2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The 2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Frank Wilson in his second and final season as head coach, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

2021 McNeese State Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	4–7 (3–5 Southland)
Head coach	Frank Wilson (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Ronnie Letson (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Deron Wilson (1st season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 Incarnate Word $^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
Nicholls		5	–	3					6	–	5
McNeese State *		3	–	5					4	–	7
Northwestern State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Houston Baptist		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from STATS Poll

Preseason

Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll in July 2021. The Cowboys were picked to finish fourth in the conference.^[1] In addition, six Cowboys were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Southeastern Louisiana	48 (8)
2	Nicholls	43 (4)
3	Incarnate Word	32
4	McNeese State	26
5	Northwestern State	21
6	Houston Baptist	10

Preseason All–Southland Teams

Offense 2nd Team Josh Matthews – Wide Receiver, SR

Defense 1st Team Isaiah Chambers – Defensive Lineman, SR Mason Kinsey – Defensive Lineman, RS-JR Andre Sam – Defensive Back, SR 2nd Team Chris Joyce – Defensive Back, JR Mason Pierce – Punt Returner, RS-SO

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	12:00 p.m.	West Florida*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 36–42	8,665
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at LSU*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	SECN+/ESPN+	L 7–34	94,220
September 18	6:00 p.m.	at Southern*	Ace W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN+	W 31–24	15,003
September 25	12:00 p.m.	at Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN+	L 0–31	1,633
October 2	12:00 p.m.	No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 35–38	6,044
October 16	3:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA (rivalry)	CST/ESPN+	W 35–17	7,413
October 23	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Incarnate Word	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 28–20	7,498
October 30	6:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN+	L 20–23	4,185
November 6	12:00 p.m.	Nicholls	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	CST/ESPN+	L 14–24	8,898
November 13	2:00 p.m.	at Houston Baptist	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 44–3	2,325
November 20	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 20–24	8,412
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3][4]

Game summaries

West Florida

West Florida at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • Argonauts 7 14 7 14 42 Cowboys 7 9 6 14 36 Date: September 4, 2021 Location: Cowboys Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:45 Game attendance:  8,665 Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: 7 W Referee:  Gary Leeper TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 West Florida Argonauts football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	West Florida	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Florida	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At LSU

McNeese State at Louisiana State

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 0 0 7 7 • Tigers 7 10 7 10 34 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  4:03 Game attendance:  94,220 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 6mph Referee:  Marc Curles TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 LSU Tigers football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	LSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
LSU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southern

McNeese State at Southern

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 3 10 11 31 Jaguars 14 7 0 3 24 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Ace W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:09 Game attendance:  15,003 Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 6mph Referee:  Y.N. Myers TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Southern Jaguars football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Incarnate Word

McNeese State at Incarnate Word

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 0 0 0 0 • Cardinals 14 7 7 3 31 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:27 Game attendance:  1,633 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny and clear • Wind: SE 4 MPH Referee:  Ed Bourgeois TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Incarnate Word
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 14 Lions 14 10 7 7 38 Cowboys 7 0 14 14 35 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Cowboys Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:36 Game attendance:  6,044 Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 9 Referee:  Ed Bourgeois TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Southeastern Louisiana	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Northwestern State

McNeese State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 0 21 7 7 35 Demons 3 0 7 7 17 Date: October 16, 2021 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:14 Game attendance:  7,413 Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD Referee:  Gary Leeper TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team and McNeese State–Northwestern State football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Northwestern State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 16 Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 6 6 8 20 • Cowboys 14 7 0 7 28 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Cowboys Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:35 Game attendance:  7,498 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: SE 10 Referee:  Nolan Dumas TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Incarnate Word	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana

McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 7 0 0 13 20 • No. 8 Lions 3 0 7 13 23 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:20 Game attendance:  4,185 Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: NW 7 Referee:  Craig Heiser TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Southeastern Louisiana
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Nicholls

Nicholls at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • Colonels 0 7 7 10 24 Cowboys 7 0 7 0 14 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Cowboys Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time:  3:10 Game attendance:  8,898 Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C) • Weather: PC • Wind: NNE 8 mp Referee:  Gary Leeper TV announcers (CST/ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Nicholls Colonels football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Nicholls	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nicholls	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Houston Baptist

McNeese State at Houston Baptist

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 14 14 3 13 44 Huskies 3 0 0 0 3 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Husky Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:  3:11 Game attendance:  2,325 Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 8mph Referee:  Ed Bourgeois TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Houston Baptist Huskies football team

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	McNeese State	Houston Baptist
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Houston Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northwestern State

Northwestern State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • Demons 17 0 0 7 24 Cowboys 7 0 7 6 20 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Cowboys Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time:  3:15 Game attendance:  8,412 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E5 Referee:  Nolan Dumas TV announcers (ESPN+):

Scoring summary 1 2 3 4

See also: 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team and McNeese State–Northwestern State football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Northwestern State	McNeese State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Personnel

