2025 McNeese Cowboys football team

2025 McNeese Cowboys football
ConferenceSouthland Conference
Record5–7 (4–4 SLC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTyler Bolfing (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorKyle Segler (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorTony Pecoraro (4th season)
Home stadiumNavarre Stadium
2025 Southland Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Stephen F. Austin $^   8 – 0     11 – 3  
No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana ^   7 – 1     9 – 4  
No. 24 Lamar ^   5 – 3     8 – 5  
UT Rio Grande Valley   5 – 3     9 – 3  
Nicholls   4 – 4     4 – 8  
McNeese   4 – 4     5 – 7  
East Texas A&M   3 – 5     3 – 9  
Incarnate Word   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Houston Christian   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Northwestern State   0 – 8     1 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 McNeese Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University in the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys played their home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and competed in the Southland Conference. They were led by eleventh-year head coach Matt Viator, who was back as head coach after previously coaching the Cowboys from 2006 to 2015.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 306:00 pmLouisiana Christian*
ESPN+W 54–911,279
September 67:00 pmat Louisiana*
ESPN+L 10–3426,071
September 136:00 pmWeber State*
  • Navarre Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ESPN+L 41–4211,702
September 207:00 pmat Utah State*
KMYUL 7–4816,273
September 277:00 pmat Stephen F. Austin
ESPN+L 17–3410,684
October 46:00 pmSoutheastern Louisiana
  • Navarre Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ESPN+L 0–389,207
October 186:00 pmHouston Christian
  • Navarre Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ESPN+W 27–010,339
October 253:00 pmat Nicholls
ESPN+L 7–313,476
November 16:00 pmNorthwestern State
  • Navarre Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)
ESPN+W 50–310,044
November 84:00 pmat East Texas A&M
ESPN+W 35–202,534
November 156:00 pmUT Rio Grande Valley
  • Navarre Stadium
  • Lake Charles, LA
ESPN+L 13–289,929
November 223:00 pmat No. 19 Lamar
ESPN+W 21–1913,674
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[1]

Game summaries

Louisiana Christian (NAIA)

See also: Louisiana Christian Wildcats football
Louisiana Christian Wildcats (NAIA) (0–0) at McNeese Cowboys (0–0) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Wildcats (NAIA) 3 6 009
Cowboys 7 31 7954

at Navarre Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: August 30
  • Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 11,279
  • Referee: Austin Mezzacasa
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylie Eyster (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (12:03) LCU – Levi Hilborn 46-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 1:49; Louisiana Christian 3–0)
  • (5:00) MCN – Bryce Strong 7-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 7–3)
Second quarter
  • (14:00) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 38-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 10–3)
  • (9:07) MCN – Coleby Hamm 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:57; McNeese 17–3)
  • (7:12) LCU – Bryce Perkins 4-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 1:46; McNeese 17–9)
  • (4:45) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 21-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:20; McNeese 24–9)
  • (3:09) MCN – Jonathan Harris 15-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 0:53; McNeese 31–9)
  • (0:14) MCN – Jessie Campbell 11-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 6 plays, 96 yards, 1:19; McNeese 38–9)
Third quarter
  • (2:58) MCN – Bryce Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:59; McNeese 45–9)
Fourth quarter
  • (7:54) MCN – Marquez Davis 12-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 4:35; McNeese 52–9)
  • (7:02) MCN – 0-yard safety (McNeese 54–9)
Statistics LCU MCN
First downs 10 39
Total yards 141 664
Rushing yards 19 305
Passing yards 122 359
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 22:03 37:57
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Christian Passing Phillip Jones II 6/15, 65 yards
Rushing Jaterrius Johnson 6 carries, 45 yards
Receiving Edward Scott Jr. 4 receptions, 51 yards
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 22/28, 329 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Marquez Davis 12 carries, 97 yards, TD
Receiving Logan Mauldin 3 receptions, 86 yards

at Louisiana (FBS, Cajun Crown)

See also: 2025 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team and Cajun Crown
McNeese Cowboys (1–0) at Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 0 3010
Ragin' Cajuns (FBS) 7 10 01734

at Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana

  • Date: September 6
  • Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SW 5 mph
  • Game attendance: 26,071
  • Referee: Marshall Lewis
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst) and Ben Schafer (sideline)
Game information
First Quarter
  • (12:58) LA – Bill Davis 6-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:54; Louisiana 7–0)
  • (10:08) MCN – Devin Lippold 2-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:42; Tied 7–7)
Second Quarter
  • (1:06) LA – Bill Davis 36-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 0:47; Louisiana 14–7)
  • (0:00) LA – Tony Sterner 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 0:39; Louisiana 17–7)
Third Quarter
  • (11:50) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 45-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:10; Louisiana 17–10)
Fourth Quarter
  • (10:41) LA – Tony Sterner 37-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:19; Louisiana 20–10)
  • (3:48) LA – Landon Baptiste 10-yard pass from Daniel Beale, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:46; Louisiana 27–10)
  • (1:39) LA – Steven Blanco 34-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:03; Louisiana 34–10)
Statistics MCN LA
First downs 14 25
Total yards 238 401
Rushing yards 47 315
Passing yards 191 86
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 25:43 34:17
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 19/30, 191 yards, INT
Rushing Bryce Strong 7 carries, 17 yards
Receiving Joshua Jackson 4 receptions, 83 yards
Louisiana Passing Daniel Beale 14/22, 86 yards, TD
Rushing Bill Davis 19 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD
Receiving KeDarius Wade 1 reception, 19 yards

