2016 McNeese State Cowboys football team

American college football season

2016 McNeese State Cowboys football
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Record6–5 (5–4 Southland)
Head coach
  • Lance Guidry (1st season)
Offensive coordinatorLandon Hoefer (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorTony Restivo (1st season)
Home stadiumCowboy Stadium
Seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 Southland Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Sam Houston State $^   9 0     12 1  
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^   8 1     10 3  
SE Louisiana   7 2     7 4  
McNeese State   5 4     6 5  
Nicholls State   5 4     5 6  
Stephen F. Austin   4 5     5 6  
Houston Baptist   3 5     4 7  
Incarnate Word *   3 6     3 8  
Lamar   3 6     3 8  
Abilene Christian *   2 7     2 9  
Northwestern State   0 9     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II
Rankings from STATS poll

The 2016 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Lance Guidry, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 5–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 36:00 pmTarleton State*No. 11AACIW 33–311,901
September 106:00 pmat Louisiana–Lafayette*No. 11ESPN3L 22–3026,891
September 176:00 pmStephen F. AustinNo. 14
  • Cowboy Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ASNL 28–3111,742
September 246:00 pmat Incarnate WordNo. 24UIWtvW 42–354,798
October 16:00 pmNicholls StateNo. 23
  • Cowboy Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
CST, ESPN3W 38–1310,130
October 86:00 pmat Southeastern LouisianaNo. 20ESPN3L 24–316,165
October 156:00 pmNo. 23 Central Arkansas
ESPN3L 0–359,253
October 226:00 pmat Northwestern StateDemonTVW 48–2710,159
October 296:00 pmAbilene Christian
  • Cowboy Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ASNW 33–1411,228
November 56:00 pmat No. 1 Sam Houston StateESPN3L 43–568,025
November 196:00 pmLamar
  • Cowboy Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA (Battle of the Border)
AACIW 41–108,804

[1][2]

Game summaries

Tarleton State

Tarleton State at McNeese State
1 234Total
Texans 3 000 3
#11 Cowboys 0 20130 33
  • Date: September 3
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 2:55
  • Game attendance: 11,901
  • Game weather: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind NE 7 mph (11 km/h) • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Eddie Kelley
Sources:
Scoring summary
14:20Tarleton StateSergio Sroka 20 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 1:190–3
212:36McNeese StateTrent Manuel 22 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:443–3
210:07McNeese StateDylan Long 1 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 1:3710–3
25:06McNeese StateDarious Crawley 35 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:3717–3
20:00McNeese StateTrent Manuel 24 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 2:5220–7
310:01McNeese StateDarious Crawley 19 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:3427–3
33:30McNeese StateDylan Long 6 yard run (two-point run conv. failed), Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:5733–3

@ Louisiana–Lafayette

McNeese State at Louisiana–Lafayette
1 234Total
#11 Cowboys 3 937 22
Ragin' Cajuns 7 7133 30
  • Date: September 10
  • Location: Cajun Field
    Lafayette, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:28
  • Game attendance: 26,891
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind E 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Jason Autrey
  • Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
Scoring summary
18:33McNeese StateTrent Manuel 33 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 59 yards, 6:273–0
14:11Louisiana–LafayetteJa'Marcus Bradley 17 yard pass from Anthony Jennings (Stevie Artigue kick), Drive: 1 play, 17 yards, 0:053–7
29:36McNeese StateTrent Manuel 40 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 35 yards, 6:016–7
26:14Louisiana–LafayetteAnthony Jennings 3 yard run (Stevie Artigue kick), Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 3:226–14
20:30McNeese StateDylan Long 1 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:4412–14
39:31McNeese StateTrent Manuel 28 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 3:2415–14
37:18Louisiana–LafayetteRaymond Calais 7 yard run (Stevie Artigue kick), Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:1315–21
34:02Louisiana–LafayetteAnthony Jennings 5 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 0:5115–27
45:01Louisiana–LafayetteStevie Artigue 17 yard field goal, Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 5:3615–30
40:12McNeese StateDylan Long 3 yard run (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 1:5922–30

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin at McNeese State
1 234Total
Lumberjacks 10 777 31
#14 Cowboys 7 777 28
  • Date: September 17
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:50
  • Game attendance: 11,742
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind E 1 mph (1.6 km/h) • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Ross Smith
  • Television network: ASN
Sources:
Scoring summary
112:11Stephen F. AustinZach Conque 36 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 1:540–7
17:44Stephen F. AustinStorm Ruiz 40 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 1:450–10
15:11McNeese StateDarious Crawley 60 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:337–10
213:28Stephen F. AustinTrae Hart 30 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 3 plays, 31 yards, 0:427–17
25:17McNeese StateKent Shelby 44 yard pass from James Tabary (Trent Manuel kick), Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 1:4414–17
37:25McNeese StateKent Shelby 5 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:1921–17
36:17Stephen F. AustinDe'Quann Ruffin 58 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:0821–24
414:56McNeese StateDarious Crawley 10 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 2:0428–24
43:35Stephen F. AustinTamrick Pace 4 yard pass from Hunter Taylor (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 1:2728–31