2021 McNeese State Cowboys football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 0 Ceejay Powell Sr WR 1 Mason Pierce   So RB 5 Stephon Huderson Sr WR 6 Josh Matthews Sr QB 7 Dillon Smith Fr QB 8 Cody Orgeron Sr QB 9 Walker Wood   Sr QB 10 Jason Wakefield So QB 11 Devon Tott Fr QB 12 Cade Bartlett   So QB 13 Ryan Roberts Fr WR 14 Severyn Foster Jr WR 14 Thomas Miles So WR 15 Jalen Johnson Fr WR 16 Brendan Sirls   Fr WR 17 Jon McCall Fr RB 20 Deonta McMahon Sr RB 24 Josh Parker So RB 29 AJ Carter Jr RB 33 Ivory Roberts   So TE 36 Dontay Hargrove   Sr RB 37 Carlos Williams   So TE 47 Dominic Prudhomme   So OL 60 Paxton Crouse So OL 62 Juan Gonzales Fr OL 63 Charley Zeno   Jr OL 64 Jack Zelezinski   So OL 65 Clay Ancelet Fr OL 66 Dylan Dauzart Fr OL 67 Keaton Altman Fr OL 68 Jared Chapman Fr OL 69 Aaron McDaniel   So OL 70 Hezekiah Neason So OL 71 Caron Coleman Sr OL 72 Cameron Foster Fr OL 73 Calvin Barkat Sr OL 74 Christopher Stephens   Fr OL 75 Hayden Shaw   Fr OL 77 Nick Holiday   Jr OL 78 Trey Winters So OL 79 Romello Tarver So TE 80 Jamal Pettigrew Sr WR 81 Deon Cormier   Jr WR 83 Raheem Roberts Fr TE 84 KJ Brown   So WR 85 Zach Hayes   Jr WR 86 Markel Cotten   So WR 87 Chris Raymond   Jr TE 88 CJ Knighten Fr WR 89 Christian Thomas   Fr RB Tyler Gainey Fr WR Gage Rapp   Fr RB Jai'Van Samuel Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Colby Richardson   Sr DB 3 Quad Wilson   Fr CB 4 Corione Harris Sr DB 5 Chris Joyce Jr LB 10 Darius Daniels   Jr DB 12 Edward Gilds Fr DB 13 Lathan Adams Fr DB 18 Trent Winbush   Jr DB 21 Andre Sam   Jr DB 22 Rae'Kwon Starks So LB 23 Kordell Williams   Sr DB 25 Darius Shields   So DB 26 Richard Akers Fr DB 27 Enos Lewis Sr LB 28 Ge'Mon Eaford Fr DB 30 Tyler Toliver   Fr DB 31 Twillie Lovett Fr DB 32 Alijah Hamilton Fr DB 33 Travis Walker Fr DB 34 Eli Johnson Jr LB 35 Kobe Callahan So DB 36 Tremayne Evans   Fr DL 40 Isaiah Chambers Sr DB 41 Gus Nave Sr DE 42 Earenest Grayson III   So DL 43 Tyrell Flugence Jr LB 45 Tahj Samuel   Jr DE 47 Khaylon Chapple   Fr LB 48 Micah Davey Fr LB 49 Jake Lafleur   Fr DL 52 Mason Kinsey   Jr LB 54 lester Joseph So DB 54 Bradley Livingstone   Fr DL 55 Joey McNeely   Jr LB 56 Brayden Adams   Jr DE 58 Logan Sonnier   So DL 59 Grayson Mays So DL 90 Demond Stewart Sr DL 91 Welland Williams Fr DL 92 Arthur Lott   So DL 93 Masry Mapieu Sr DL 94 Eli Goss Fr DL 96 C. J. Semien Sr DL 98 Leon Young So DL 99 Accord Green Sr LB Ty Fuselier Fr DB Jake Hadzicki Fr DB Brian Lampton   Fr DB Richard Lee Fr DB Jace Marsters Fr LB Noah Simon Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K, LS 37 Mason Caldwell Jr K 38 Nolan Heitmeier Fr K, P 38 Eemil Herranen Fr K 39 Jacob Abel Sr P 39 Callum Eddings Fr K 41 Brandon Hayden Jr K 42 Graycen Kennedy Jr LS 50 Trey Vondenstein   So LS 51 Carter Jenke So	Head coach Frank Wilson (Nicholls State) Coordinators/assistant coaches Ronnie Letson (Mississippi) Offensive coordinator Deron Wilson (Southern Miss) Defensive coordinator Gary Hyman (Stanislaus State) Special teams coordinator Landon Hoefer (Texas Tech) Running backs Chris Truax (LSU) Offensive line JB Lageman (Louisville) Defensive line Willie Mack Garza (Texas) Safeties Will Thomas (LSU) Linebackers Blaine Gautier (Louisiana) Wide receivers Rishaw Johnson (California (PA)) Tight ends Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt Roster Last update: 2 August 2021

References

1. "Southeastern Voted to Top Spot in 2021 Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
2. "Southland Announces 2021 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". www.southland.org. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
3. "McNeese Cowboys Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
4. "2021 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2023.