It wasn’t so much a Haunted Homecoming on Halloween for the Cowboys as it was a dreary slog through the bayou as McNeese overcame the rain and the lack of a passing game to beat the Colonels 16-3.
The passing game didn’t exist really for either team, but McNeese once again played hot potato with the quarterback position, starting Jake Strong, but pulling him again after a first quarter that saw just 16 yards in the air on 2 of 7 passing.
But in Strong’s defense, the weather was the biggest factor in the game. When the rain showed up right after kickoff, it decided to stay and influence the outcome for the rest of the afternoon. Brady Barrier came in for the start of the 2nd quarter drive, and threw an interception on a dead duck pass for the Cowboys only turnover of the day.
This should fully explain the type of passing day it was: Barrier finished 3 of 9 for 24 yards, the interception, and a touchdown.
The touchdown? It went to Hutch Swilley for 32 yards, 8 more than Barrier finished with.
That touchdown broke a 0-0 tie that was looking to go into half, but the Swilley run followed by a Nicholls field goal, their only points of the afternoon, had us at 7-3.
The second half was just as uneventful as the weather continued to pound down on the players. The highlight for McNeese was once again the defense, which forced three fumbles, the third of which was taken to the house by Amyrion Mingo for 70 yards.
McNeese had success on the ground as well, as Omari Wiggins broke the century mark with 107 yards on 22 carries.
This was a much needed win by the Cowboys, and ended a five-game losing streak to Nicholls.
There’s still a lot of improvement to go around, as despite turning the Colonels over three times, McNeese still allowed 261 yards on the ground, and it stands to reason that in better weather this game might have gone a different direction.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys are now on a 2-game winning streak that they will take into Houston next weekend as they face Houston Christian Huskies, a team that on paper is very similar to McNeese, having lost to SFA and UIW as well in conference play.
Both teams are 4-5, 3-3 in conference, and this will look to be the battle for 4th place. Here’s hoping McNeese can continue their second half winning streak like they had last season, finishing with 4 wins in the final 6 games, with one of those wins being a shut-out against HCU.
