- McNeese and Western Kentucky met earlier in the year in Lake Charles (S. 28) with the Cowboys pulling out a 38-13 victory. in that game Cowboy kick returner/wide receiver B. J. Sams had a career day. he ran for a school record for all-purpose yards with 316 and he scored two tds (one on a 23 yard pass from QB Scott Pendarvis and the other on a 59 yard punt return). in the game he caught six passes for 111 yards, rushed the ball one time for eight yards, returned two punts for 89 yards and a td and ran back four kickoffs for 108 yards. Sams earned both national and conference player of the week honors for his role in that game. also in the game Pendarvis completed 13 of 16 passes for 203 yards and Vick King ran the ball 14 times for 78 yards. McNeese totaled 391 yards and held Western Kentucky to 230. defensively for the Cowboys, four players had tackles in double figures. LB Ryan Garrison led the way with 15, LB Roderick Royal and SS Hadley Prince had 12 each and SS Cedric Lars had 10
- the last time the Cowboys reached the championship game was 1997 and McNeese went into the playoffs as the No. 6 ranked team in the nation. in the playoffs that year the Cowboys beat Montana at home (19-14) and then had to go on the road to beat Western Illinois (14-12) and Delaware (23-21) to reach the finals. the Cowboys bowed to Youngstown State 10-9 in the championship game. the NCAA judged the Cowboys as the most improved team in I-AA that year. going from a 3-8 record in 1996 to a 13-2 mark in 1997.
McNeese and the I-AA playoffs
Year Advance
2002 Championship game
2001 First round loss
2000 First round loss
1999 Did not qualify
1998 First round loss
1997 Championship game loss
1996 Did not qualify
1995 Semifinal loss
1994 Quarterfinal loss
1993 Quarterfinal loss
1992 First round loss
1991 First round loss
1990 Did not qualify
1989 Did not qualify
1988 Did not qualify
1987 Did not qualify
1986 Did not qualify
1985 Did not qualify
1984 Did not qualify
1983 Did not qualify
Note: before 1983 McNeese was a member of 1-A; the Cowboys played in three Independence Bowl games; beating Tulsa 20-16 in the inaugural Independence Bowl game in 1976, losing to Syracuse 31-7 in the 1980 Independence and bowing to Southern Mississippi 16-14 in the 1981 Independence Bowl
Who's Hot for the Cowboys
(notes are for McNeese's three games in the I-AA playoffs)
- after going to the bench in the second half of the quarterfinal game with Montana, QB Scott Pendarvis (No. 13) came back in the semifinal game to lead Cowboys to victory last Saturday. in the second half of the win over Villanova he completed six of nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. in the three playoff games Pendarvis has completed 24 of 56 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. he has not thrown an interception
- tailback Marcus Trahan (No. 3) has taken up the lead at this position for the Cowboys. in the three playoff games he has rushed for 153 yards on 34 carries. he has also caught a pass for a td
- also, Jacob Prim (No. 22) has rushed for 139 yards on 39 carries from tailback. he has also scored on a rush - center Jason Davis (No. 51) has taken over as the lead in the Cowboy offensive line. he's grading out over 80 percent with his blocking and in the three playoff games he has not allowed a sack
- B. J. Sams (No. 12) - injured earlier in the season - has come back strong in the playoffs. he has scored two tds in each of the last two games and has totaled over 175 all-purpose yards in both. he had 194 all purpose yards against Villanova and 184 against Montana. in the three playoff games he has 428 all-purpose yards. in those games he has caught 12 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. he has also taken over as McNeese's leading pass receiver for the season and leads the Cowboys in punt and kickoff returns and all-purpose running. and he's tied for second in scoring
- defensively, LB Roderick Royal (No. 52) has had 25 tackles in the three playoff games while LB Ryan Garrison (No. 58) has had 20. also SS Achille Fairchild (No. 25) has returned a pass interception for a td (47 yards vs Villanova). and CB Keith Smith (No. 24) has shutdown everyone who has gone up against him
MARTIN LOOKS FOR MORE
Jermaine Martin has become McNeese State's all-time leading pass receiver and he now ranks in a tie for 5th in the Southland Conference.. In the first game of the season he became the alltime leader for pass rec e p t i o n s and in the Cowboys?Ethird game he took over the leadership for yards catching passes. In his career with the Cowboys he has now caught 155 passes for 2,562 yards and 11 t o u c h - downs. This year he has caught Jermaine Martin 38 passes for 646 yards and two touchdowns. for the first time in a game this year, Martin did not catch a pass in the victory over Villanova. however, he did score on a rush, going over from 36 yards out.