@ Incarnate Word

McNeese State at Incarnate Word
1 234Total
#24 Cowboys 14 2170 42
Cardinals 7 7021 35
  • Date: September 24
  • Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
    San Antonio, TX
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:24
  • Game attendance: 4,798
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind NW 8 mph (13 km/h) • Scattered showers
  • Referee: Mike Cuttone
  • Television network: UIWtv
Sources: Box Score
Scoring summary
18:09Incarnate WordJordan Hicks 34 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:247–0
14:50McNeese StateRyan Ross 5 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:197–7
13:00McNeese StateLawayne Ross 2 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 2 plays, 39 yards, 0:3114–7
214:48McNeese StateDariou Crawley 85 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 2 plays, 86 yards, 0:3921–7
25:55McNeese StateDamon Gladney 2 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:1828–7
21:16Incarnate WordBroderick Reeves 5 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 2 plays, 15 yards, 0:3228–14
21:04McNeese StateKhalil Thomas 97 yard kickoff return (Gunnar Raborn kick)35–14
314:50McNeese StateChristi Jacobs 22 yard fumble recovery (Gunnar Raborn kick)42–14
412:40Incarnate WordKody Edwards 9 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 4:4142–21
46:19Incarnate WordDorland Fields 53 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 1 play, 53 yards, 0:0942–28
41:37Incarnate WordTrent Brittain 11 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:5342–35

Nicholls State

Nicholls at McNeese State
1 234Total
Colonels 3 037 13
#23 Cowboys 7 14710 38
  • Date: October 1
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:18
  • Game attendance: 10,130
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind NE 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Dan Lewis
  • Television network: CST/ESPN3
Sources:
Scoring summary
18:10McNeese StateAndre Fuller 27 yard interception return (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:137–0
13:08NichollsDavid McKey 23 yard field goal, Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 5:027–3
26:24McNeese StateRyan Ross 4 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:5614–3
20:18McNeese StateParker Orgeron 8 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:4621–3
310:44NichollsDavid McKey 33 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 4:1621–6
35:17McNeese StateRyan Ross 11 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 5:2728–6
413:35McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 37 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 2:3531–6
48:10McNeese StateKylon Highshaw 80 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:1238–6
43:54NichollsTeam 0 yard fumble return (David McKey kick), Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 4:1638–13

@ Southeastern Louisiana

McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana
1 234Total
#20 Cowboys 0 1437 24
Lions 7 0177 31
  • Date: October 8
  • Location: Strawberry Stadium
    Hammond, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 6,165
  • Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind N 12 mph (19 km/h) • Sunny
  • Referee: Kevin Hassell
  • Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
Scoring summary
110:33Southeastern LouisianaMax Lyons 0 yard fumble recovery (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 4 plays, -20 yards, 1:260–7
214:55McNeese StateNick Edwards 11 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 5:117–7
26:41McNeese StateDylan Long 4 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:4014–7
313:55Southeastern LouisianaJuwaan Rogers 36 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:0514–14
310:51Southeastern LouisianaBransen Schwebel 17 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, 1:3514–21
39:22McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 30 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 1:2117–21
35:34Southeastern LouisianaJonathon Tatum 41 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:4217–24
47:42McNeese StateLawayne Ross 19 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:0324–24
40:08Southeastern LouisianaBrandon Acker 82 yard pass from Justin Alo (Jonathon Tatum kick), Drive: 2 plays, 85 yards, 0:3924–31

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at McNeese State
1 234Total
#23 Bears 7 7147 35
Cowboys 0 000 0
  • Date: October 15
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:06
  • Game attendance: 9,253
  • Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind SSE 8 mph (13 km/h) • Partly cloudy, 62% humidity
  • Referee: C. Castleberry
  • Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
Scoring summary
15:52Central ArkansasKelton Warren 4 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:150–7
27:57Central ArkansasAntwon Wells 10 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 0:340–14
312:06Central ArkansasAntwon Wells 8 yard run (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:540–21
39:20Central ArkansasJatavio Wilson 33 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 0:480–28
48:01Central ArkansasRoman Gordon 83 yard pass from Hay Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 3 plays, 87 yards, 1:320–35

