2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team

2021 McNeese State Cowboys football
2021 McNeese State Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	4–7 (3–5 Southland)
Head coach	Frank Wilson (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Ronnie Letson (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Deron Wilson (1st season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southland Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^	6	–	2	9	–	4
Nicholls	5	–	3	6	–	5
McNeese State *	3	–	5	4	–	7
Northwestern State	3	–	5	3	–	8
Houston Baptist	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Frank Wilson in his second and final season as head coach, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Preseason[edit]

Preseason poll[edit]

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll in July 2021. The Cowboys were picked to finish fourth in the conference.^[1] In addition, six Cowboys were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Southeastern Louisiana	48 (8)
2	Nicholls	43 (4)
3	Incarnate Word	32
4	McNeese State	26
5	Northwestern State	21
6	Houston Baptist	10

Preseason All–Southland Teams[edit]

Offense

2nd Team

Josh Matthews – Wide Receiver, SR

Defense

1st Team

Isaiah Chambers – Defensive Lineman, SR
Mason Kinsey – Defensive Lineman, RS-JR
Andre Sam – Defensive Back, SR

2nd Team

Chris Joyce – Defensive Back, JR
Mason Pierce – Punt Returner, RS-SO

Schedule[edit]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	12:00 p.m.	West Florida*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 36–42	8,665
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at LSU*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	SECN+/ESPN+	L 7–34	94,220
September 18	6:00 p.m.	at Southern*	Ace W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN+	W 31–24	15,003
September 25	12:00 p.m.	at Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN+	L 0–31	1,633
October 2	12:00 p.m.	No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 35–38	6,044
October 16	3:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	CST/ESPN+	W 35–17	7,413
October 23	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Incarnate Word	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 28–20	7,498
October 30	6:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN+	L 20–23	4,185
November 6	12:00 p.m.	Nicholls	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 14–24	8,898
November 13	2:00 p.m.	at Houston Baptist	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 44–3	2,325
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 20–24	8,412
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]^[4]

Game summaries[edit]

West Florida[edit]

West Florida at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Argonauts	7	14	7	14	42
Cowboys	7	9	6	14	36

Date: September 4, 2021
Location: Cowboys Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:45
Game attendance: 8,665
Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: 7 W
Referee: Gary Leeper
TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	West Florida	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At LSU[edit]

McNeese State at Louisiana State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	7	7
• Tigers	7	10	7	10	34

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Tiger Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 4:03
Game attendance: 94,220
Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 6mph
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	LSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
LSU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southern[edit]

McNeese State at Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	3	10	11	31
Jaguars	14	7	0	3	24

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Ace W. Mumford Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:09
Game attendance: 15,003
Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 6mph
Referee: Y.N. Myers
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Incarnate Word[edit]

McNeese State at Incarnate Word

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0
• Cardinals	14	7	7	3	31

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
San Antonio, TX
Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:27
Game attendance: 1,633
Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny and clear • Wind: SE 4 MPH
Referee: Ed Bourgeois
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Incarnate Word
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana[edit]

Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 14 Lions	14	10	7	7	38
Cowboys	7	0	14	14	35

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Cowboys Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:36
Game attendance: 6,044
Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 9
Referee: Ed Bourgeois
TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Southeastern Louisiana	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Northwestern State[edit]

McNeese State at Northwestern State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	0	21	7	7	35
Demons	3	0	7	7	17

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:14
Game attendance: 7,413
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee: Gary Leeper
TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 16 Incarnate Word[edit]

Incarnate Word at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	6	6	8	20
• Cowboys	14	7	0	7	28

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Cowboys Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:35
Game attendance: 7,498
Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: SE 10
Referee: Nolan Dumas
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Incarnate Word	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana[edit]

McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	0	13	20
• No. 8 Lions	3	0	7	13	23

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Strawberry Stadium
Hammond, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:20
Game attendance: 4,185
Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: NW 7
Referee: Craig Heiser
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Southeastern Louisiana
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Nicholls[edit]

