Game Highlights
HOUSTON – HBU had an explosive night on offense, but five turnovers allowed 14
th-ranked McNeese to hold off the Huskies for a 51-34 victory in the Southland Conference opener Saturday at Husky Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback
Bailey Zappe completed 18-of-35 passes for a school record 348 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Huskies (1-1, 0-1 SLC). Sophomore running back
Dreshawn Minnieweather posted the fourth-highest rushing total in program history with 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior wide receiver
David Racine recorded only the second 100-yard receiving performance in school history with three catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver
Aaron Marquez added three catches for 72 yards, junior wide receiver
Nick Sexton had three catches for 56 yards, sophomore wide receiver
Gamar Girdy Brito caught two for 58 yards and junior wide receiver
Jeremy Smith made his two catches count, going for 11 yards and both for touchdowns.
Sophomore linebacker
Langston Tunson tied the Huskies' record with 19 tackles, including one sack, on the night HBU added the late, two-time All-America linebacker
Garrett Dolan's number 40 as the program's first Honored Number. Dolan set the record with a pair of 19-tackle efforts last season. Senior linebacker
Kyle Bowling had 12 tackles, while senior cornerback
Derek Broussard and sophomore linebacker
Caleb Johnson each made 11 stops.
James Tabary completed 25-of-32 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding a rushing score, for McNeese (2-0, 1-0). Justin Pratt rushed for 60 yards and Cyron Sutton had two catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Kylon Highshaw led the Cowboys with five catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns, Austin Nelson caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Darion Dunn made five tackles and had a pair of interceptions for the Cowboys, while Calum Foster also had five tackles. Cory McCoy recorded two sacks and Gabe Foster broke up a pair of passes.
McNeese held a slight edge in total yards, 517-493, with HBU coming up just one yard shy of 200 on the ground. The Cowboys held the ball for 36:44, while limiting the Huskies to 23:16, recording 24 first downs to HBU's 21. McNeese was penalized 14 times for 99 yards, while HBU cleaned up one of its blemishes from the opener with only four penalties for 30 yards.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter as the game got off to a bizarre start. Zappe threw an interception to Dunn, but he fumbled, giving the Huskies the ball back. On the next play, the snap sailed over Zappe's head and McNeese recovered the fumble, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Tabary. Tabary then connected with Nelson for a 22-yard touchdown and a 65-yard strike to Sutton for the three-score lead with 3:55 to go in the opening period.
Zappe's 57-yard completion to Marquez set up a one-yard touchdown by Minnieweather to put the Huskies on the board. The Cowboys answered with a five-yard touchdown reception by Highshaw, but missed the extra point. On HBU's ensuing possession, Zappe connected on a 33-yard completion to Sexton and finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Gunnar Raborn hit a 34-yard field goal and Tabar hit Trevor Begue for a 26-yard touchdown with 2:38 on the clock as McNeese took a 37-14 lead into halftime.
McNeese opened up a 30-point lead as Cody Orgeron found Highshaw for a 14-yard touchdown and a 44-14 advantage. The Huskies answered as Zappe's 67-yard completion to Racine set up a 1-yard touchdown pass to Smith. HBU made a stop and was pinned back at its own 2-yard line, but the Huskies went on an 11-play, 98-yard drive. Zappe's 25-yard completion to Girdy Brito was followed by a 19-yard run by sophomore running back
LaDarius Dickens down to the one. From there, Minnieweather punched it in for his second score and made the score 44-27.
Parker Orgeron returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown for McNeese with 12:04 left in the game. HBU came right back with Zappe hitting Racine for a 22-yard touchdown with 11:22 remaining. The Cowboys then went only 26 yards on 11 plays to take 7:51 off the clock, before punting the ball away. When the Huskies got the ball back at their own 2 with 3:23 remaining, Minnieweather busted free for a 57-yard run, but Zappe dropped back to pass and lost a fumble.
HBU wraps up its season-opening three-game homestand with another Southland Conference contest against Abilene Christian on Family Weekend Saturday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at Husky Stadium.