Weber State

See also: 2025 Weber State Wildcats football team
Weber State Wildcats (0–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Wildcats 7 14 71442
Cowboys 0 7 142041

at Navarre Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: September 13
  • Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: SE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 11,702
  • Referee: Gary Leeper
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylee Eyster (sideline)
Game information
First Quarter
  • (5:06) WEB – Jayleen Record 78-yard pass from Jackson Gilkey, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:42; Weber State 7–0)
Second Quarter
  • (14:46) WEB – Jackson Gilkey 50-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:56; Weber State 14–0)
  • (13:23) MCN – Bryce Strong 68-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:23; Weber State 14–7)
  • (0:21) WEB – Sloan Calder 10-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 4:38; Weber State 21–7)
Third Quarter
  • (12:02) MCN – Jonathan Harris 57-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:25; Weber State 21–14)
  • (5:48) WEB – Davion Godley 2-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:14; Weber State 28–14)
  • (2:21) MCN – Jake Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:19; Weber State 28–21)
Fourth Quarter
  • (11:05) WEB – Davion Godley 12-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:11; Weber State 35–21)
  • (9:45) WEB – BJ Carey 0-yard interception, Sloan Calder kick (Weber State 42–21)
  • (9:04) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 79-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 2 plays, 88 yards, 0:41; Weber State 42–28)
  • (4:56) MCN – Jonathan Harris 3-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 2:45; Weber State 42–35)
  • (0:42) MCN – Jake Strong 19-yard run (Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 1:32; Weber State 42–41)
Statistics WEB MCN
First downs 21 21
Total yards 447 537
Rushing yards 229 259
Passing yards 218 278
Turnovers 2 2
Time of possession 32:43 27:17
Team Category Player Statistics
Weber State Passing Jackson Gilkey 11/20, 218 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Jackson Gilkey 15 carries, 114 yards, TD
Receiving Jayleen Record 1 reception, 78 yards, TD
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 20/39, 278 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Tre'Vonte Citizen 11 carries, 117 yards, TD
Receiving Jonathan Harris 7 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD

at Utah State (FBS)

See also: 2025 Utah State Aggies football team
McNeese Cowboys (1–2) at Utah State Aggies (FBS) (2–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 007
Aggies (FBS) 13 21 14048

at Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

  • Date: September 20
  • Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: N 4 mph
  • Game attendance: 16,273
  • Referee: Brad Carrell
  • TV announcers (KMYU): Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst) and Frank Dolce (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (5:46) USU – Kahanu Davis 45-yard pass from Bryson Barnes (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:03; Utah State 6–0)
  • (3:54) USU – Brady Boyd 53-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 2 plays, 58 yards, 0:37; Utah State 13–0)
Second quarter
  • (7:55) USU – Miles Davis 30-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:02; Utah State 20–0)
  • (5:59) MCN – Jonathan Harris 20-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:56; Utah State 20–7)
  • (1:33) USU – Bryson Barnes 3-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:26; Utah State 27–7)
  • (0:22) USU – Javen Jacobs 1-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 0:43; Utah State 34–7)
Third quarter
  • (9:37) USU – Bryson Barnes 21-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:03; Utah State 41–7)
  • (3:34) USU – Brady Boyd 9-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 89 yards, 1:50; Utah State 48–7)
Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Statistics MCN USU
First downs 13 27
Total yards 239 627
Rushing yards 109 334
Passing yards 130 293
Turnovers 0 2
Time of possession 28:46 31:14
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 7/23, 89 yards, TD
Rushing Tre'Vonte Citizen 12 carries, 71 yards
Receiving Jonathan Harris 1 reception, 20 yards, TD
Utah State Passing Bryson Barnes 19/27, 293 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Bryson Barnes 13 carries, 128 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Braden Pegan 3 receptions, 95 yards

at Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2025 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team
McNeese Cowboys (1–3) at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2–2) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 0 3717
Lumberjacks 0 14 101034