Nicholls at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Colonels	0	7	7	10	24
Cowboys	7	0	7	0	14

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Cowboys Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:10
Game attendance: 8,898
Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C) • Weather: PC • Wind: NNE 8 mp
Referee: Gary Leeper
TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Nicholls	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Houston Baptist[edit]

McNeese State at Houston Baptist

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	14	14	3	13	44
Huskies	3	0	0	0	3

Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Husky Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3:11
Game attendance: 2,325
Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 8mph
Referee: Ed Bourgeois
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northwestern State[edit]

Northwestern State at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Demons	17	0	0	7	24
Cowboys	7	0	7	6	20

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Cowboys Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3:15
Game attendance: 8,412
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E5
Referee: Nolan Dumas
TV announcers (ESPN+):

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Personnel[edit]

2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`0`	Ceejay Powell	Sr
WR	`1`	Mason Pierce	So
RB	`5`	Stephon Huderson	Sr
WR	`6`	Josh Matthews	Sr
QB	`7`	Dillon Smith	Fr
QB	`8`	Cody Orgeron	Sr
QB	`9`	Walker Wood	Sr
QB	`10`	Jason Wakefield	So
QB	`11`	Devon Tott	Fr
QB	`12`	Cade Bartlett	So
QB	`13`	Ryan Roberts	Fr
WR	`14`	Severyn Foster	Jr
WR	`14`	Thomas Miles	So
WR	`15`	Jalen Johnson	Fr
WR	`16`	Brendan Sirls	Fr
WR	`17`	Jon McCall	Fr
RB	`20`	Deonta McMahon	Sr
RB	`24`	Josh Parker	So
RB	`29`	AJ Carter	Jr
RB	`33`	Ivory Roberts	So
TE	`36`	Dontay Hargrove	Sr
RB	`37`	Carlos Williams	So
TE	`47`	Dominic Prudhomme	So
OL	`60`	Paxton Crouse	So
OL	`62`	Juan Gonzales	Fr
OL	`63`	Charley Zeno	Jr
OL	`64`	Jack Zelezinski	So
OL	`65`	Clay Ancelet	Fr
OL	`66`	Dylan Dauzart	Fr
OL	`67`	Keaton Altman	Fr
OL	`68`	Jared Chapman	Fr
OL	`69`	Aaron McDaniel	So
OL	`70`	Hezekiah Neason	So
OL	`71`	Caron Coleman	Sr
OL	`72`	Cameron Foster	Fr
OL	`73`	Calvin Barkat	Sr
OL	`74`	Christopher Stephens	Fr
OL	`75`	Hayden Shaw	Fr
OL	`77`	Nick Holiday	Jr
OL	`78`	Trey Winters	So
OL	`79`	Romello Tarver	So
TE	`80`	Jamal Pettigrew	Sr
WR	`81`	Deon Cormier	Jr
WR	`83`	Raheem Roberts	Fr
TE	`84`	KJ Brown	So
WR	`85`	Zach Hayes	Jr
WR	`86`	Markel Cotten	So
WR	`87`	Chris Raymond	Jr
TE	`88`	CJ Knighten	Fr
WR	`89`	Christian Thomas	Fr
RB		Tyler Gainey	Fr
WR		Gage Rapp	Fr
RB		Jai'Van Samuel	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`1`	Colby Richardson	Sr
DB	`3`	Quad Wilson	Fr
CB	`4`	Corione Harris	Sr
DB	`5`	Chris Joyce	Jr
LB	`10`	Darius Daniels	Jr
DB	`12`	Edward Gilds	Fr
DB	`13`	Lathan Adams	Fr
DB	`18`	Trent Winbush	Jr
DB	`21`	Andre Sam	Jr
DB	`22`	Rae'Kwon Starks	So
LB	`23`	Kordell Williams	Sr
DB	`25`	Darius Shields	So
DB	`26`	Richard Akers	Fr
DB	`27`	Enos Lewis	Sr
LB	`28`	Ge'Mon Eaford	Fr
DB	`30`	Tyler Toliver	Fr
DB	`31`	Twillie Lovett	Fr
DB	`32`	Alijah Hamilton	Fr
DB	`33`	Travis Walker	Fr
DB	`34`	Eli Johnson	Jr
LB	`35`	Kobe Callahan	So
DB	`36`	Tremayne Evans	Fr
DL	`40`	Isaiah Chambers	Sr
DB	`41`	Gus Nave	Sr
DE	`42`	Earenest Grayson III	So
DL	`43`	Tyrell Flugence	Jr
LB	`45`	Tahj Samuel	Jr
DE	`47`	Khaylon Chapple	Fr
LB	`48`	Micah Davey	Fr
LB	`49`	Jake Lafleur	Fr
DL	`52`	Mason Kinsey	Jr
LB	`54`	lester Joseph	So
DB	`54`	Bradley Livingstone	Fr
DL	`55`	Joey McNeely	Jr
LB	`56`	Brayden Adams	Jr
DE	`58`	Logan Sonnier	So
DL	`59`	Grayson Mays	So
DL	`90`	Demond Stewart	Sr
DL	`91`	Welland Williams	Fr
DL	`92`	Arthur Lott	So
DL	`93`	Masry Mapieu	Sr
DL	`94`	Eli Goss	Fr
DL	`96`	C. J. Semien	Sr
DL	`98`	Leon Young	So
DL	`99`	Accord Green	Sr
LB		Ty Fuselier	Fr
DB		Jake Hadzicki	Fr
DB		Brian Lampton	Fr
DB		Richard Lee	Fr
DB		Jace Marsters	Fr
LB		Noah Simon	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K, LS	`37`	Mason Caldwell	Jr
K	`38`	Nolan Heitmeier	Fr
K, P	`38`	Eemil Herranen	Fr
K	`39`	Jacob Abel	Sr
P	`39`	Callum Eddings	Fr
K	`41`	Brandon Hayden	Jr
K	`42`	Graycen Kennedy	Jr
LS	`50`	Trey Vondenstein	So
LS	`51`	Carter Jenke	So

