average. He earned all-SLC honors in both seasons, and helped the Cowboys win their first-ever conference championship in 1988, and make their first NCAA Regional appearance, going 1-2 at the Oklahoma State site.
Stratton’s 30 career home runs was a school record for seven years, broken in 1995, and is still ranked No. 6 on the chart. His 17 home runs in 1988 ranks as the third-most in a single-season in school history. His 58 RBIs that same season is ranked as the eighth-most in a season, and was a school record for 10 years, until Ben Broussard broke it in 1998.
Vidrine was a four-year player for the Cowboy football squad, from 1967-70, and was named team captain his senior season. He earned All-Gulf States Conference honors as a linebacker in 1970, and as a defensive end in 1968.
Vidrine was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1970, and garnered the team’s MVP honors that year, after he led the team with 104 tackles, which was a school record at the time. His 269 career tackles was also a career school mark at the end of his playing days, and is currently ranked 17th on the team’s chart.
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