LAKE CHARLES – McNeese ran for a season-high 313 yards and rushed for six touchdowns as the Cowboys beat Northwestern State 50-3 on Saturday night, marking the 100th career win for head coach Matt Viator.
The 47-point margin of victory was the largest in the 75-year history of the series.
McNeese improved to 3-6 with the win and 2-3 in Southland Conference play while the Demons fell to 1-8 and 0-5. Viator improved to 11-0 against the Demons in his career.
The Cowboys finished the night with 461 total yards, the most since totaling 537 against Weber State in week three of the season. Included in that number was a season-high 313 rushing yards.
Five different players scored a total of six rushing touchdowns, led by Coleby Hamm who had two. Quarterback Jake Strong led the team with 94 yards rushing and a TD to go along with 11 of 17 passing for 121 yards and a score.
Tre’Vonte Citizen added 63 yards and a TD, Bryce Strong rushed for 60 yards, Jaylen Thompson 41 yards and a score, and Devin Lippold added a 1-yard TD run. Collin Fabacher rushed for 10 yards on two carries for his first action of the season.
The Demons scored the first three points in the game on a 33-yard Grayson Lytton field goal after NSU obtained the ball on a picked off pass. McNeese proceeded to score 50 unanswered points, starting on a Hamm 1-yard TD run then a successful 2-point conversion to make it 8-3 with 6:45 to play in the first quarter.
The Cowboys scored 21 points in the second quarter behind a 35-yard run by Jake Strong, a 10-yard Citizen score and Lippold with a 2-yard plunge as McNeese carried a 29-3 lead into the half.
McNeese’s running game in the first half dominated with a season-high 244 yards through the first two quarters while the Demons managed just 114 total yards in the half.
Jonathan Harris scored on a 23-yard jet sweep pass from Strong midway through the third quarter, marking his fifth TD on the season. Hamm added his second 1-yard score and Thompson ran it in from nine yards out late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Defensively, Phillip Bradford dominated in making his first start in place of the injured Masey Lewis. Bradford, who entered the game as the team leader in tackles for a loss, added 4.5 along with two sacks and finished with six total tackles, a fumble recovery and a QB hurry.
As a unit, McNeese sacked the NSU quarterback three times and recorded nine tackles for a loss.
McNeese held NSU to 178 total yards, the least amount allowed against a Division I opponent this season by 101 yards (279 by HCU).
The Cowboys did not commit a penalty in the game.
The Cowboys have held opponents to three points in the last 10 quarters played at home.
**MCNEESE PRESS RELEASE**
