2017 McNeese State Cowboys football team

American college football season

2017 McNeese State Cowboys football

Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 22
FCS Coaches	No. 18
Record	9–2 (7–2 Southland)
Head coach	Lance Guidry (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Landon Hoefer (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Tony Restivo (2nd season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

2017 Southland Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 10 Central Arkansas $^	9	–	0	10	–	2
No. 4 Sam Houston State ^	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 25 Nicholls State ^	7	–	2	8	–	4
No. 22 McNeese State	7	–	2	9	–	2
Southeastern Louisiana	6	–	3	6	–	5
Northwestern State	4	–	5	4	–	7
Stephen F. Austin	4	–	5	4	–	7
Abilene Christian	2	–	7	2	–	9
Incarnate Word	1	–	7	1	–	10
Lamar	1	–	8	2	–	9
Houston Baptist	0	–	9	1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS poll

The 2017 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Lance Guidry, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 7–2 in conference play, tying for third place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	at Nicholls State		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ESPN3	L 35–37	9,024
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Florida Tech*		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	AACI	W 42–21	11,101
September 16	6:00 p.m.	at Alcorn State*		Casem-Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS	BAA	W 34–27	12,608
September 23	6:00 p.m.	Houston Baptist		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	FSSW+	W 27–12	11,398
September 30	6:00 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin		Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN3	W 35–0	12,812
October 7	6:00 p.m.	at Abilene Christian		Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ELVN	W 13–7	10,564
October 21	6:00 p.m.	Incarnate Word	No. 20	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA		W 55–7	9,732
October 28	6:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Central Arkansas	No. 20	Estes Stadium Conway, AR (Red Beans and Rice Bowl)	ESPN3	L 17–47	9,887
November 4	6:00 p.m.	Southeastern Louisiana	No. 22	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST	W 13–3	7,332
November 11	6:00 p.m.	Northwestern State	No. 20	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	CST	W 44–24	10,132
November 18	6:00 p.m.	at Lamar	No. 19	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX (Battle of the Border)	ESPN3	W 13–3	5,378
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Sources^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

@ Nicholls

McNeese State at Nicholls State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	6	3	13	13	35
• Colonels	7	0	14	16	37

Date: August 31
Location: John L. Guidry Stadium
Thibodaux, LA
Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:39
Game attendance: 9,024
Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • WSW 4 • Overcast, some rain
Referee: Ross Smith
TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-by-Play: Lyn Rollins Analyst: Rene Nadeau Sideline: Carly McCord

Sources:^[3]^[4]

Scoring summary

1	10:19	McNeese State	Trent Manuel 29 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:41	3–0

1	8:45	Nicholls	Damion Jeanpiere Jr. 62 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (Lorran Fonseca kick), Drive: 4 plays, 79 yards, 1:27	3–7

1	3:15	McNeese State	Trent Manuel 21 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:22	6–7

2	1:56	McNeese State	Trent Manuel 25 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:22	9–7

3	10:52	McNeese State	Tavarious Battiste 30 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 2:58	16–7

3	6:18	Nicholls	Jonavon Lewis 67 yard interception return (Lorran Fonseca kick), Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 3:22	16–14

3	2:29	McNeese State	Darious Crawley 9 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick blocked), Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 3:07	22–14

3	2:07	Nicholls	Damion Jeanpiere Jr. 77 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (Lorran Fonseca kick), Drive: 1 play, 77 yards, 0:17	22–21

4	13:02	McNeese State	Tavarious Battiste 28 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:05	29–21

4	9:45	Nicholls	Raheem Falkins 12 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (two-point conv. failed), Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:17	29–27

4	5:43	Nicholls	Chase Fourcade 19 yard run (Lorran Fonseca kick), Drive: 1 play, 19 yards, 0:06	29–34

4	3:02	McNeese State	Nick Edwards 10 yard run (two-point conv. failed), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:41	35–34

4	0:00	Nicholls	Lorran Fonseca 32 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 2:57	35–37

Florida Tech

Florida Tech at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	7	14	0	21
• Cowboys	14	7	7	14	42

Date: September 9
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:05
Game attendance: 11,101
Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • NE 10 • Clear
Referee: Dan Lewis
TV announcers (AACI): Play-by-Play: Tom Hoefer Analyst: Johnny Suydam Sideline: Ron Hayes

Sources:^[5]^[6]

Scoring summary

1	11:50	McNeese State	Justin Pratt 1 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 2:51	7–0

1	6:47	McNeese State	Cyron Sutton 28 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:45	14–0

2	3:31	McNeese State	Justin Pratt 7 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 5:05	21–0

2	1:04	Florida Tech	Antwuan Haynes 11 yard pass from Mark Cato (Zachary Leatherman kick), Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 2:27	21–7

3	9:42	Florida Tech	Romell Guerrier 20 yard pass from Mark Cato (Zachary Leatherman kick), Drive: 3 plays, 56 yards, 1:00	21–14

3	4:12	McNeese State	Justin Pratt 4 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 2 plays, 2 yards, 0:48	28–14

3	2:09	Florida Tech	Antwuan Haynes 19 yard run (Zachary Leatherman kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:06	28–21

4	10:00	McNeese State	David Hamm 6 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 7:09	35–21

4	1:18	McNeese State	Benjamin Jones 69 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 4 plays, 84 yards, 1:40	42–21

@ Alcorn State

McNeese State at Alcorn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	7	6	14	34
Braves	7	6	7	7	27

Date: September 16
Location: Jack Spinks Stadium
Lorman, MS
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:13
Game attendance: 12,608
Game weather: Low 80s • Clear
Referee: Trennis Livings
Television network: BAA

Sources:^[7]^[8]