SLC TOP 10 ALL-TIME RECEIVERS
1. Matt Dominguez, Sam Houston 211
2. Cisco Richard, La-Monroe 179
3. Jonathon Cooper, Sam Houston 171
4. Joey Hamiklton, Jacksonville St. 161
5. Pat Holder, Abilene Christian 155
5. Jermaine Martin, McNeese 155
McNeese head coach Tommy Tate
- he's the second former McNeese football player to serve as the university's head coach. the first was the late Jack Doland who coached the Cowboys from 1970 to 1978, led them to a conference title and to bowl appearances in the Independence Bowl (1976 victory over Tulsa) and in the Grantland Rice Bowl (1971 loss to Tennessee State). Doland was also the McNeese athletic director and went on to become the university's president and to serve as a state senator. he had played for the Cowboys in the 1940s when the school was a junior college and he went on to play for Tulane when it went to the Rose Bowl
- Tate played for Doland as he was a four year letterman from 1975 to 1978..he was a defensive back and earned all-conference academic honors
- in 1979 he stepped off the field and into the coaching box. in the summer of 1979 Doland was named the president of the university and Ernie Duplechin became the McNeese head coach, picking Tate to become his secondary coach
- Tate had served as a McNeese assistant coach for 20 years (one season was spent as the school's placement director)
- he was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator in 1999 and became head coach in 2000. he now has an 29-9 overall record and has the Cowboys at 13-1 this season. and NO. 1
THE LAST TIME a McNeese player
- returned a kickoff for a td (William Davis, 92 yards vs Ark-Monticello 1998)
- returned a punt for a td (B. J. Sams, 81 yards vs Youngstown State, 2002; B. J. Sams, 59 yards vs Western Kentucky)
- returned a pass interception for a td (47 yards, Achille Fairchild vs Villanova, 2002)
- blocked a field goal (Tim Kenebrew vs Grambling 2002; Jim Abram vs La-Monroe, 2002; Chris White vs SFA)
- blocked a PAT (Jim Abram vs La-Monroe, 2002)
- blocked a punt (Cedric Lars vs Villanova, 2002)
- returned a blocked FG for a td (Rod Gulley vs Grambling, 2002; 63 yards)
- ran a mid-air fumble back for a td (Marcus LeBlanc vs Youngstown St., 100 yards, 1995)
- ran a fumble back for a td (Chris White vs Sam Houston State, 43 yards, 2002)
- ran a blocked punt back for a td (Joe Judge vs Maine, 32 yards 1999)
- recovered a fumble for a td (Jerod Jones vs Sam Houston 1996)
- rushed for 100 yards (121 yards, 19 carries, Vick King vs Northwestern State, 2002)
- had two players rush for 100 yards in same game (S. 29 vs W. Virginia Tech - Aaron Pierce for 110 yards and Jacob Prim for 104 yards)
- rushed for 200 yards (208 yards - 25 carries, Vick King vs Jacksonville, 2002)
- rushed for 7 tds (Jessie Burton vs Southern Utah 1998)
- passed for 300 yards (Slade Nagle vs NW State, 2000, 331 on 16 of 32)
- had 300 yards total offense (Slade Nagle vs NW State, 2000, minus 7 rushing and 331 passing)
- had 300 yards all-purpose running (*316, B. J. Sams vs Western Kentucky, 2002)
- caught passes for 100 yards (vs Montana, B. J. Sams 7 catches for 147 yards, 2002)
- had two players catch passes for 100 yards (vs W. Virginia Tech - 2001 - B. J. Sams 135 on 7, Jermaine Martin 110 on 8)
- kicked five field goals (Shonz LaFrenz vs N. Iowa 1997)
- kicked a 50 yard FG (Eric Roberts vs N. Iowa, 54 yards - school record, 1991)
- kicked 9 PATS (Shonz LaFrenz vs S. Utah 1998)
- had four sacks (Blair Bradley vs Southwest Texas 1998)
- scored 3 tds receiving (Jeff Hamilton vs Sam Houston State 2001)
- intercepted two passes (Rod Gulley vs Northwestern State, 2002)
LAST TIME AN OPPONENT
- rushed for 100 yards (218, Jammal Lord, Nebraska 2002)
- rushed for 200 yards (203 by Adrian Petersen, Ga. Southern, 2000)
- passed for 300 yards (322, Josh McCown, Sam Houston State, 2001; 28 of 61)
- caught passes for over 100 yards (Noble Champen, Villanova, 5 for 140, 2002)
- returned a kickoff for td (99 yards, Mel Mitchell, Western Kentucky, 2001; 99 yards, LeJuan Walker, Nicholls State, 11/17/01)
- returned a punt for a td (Santana Moss, 77 yards, Miami, 2000)
- returned a pass interception for a td (99 yards, Reggie Spenser, Jacksonville State, 2001)
- returned a fumble for a td (52 yards, John Thompson of La-Monroe, 2002 & 56 yards, Dewayne Cuffie, Jacksonville State, 2002)
- blocked a punt and returned it for a td (Sam Houston State - blocked by Fabian Johnson and returned by Jeff Jones for td 1997)
- shut out the Cowboys - Western Kentucky 21-0 in 2001
LAST MCNEESE STATE SHUTOUT - 56-0 over Prairie View (2001)
Cowboy Notes
-B. J. SAMS has set a McNeese single game all purpose yards record and is currently averaging 123.7 yards per game. he's back now from injuries that slowed him some this year. he has not been returning kickoffs. in victory over Western Kentucky, Sams set a school record with 316 all-purpose yards. it broke the mark of 304 that had been set by Tony Citizen in 1986. there is no record for this category in the Southland Conference while the national I-AA record of 467 yards was set by former Western Kentucky player Joey Stockton against Austin Peay in 1995.. the school record for allpurpose yards in a single season is 1,737 and was set by Flip Johnson in 1986. Sams now has 1,608 yards this season. against Montana he caught seven passes for a career high 147 yards and two tds
