McNeese Cowboys (4-2, 1-0 SLC) at HCU Huskies (2-3, 0-0 SLC)
Saturday, Oct. 5 – 6:00 p.m.
Husky Stadium – Houston, Texas
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HOUSTON – Following two-straight weeks on the road, including the team's lone trip outside the Lone Star State last Saturday, the HCU football team is back home at Husky Stadium to being its Southland Conference schedule and take on 22
nd-ranked McNeese this Saturday at 6:00 p.m. This Saturday's matchup will be shown on ESPN+ with Garrett Jones providing play-by-play and Jackson Cochran serving as analyst while fans can also tune into the Patriot Talk 920 AM radio broadcast with Luke Mauro.
The Huskies (2-3, 0-0 SLC) and Cowboys (4-2, 1-0 SLC) are both fresh off road wins last weekend with HCU taking down Indiana State, 27-24, and McNeese defeating Weber State, 28-26. HCU built an early lead and never trailed while the Cowboys trailed 20-14 in the third quarter before taking a 28-20 and came up with a big stop on a two-point conversion attempt by the Wildcats in the fourth quarter.
HCU senior
Marques Caldwell was named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Sycamores with his first career interception and ensuing 35-yard return setting the Huskies up at the ISU 10-yard line in the third quarter. That field position put HCU in a spot to kick a field goal and extend its lead to 10, 27-17, in what turned out to be a 27-24 win.
Senior running back
Jesse Valenzuela leads the Huskies with 77 all-purpose yards per game, totaling 156 yards on kick returns, 136 yards on the ground, 74 yards on punt returns and 22 yards receiving. Valenzuela currently ranks 21
st in the FCS with a 10.6 yard average on punt returns while his 25.5 yards per kickoff return ranks 23
rd nationally.
McNeese is led by quarterback Clifton McDowell who has passed for six touchdowns and also rushed for six touchdowns. McDowell is completing 61.4 percent of his passes for more than 1,000 yards and just two interceptions while rushing for a team-leading 352 yards.
Safety Boogsie Silvera leads the Cowboy defense with 49 tackles in six games with a pair of interceptions and three pass breakups while also forcing a fumble and recovering one. McNeese sports the top pass defense in the conference so far this year, limiting opponents to just 174.3 yards per game through the air.
HCU's 35-24 win in Lake Charles last season was the program's first over the Cowboys with McNeese holding a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series.
The Huskies remain at home the following weekend, taking on Southeastern on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2:00 p.m.