@ Northwestern State

McNeese State at Northwestern State
1 234Total
Cowboys 14 71710 48
Demons 7 7103 27
  • Date: October 22
  • Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
    Natchitoches, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:24
  • Game attendance: 10,159
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind ESE 3 mph (4.8 km/h) • Clear and crisp
  • Referee: Kevin Muir
  • Television network: DTV
Sources:
Scoring summary
19:45McNeese StateRyan Ross 4 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:107–0
18:13Northwestern StateBobb Chan-Chan 7 yard pass from Brooks Haack (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:257–7
10:10McNeese StateDylan Long 3 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:1214–7
26:48McNeese StateKent Shelby 22 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:1521–7
22:44Northwestern StateRonald Green 28 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:5921–14
312:43Northwestern StateShakeir Ryan 26 yard run (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:1021–21
39:02McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 27 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:3624–21
36:56McNeese StateJustin Pratt 47 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 2 plays, 56 yards, 0:5831–21
34:04McNeese StateKylon Highshaw 6 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:2238–21
31:07Northwestern StateEric Piccione 30 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 2:5138–24
412:56McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 25 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 3:0541–24
47:29Northwestern StateEric Piccione 30 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 1:4641–27
41:25McNeese StateJermai Antoine 70 yard interception return (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 1:3048–27

Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at McNeese State
1 234Total
Wildcats 7 007 14
Cowboys 10 977 33
  • Date: October 29
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:17
  • Game attendance: 11,228
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind SSW 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • 47% relative humidity, Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Scott Campbell
  • Television network: ASN
Sources:
Scoring summary
110:36McNeese StateJustin Pratt 4 yard run (Khalil Thomas kick), Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:317–0
16:16Abilene ChristianTroy Grant 13 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:387–7
11:57McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 27 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:1910–7
25:27McNeese StateLawayne Ross 13 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick blocked), Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:1816–7
20:13McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 47 yard field goal, Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:2719–7
311:30McNeese StateJustin Pratt 1 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 3:3026–7
47:37McNeese StateBenjamin Jones 16 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 5:4033–7
44:41Abilene ChristianTracy James 1 yard run (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 2:5633–14

@ Sam Houston State

McNeese State at Sam Houston State
1 234Total
Cowboys 0 92113 43
#1 Bearkats 14 14217 56
  • Date: November 5
  • Location: Bowers Stadium
    Huntsville, TX
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:28
  • Game attendance: 8,025
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind N 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Overcast
  • Referee: Marvel July
  • Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
Scoring summary
18:13Sam Houston StateDavion Davis 28 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:220–7
15:27Sam Houston StateNathan Stewart 52 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 1:370–14
211:04McNeese StateGunnar Raborn 41 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 3:163–14
29:36Sam Houston StateYedidiah Louis 45 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:233–21
26:33Sam Houston StateRagan Henderson 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:343–28
21:29McNeese StateKent Shelby 4 yard pass from James Tabary (two-point run conv. failed), Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:049–28
312:39McNeese StateJustin Pratt 39 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:2116–28
310:13Sam Houston StateNathan Stewart 11 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:1716–35
39:02McNeese StateDarious Crawley 19 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 1:0523–35
35:39Sam Houston StateCollin Rison 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:1823–42
33:25McNeese StateKylon Highshaw 8 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:1430–42
30:54Sam Houston StateNathan Stewart 35 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:2430–49
411:25McNeese StateKent Shelby 11 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick blocked), Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 4:2436–49
46:57McNeese StateTavarious Battiste 55 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:1143–49
45:42Sam Houston StateRagan Henderson 2 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 81 yards, 1:0943–56

Lamar

Lamar at McNeese State
1 234Total
Cardinals 0 307 10
Cowboys 14 1476 41
  • Date: November 19
  • Location: Cowboy Stadium
    Lake Charles, LA
  • Game start: 6:00 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:07
  • Game attendance: 8,804
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind N 7 mph (11 km/h) • Clear, 29% relative humidity
  • Referee: Marvel July
  • Television network: AACI
Sources:
Scoring summary
113:26McNeese StateRyan Ross 6 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards, 1:347–0
10:40McNeese StateDylan Long 3 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 18 plays, 94 yards, 8:2114–0
213:09McNeese StateDarious Crawley 19 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 84 yards, 1:1121–0
28:33LamarJuan Carranco 37 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 4:3621–3
24:23McNeese StateJustin Pratt 3 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:3328–3
33:11McNeese StateJermaine Antoine 65 yard interception return (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 3:0335–3
413:58LamarMartell Hawthorne 32 yard pass from Adam Morse (Juan Carranco kick), Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 0:5435–10
411:34McNeese StateJames Tabary 26 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick blocked), Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 2:2441–10

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112Final
STATS FCS111114242320RVRVRVRV
Coaches91013202219RV

References

  1. ^ "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2016". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "2016 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
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