McNeese athletics faced another challenging week across multiple sports.
Cowboy Football
McNeese faced a tough test on the road Saturday night and fell 48–7 to Utah State at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah. The Cowboys dropped to 1–3 on the season, while the Aggies improved to 3–1 behind a breakout performance from quarterback Bryson Barnes.
In the first quarter, Utah State quickly took control of the game, scoring on two long touchdown passes. Barnes hit Kahanu Davis for a 45-yard bomb , finding Brady Boyd on a 53-yard pass. By the half, the Aggies had increased their lead to 34–7.
McNeese’s only touchdown of the game came halfway through the second quarter. A 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Strong to Jonathan Harris ended a drive that gave the Cowboys momentum. But the Aggies’ offense, which totaled more than 600 yards, was too much for the Cowboys.
Utah State’s Barnes finished with 293 passing yards and three touchdowns after rushing for 128 yards and two more, and with over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown, running back Miles Davis gave Utah State a strong one-two punch.
The Aggies held McNeese in check defensively, limiting the Cowboys’ total offensive performance to less than 250 yards. McNeese struggled to maintain drives and couldn’t keep up with Utah State’s momentum despite a few plays .
Looking forward to the cowboys next opponent, Stephen F. Austin, Viator expressed high interest “I’m impressed looking at them. From a measurable standpoint, from a talent standpoint, how veteran they are.” said Viator.
The Cowboys will be heading to Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin Saturday.
Cowgirl Soccer
The Cowgirls bounced back from a 0-4 loss at Stephen F. Austin last week, and rallied to tie East Texas A&M, 2-2 at home Thursday. The Cowgirls were down 0-2 after the first half, and led by freshman Alexandra Arvanitis and junior Ava Dubois, they tied up the game and brought home their first non-loss since Aug. 31 when they faced off against Alcorn. The Cowgirls face Nicholls Sunday and UIW Oct. 9
Cowgirl Volleyball
The Cowgirls had a disappointing week in the Houston Cougar Challenge, losing to Liberty University, University of North Alabama, and University of Houston.
Looking at each individual game, the Cowgirls kept pace with Liberty in all three sets, scoring 20 points in the first set, 22 in the second set, and 20 again in the third set, but couldn’t score the 25 points necessary to grab the victory in a single set.
Against North Alabama, McNeese couldn’t score anything higher than 16 points, as North Alabama cruised to a clean sweep.
Against Houston, McNeese fired off slow, losing Set 1 by a total of 11-25. In the second set, the girls had a much closer game, only losing 22-25. In the third set, the Cowgirls couldn’t overcome the odds, losing the set 18-25.
This Thursday, the Cowgirls dropped another 0-3 set match to Southeastern, dropping their record to 4-9, and losing their first Southland Conference game. The Cowgirls lost the first set 18-25, the second set 17-25, and the third and final set 19-25.
The Cowgirls look to reset their losing streak as they head out to New Orleans to compete against the University of New Orleans Saturday and Houston Christian Oct. 2.