Head coach

Frank Wilson (Nicholls State)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Ronnie Letson (Mississippi)
Offensive coordinator
Deron Wilson (Southern Miss)
Defensive coordinator
Gary Hyman (Stanislaus State)
Special teams coordinator
Landon Hoefer (Texas Tech)
Running backs
Chris Truax (LSU)
Offensive line
JB Lageman (Louisville)
Defensive line
Willie Mack Garza (Texas)
Safeties
Will Thomas (LSU)
Linebackers
Blaine Gautier (Louisiana)
Wide receivers
Rishaw Johnson (California (PA))
Tight ends

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2 August 2021

References[edit]

^ "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
^ "2021 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

[1] "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[2] "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

[3] "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

[4] "2021 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

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v t e McNeese Cowboys football
Venues	Killen Field (1951–1953) Wildcat Stadium (1954–1964) Cowboy Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Central Arkansas: Red Beans and Rice Bowl Lamar: Battle of the Border Louisiana: Cajun Crown Northwestern State
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1940–1950 (junior college) 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Southland Conference
Members	Houston Christian Huskies Incarnate Word Cardinals Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls Nicholls State Colonels New Orleans Privateers Northwestern State Demons and Lady Demons Southeastern Louisiana Lions and Lady Lions Texas A&M–Commerce Lions Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Islanders
Future members	UTRGV Vaqueros (joining in 2024–25, adding football in 2025)
Beach volleyball-only members	Boise State Broncos San Jose State Spartans
Golf-only members	Augusta Jaguars (men & women) Francis Marion Patriots (men)
Tennis-only members	NJIT Highlanders (men & women)
Multi-sport affiliate	Bryant Bulldogs (men's & women's golf and tennis)
Related entities	Southland Bowling League (2015–2023)