Scoring summary

1	6:47	Alcorn State	Norlando Veals 2 yard pass from Lenorris Footman (Corey McCullough kick), Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 6:35	0–7

1	3:12	McNeese State	Parker Orgeron 2 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 3:20	7–7

2	10:59	McNeese State	Cyron Sutton 24 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:38	14–7

2	9:40	Alcorn State	Marquis Warford 69 yard pass from Lenorris Footman (Corey McCullough kick failed), Drive: 3 plays, 82 yards, 1:12	14–13

3	13:12	McNeese State	Darious Crawley 20 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick failed), Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:41	20–13

3	2:38	Alcorn State	Lenorris Footman 7 yard pass from Norlando Veals (Corey McCullough kick), Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:11	20–20

4	13:13	McNeese State	Benjamin Jones 2 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:22	27–20

4	12:33	Alcorn State	De'Lance Turner 70 yard pass from Lenorris Footman (Corey McCullough kick), Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 0:29	27–27

4	0:26	McNeese State	Kent Shelby 33 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:01	34–27

Houston Baptist

Houston Baptist at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	10	0	0	2	12
• Cowboys	3	3	7	14	27

Date: September 23
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 2:55
Game attendance: 11,398
Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Partly Cloudy
Referee: Ross Smith
TV announcers (FSSW+): Play-by-Play: Ron Franklin Analyst: ND Kalu Sideline: Jessica Province

Sources:^[9]^[10]

Scoring summary

1	7:03	McNeese State	Gunnar Raborn 40 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 1:31	3–0

1	2:!5	Houston Baptist	Alec Chadwick 29 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 4:48	3–3

1	2:00	Houston Baptist	Raphael Lewis 21 yard interception return (Alec Chadwick kick), Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:15	3–10

2	0:54	McNeese State	Gunnar Raborn 25 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 0 yards, 2:04	6–10

3	4:28	McNeese State	Kent Shelby 14 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 11 plays, 91 yards, 6:20	13–10

4	11:00	McNeese State	Darious Crawley 6 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 0:57	20–10

4	4:01	Houston Baptist	Team Safety, Drive: 1 play, -2 yards, 0:07	20–12

4	0:38	McNeese State	David Hamm 1 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:01	27–12

@ Stephen F. Austin

McNeese State at Stephen F. Austin

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	7	14	14	0	35
Lumberjacks	0	0	0	0	0

Date: September 30
Location: Homer Bryce Stadium
Nacogdoches, TX
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:12
Game attendance: 12,812
Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • ENE 8 • Sunny
Referee: Vidal Jones
TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-by-Play: Rob Meyers Analyst: Kevin Langford

Sources:^[11]^[12]

Scoring summary

1	7:51	McNeese State	Cyron Sutton 15 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:04	7–0

2	11:14	McNeese State	David Hamm 2 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:51	14–0

2	1:41	McNeese State	Lawayne Ross 30 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:09	21–0

3	12:38	McNeese State	Kent Shelby 8 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:16	28–0

3	2:19	McNeese State	Parker Orgeron 29 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 31 yards, 0:55	35–0

@ Abilene Christian

McNeese State at Abilene Christian

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cowboys	3	10	0	0	13
Wildcats	0	7	0	0	7

Date: October 7
Location: Wildcat Stadium
Abilene, TX
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 2:58
Game attendance: 10,564
Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C) • NE 5 • Clear
Referee: C. Castleberry
TV announcers (ELVN): Play-by-Play: David Saltzman Analyst: Keith Moreland Sideline: Whitley Pleasant

Sources:^[13]^[14]

Scoring summary

1	3:23	McNeese State	Gunnar Raborn 32 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 46 yards, 6:17	3–0

2	14:21	McNeese State	D. Crawley 22 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:07	10–0

2	11:43	Abilene Christian	Dallas Sealey 16 yard run (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:29	10–7

3	4:58	McNeese State	Gunnar Raborn 27 yard field goal, Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 6:40	13–7

Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	0	0	7
• Lumberjacks	17	7	21	10	55

Date: October 21
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT

Sources:

Scoring summary

1				–

2				–

3				–

4				–

@ Central Arkansas

McNeese State at Central Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0

Date: October 28
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT

Sources:

Scoring summary

1				–

2				–

3				–

4				–

Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	0	0	0
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 4
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Television network: CST

Sources:

Scoring summary

1				–

2				–

3				–

4				–

Northwestern State

Northwestern State at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	0	0	0	0
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 11
Location: Cowboy Stadium
Lake Charles, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Television network: CST

Sources:

Scoring summary

1				–

2				–

3				–

4				–

@ Lamar

Lamar at McNeese State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0
• Cardinals	14	14	7	6	41

Date: November 18
Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium
Beaumont, TX
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

Scoring summary

1				–

2				–

3				–

4				–

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	22	20	20	22	20	19	19	22
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	22	21	19	18	22	18	19	15	18

References

^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2017". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
^ "2017 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
^ "2017 Notes at Nicholls" (PDF). The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ "Football vs Nicholls State on 8/31/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
^ "2017 Notes vs Florida Tech" (PDF). The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
^ "Football vs Florida Tech on 9/9/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
^ "2017 Notes at Alcorn State" (PDF). The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
^ "Football vs Alcorn State on 9/16/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
^ "2017 Notes vs Houston Baptist" (PDF). The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 20, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ "Football vs Houston Baptist on 9/23/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 23, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ "2017 Notes at Stephen F. Austin". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 20, 2017.
^ "Football at Stephen F. Austin on 9/30/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ "2017 Notes at Stephen F. Austin" (PDF). The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. October 5, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ "Football at Abilene Christian on 10/7/2017". The Official Home of McNeese Athletics. October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.

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	Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks (rejoining in 2024) 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)