-JERMAINE MARTIN has become McNeese's most prolific pass receiver. he now holds the school all-time record for both passes caught and pass receiving yardage.. he has caught 155 passes for a total of 2,562 yards. he took over from former standout Terence Davis in both departments. Martin has also scored 11 touchdowns in his career. the school record for that is 21 and is held by Davis. Martin ranks as the 5th best all-time receiver in Southland Conference history. for the first time this season in last week's game Martin did not catch a pass
- TB VICK KING has the 14th McNeese State rusher to net 1,000 yards in a single season. he has 1,103 in 14 games. his career total in two seasons with the Cowboys is 1,890 yards. he is now averaging 78.8 yards per game. he missed almost all of the Montanan State game with a minor shoulder separation..he came back against Montana and rushed for 28 yards on 13 carries. he was injured (knee) against Villanova and did not play the sescond half. his playing status for the championship game on Friday will be decided later in the week. he's a two-time SLC player of the week winner and was named the SLC's Offensive player of the week. he now shares the Southland Conference lead with Lee Davis of Southwest Texas..both are averaging 78.8 yards per game. the SLC rushing title is based on yards per game. King is the only SLC running back with over 1,000 yards rushing
- PASS INTERCEPTIONS. the Cowboys have intercepted 20 passes this season ..Rod Gulley leads the team with nine and Chris White has four. Gulley had two against Northwestern State. Gulley is only one interception shy of the school record of 10 that was set by Billy Blakeman in the 1970 season
- thus far this season McNeese's defense has accounted for six touchdowns. Rod Gulley ran a blocked field goal back for a td against Grambling and returned a pass interception for a td vs SFA and ran an intercepted pass back 40 yards for a td against Nicholls State. Roderick Royal returned an intercepted pass for a score against Youngstown State, Chris White returned a fumble 43 yards for a td vs Sam Houston State and Achille Fairchild ran a pass interception back 47 yards for a td against Villanova
- has McNeese has become football's Silky Sullivan? -- you remember the horse that always started slow but came in first at the end of each race -- the Cowboys have now come-from-behind to win their last two football games. beating Montana in the quarterfinals 24-20 after falling behind 17-0 and beating Villanova in the semifinals last week after droppiong behind 21-7
McNeese Career Leaders
- Wide receiver Jermaine Martin has become McNeese's all-time leading pass receiver with 155 catches. and he now also holds the school record for pass receiving yards in a career with 2,562
- also, strong safety Hadley Prince now ranks third on the career list for tackles with 354. `
- tailback Vick King now has 1,890 yards rushing in his career and ranks 12th
- quarterback Scott Pendarvis now has 2,243 career passing yards in only a little more than one season and that ranks ninth on the all-time McNeese list
More McNeese notes
- McNeese State's Vick King is attempting to become the seventh Cowboy player to lead the Southland Conference in rushing .he now has 1,103 yards and a 78.8 average. however, his average has been dropping with each game. and the conference bases its leaders on yards per game. he is now tied for the lead with Lee Davis of Southwest Texas. King was injured in last week's contest and his playing status is to be determined for Saturday's championship game. the conference will carry statistics out to the end of play including playoff games
- King has become the first Cowboy in four years to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Jessie Burton was last in 1998 with 1,172 yards
- since joining the SLC in 1972, McNeese has had seven players win the league's rushing title. the latest was Jessie Burton in 1998. McNeese rushing titles holders are:
Year Player Yards G. Avg.
1998 Jessie Burton 1037 115.2
1986 Tony Citizen 1088 98.9
1983 Buford Jordan 1007 125.9
1981 Buford Jordan 1267 115.2
1980 Theron McClendon 1175 106.8
1979 Artie Shankle 853 94.7
1972 Enos Hicks 906 90.6
- that is the most rushing titles by any current school in the confernece and the second most in conference history. former league member Arkansas State had eight rushing champions during its time in the SLC
- McNeese wide receiver BJ Sams has now caught passes for over 1,000 yards. his career total is 66 catches for 1,080 yards. he has also taken over as McNeese's pass receiving leader this year
- Cowboy strong safety Hadley Prince and fullback Darren Oustalet received their bachelor degrees during McNeese graduation ceremonies last Saturday. Prince got his degree in agriculture science major and plans to attend veterinary school. Oustalet is a marketing major. both are honor roll students
- Marcus Trahan went over the 1,000 yard rushing mark in his career two weeks ago. he picked up 35 yards against Montana. he has rushed for 1056 yards in his career with the Cowboys
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