at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, Texas

  • Date: September 27
  • Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 10,684
  • Referee: Matt Beck
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Rob Myers (play-by-play) and Hunter Taylor (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (0:53) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 20-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:26; McNeese 7–0)
Second quarter
  • (9:21) SFA – Blaine Green 40-yard pass from Sam Vidlak, Carlos Alvarado kick (Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:20; Tied 7–7)
  • (2:49) SFA – Kylon Harris 14-yard pass from Sam Vidlak, Carlos Alvarado kick (Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 1:40; Stephen F. Austin 14–7)
Third quarter
  • (11:18) SFA – Kylon Harris 76-yard pass from Sam Vidlak, Carlos Alvarado kick (Drive: 4 plays, 95 yards, 1:48; Stephen F. Austin 21–7)
  • (4:36) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 37-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 60 yards, 6:35; Stephen F. Austin 21–10)
  • (0:49) SFA – Carlos Alvarado 40-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 26 yards, 3:47; Stephen F. Austin 24–10)
Fourth quarter
  • (6:43) SFA – Carlos Alvarado 24-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:53; Stephen F. Austin 27–10)
  • (2:27) MCN – Logan Mauldin 26-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:16; Stephen F. Austin 27–17)
  • (1:51) SFA – Jerrell Wimbley 43-yard run, Carlos Alvarado kick (Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:36; Stephen F. Austin 34–17)
Statistics MCN SFA
First downs 18 19
Total yards 303 381
Rushing yards 89 148
Passing yards 214 233
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 21-36-1 15-29-0
Time of possession 32:12 27:48
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 21/34, 214 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Tre'Vonte Citizen 10 carries, 32 yards, TD
Receiving Logan Mauldin 6 receptions, 57 yards, TD
Stephen F. Austin Passing Sam Vidlak 15/29, 233 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Jerrel Wimbley 29 carries, 171 yards, TD
Receiving Kylon Harris 4 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TDs

Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2025 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (3–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–4) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 14 24 0038
Cowboys 0 0 000

at Navarre Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: October 4
  • Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE 11 mph
  • Game attendance: 9,207
  • Referee: James Brookhart
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavares (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (10:39) SELA – Ian Conerly-Goodly 33-yard interception return, Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez kick (Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 0:45; Southeastern Louisiana 7–0)
  • (3:38) SELA – Deantre Jackson 1-yard run, Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez kick (Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:45; Southeastern Louisiana 14–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:54) SELA – Jaylon Domingeaux 2-yard pass from Kyle Lowe, Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez kick (Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 1:42; Southeastern Louisiana 21–0)
  • (12:48) SELA – Deantre Jackson 45-yard run, Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez kick (Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:27; Southeastern Louisiana 28–0)
  • (6:05) SELA – Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez 29-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 30 yards, 5:14; Southeastern Louisiana 31–0)
  • (1:53) SELA – Brandon Hayes 69-yard pass from Carson Camp, Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez kick (Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 2:22; Southeastern Louisiana 38–0)
Statistics SELA MCN
First downs 20 10
Total yards 418 189
Rushing yards 151 152
Passing yards 267 37
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 15–20–0 5–18–2
Time of possession 34:05 25:55
Team Category Player Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana Passing Carson Camp 10/12, 173 yards, TD
Rushing Deantre Jackson 5 carries, 64 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Brandon Hayes 2 receptions, 79 yards, TD
McNeese Passing Jake Strong 5/14, 37 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing Jaylen Thompson 5 carries, 63 yards
Receiving Trey Echols 1 reception, 12 yards

Houston Christian

See also: 2025 Houston Christian Huskies football team
Houston Christian Huskies (2–4) at McNeese Cowboys (1–5) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Huskies 0
Cowboys 0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
  • Game attendance: 10,339
Statistics HCU MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Houston Christian Passing
Rushing
Receiving
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at Nicholls

See also: 2025 Nicholls Colonels football team
McNeese Cowboys (2–5) at Nicholls Colonels (1–6) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Cowboys 0
Colonels 0

at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, Louisiana

  • Date: October 25
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics MCN NICH
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Nicholls Passing
Rushing
Receiving

Northwestern State (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Northwestern State Demons football team and McNeese–Northwestern State football rivalry
Northwestern State Demons (1–7) at McNeese Cowboys (2–6) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Demons 0
Cowboys 0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics NWST MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Northwestern State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at East Texas A&M

See also: 2025 East Texas A&M Lions football team
McNeese Cowboys (3–6) at East Texas A&M Lions (2–7) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Cowboys 0
Lions 0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

  • Date: November 8
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics MCN ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving
East Texas A&M Passing
Rushing
Receiving

UT Rio Grande Valley

See also: 2025 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros football team
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at McNeese Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Vaqueros 0
Cowboys 0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Date: November 15
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics RGV MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
UT Rio Grande Valley Passing
Rushing
Receiving
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at No. 19 Lamar (Battle of the Border)

See also: 2025 Lamar Cardinals football team and Battle of the Border (Lamar–McNeese)
McNeese Cowboys (4–7) at No. 19 Lamar Cardinals (8–3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 Total
Cowboys 0
No. 19 Cardinals 0

at Provost Umphrey Stadium, Beaumont, Texas

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 3:00 PM CST
  • TV: ESPN+
Statistics MCN LAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
McNeese Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Lamar Passing
Rushing
Receiving

References

  1. ^ "2025 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
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