Pokes hosts Lions for Homecoming

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese will return to Cowboy Stadium on Saturday for the first time since Sept. 21, when host Texas A&M-Commerce played its true homecoming game.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ (Jeff Palermo and Chaston Tavares) and also on the McNeese Radio Network (Tom Hoefer and Kip Texada). Audio is also streamed on 929thelake.com.

The Cowboys (4-5, 1-3) will look to end their three-game losing streak when they return to The Hole, where they are 3-0 on the season. The Lions are 1-7 overall and 1-2 in the league, with their only win coming against Northwestern State.

McNeese will also look to end the two-game losing streak against the Lions.

Saturday's game will be the 69th^Th Homecoming competition. Last year's game was canceled when Northwestern State ended its season early following the tragic death of a player. McNeese has compiled a record of 57-20-1 in homecoming games and has won nine of its last 10 games.

WITHIN THE NUMBERS:

• 131 – Number of offensive players who gained 10 yards or more on the season.
• 44 – Total pass breakups by defense on the year. Last season, McNeese recorded 26.
• 29 – 4th overall^Th Quarter points are allowed all season long.
• 18 – Number of punts that traveled 50 yards or more Finn Lappin. Last season, McNeese had 5 of 50 yards or more from his previous player.

MATCHDAY NOTES:

• The Navy Seals parachute team will glide into Cowboy Stadium during pregame.
• WR Jer'Michael Carter caught at least one pass in all nine games and had multiple catches in 8 of the 9, including six straight games with 3 or more catches.
• P Finn Lappin has four punts that traveled 60 yards or longer.
• R.B Joshon Barbie became the first Cowboy running back to rush for 100 yards this season when he racked up 121 yards at Nicholls last weekend…he's the second player to rush for 100 yards this year, the other being a QB Clifton McDowell (109 at Weber State).
• Barbie has rushed for all six of his TDs this season in the last five games.
• TE Logan Mauldin has made at least one catch in 5 consecutive games and had a career-best 5 receptions last week at Nicholls.
• K Tyler Larco has made at least one FG in three straight games and is 6-6 in that span.
• Larco scored a career-high 47-yard FG last week at Nicholls.

HISTORY OF THE SERIES

• Saturday's game will be the fifth meeting between the two schools, with Commerce leading 3-1.
• The Lions have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 81-25 (41-10 last season in Commerce and 40-15 in 2022 in Lake Charles).
• The series began in 1970, when Commerce was known as East Texas State.
• McNeese's only win against the Lions came in the 1971 season by a 47-3 score.
• McNeese is 1-1 in the series at home against Commerce.

WELCOME TO THE “HOLE”
• At 3-0 at Cowboy Stadium this season, McNeese will look to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2018 with a win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.
• Celebrating Cowboy Stadium's 60th anniversary, McNeese compiled a home record of 222-106-5, including a non-conference mark of 104-36.
• In three home games this season, McNeese has outscored opponents by a margin of 91-45, which includes a remarkable 56-21 margin in the second half.
• Two of the Cowboys' final three games of the year are at home (Nov. 23 vs. Lamar).

SIXKILLER READY TO LOCK AND LOAD

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Kamden Sixkiller was officially named the Cowboys' starting QB for the final three games due to his previous starter status Clifton McDowell decided to have surgery on an injured finger on his throwing hand.
• Sixkiller started the final two games of the 2023 season as a true freshman and has started three games this season, including the last two.
• This year, he has completed 55.3 percent of his passes (78-144) for 829 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
• Over the last two games, the Norman, Oklahoma native has completed 43 of 76 passes (57%) for 452 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
• He has thrown for 200 or more yards in the last three games, totaling 652 yards in that span.
• Started at Texas A&M and completed 9 of 19 passes for 80 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
• He also rushed for 100 yards this season.

FINN-SANITY: LAPPIN ON THE JERRY RICE AWARD WATCHLIST FOR THE FCS TOP FRESHMAN

• McNeese freshman Finn Lappin is one of 30 FCS rookies named to the season's watch list for the Stats Perform 2024 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the FCS rookie of the year.
• Lappin is the only player on the roster representing the Southland Conference.
• Lappin currently leads the league and is fifth in the FCS with a 46.9 punting average.
• He also ranks 1st in the conference and 17th in the FCS in net punting with a 40.2 average.
• His current average is more than three yards longer than the school single-season record of 43.8 (Alex Kjellsten, 2018; Don Stump, 1979) and 0.2 yards longer than the SLC single-season record (46.7 set by Joe Zema from UIW). takes place in 2017).
• A native of Melbourne, Australia, Lappin has completed 18 punts of 50 yards or more this season, 13 more than the Cowboys had all of last season.
• Recorded four punts of 60 yards or more and had 11 throws inside the 20-yard line.

TIGHT END APPRECIATION

• McNeese tight end Logan Mauldin has emerged as one of the Southland Conference's top tight end targets, ranking 2nd among all TEs with 13 catches (Commerce's Sean Sallis leads with 18 catches).
• The junior transfer from Coastal Carolina has been targeted 19 times this season, sixth most on the team.
• He has made at least one catch in five straight games and has 11 catches while being targeted 15 times in that span.
• Catched a career-best five passes at Nicholls last Saturday.