2025 McNeese Cowboys football team

2025 McNeese Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	2–5 (1–2 SLC)
Head coach	Matt Viator (11th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tyler Bolfing (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Kyle Segler (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Tony Pecoraro (4th season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 15 Lamar		3	–	0					6	–	1
Southeastern Louisiana		3	–	0					5	–	2
No. 24 Stephen F. Austin		3	–	0					5	–	2
East Texas A&M		2	–	1					2	–	5
UT Rio Grande Valley		1	–	2					5	–	2
Houston Christian		1	–	2					2	–	5
McNeese		1	–	2					2	–	5
Nicholls		1	–	2					1	–	6
Incarnate Word		0	–	3					2	–	5
Northwestern State		0	–	3					1	–	6
As of October 21, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 McNeese Cowboys football team represents McNeese State University in the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys play their home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and compete in the Southland Conference. They are led by eleventh-year head coach Matt Viator, who is back as head coach after previously coaching the Cowboys from 2006 to 2015.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 pm	Louisiana Christian *	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 54–9	11,279
September 6	7:00 pm	at Louisiana *	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA (Cajun Crown)	ESPN+	L 10–34	26,071
September 13	6:00 pm	Weber State *	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 41–42	11,702
September 20	7:00 pm	at Utah State *	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KMYU	L 7–48	16,273
September 27	7:00 pm	at Stephen F. Austin	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN+	L 17–34	10,684
October 4	6:00 pm	Southeastern Louisiana	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	L 0–38	9,207
October 18	6:00 pm	Houston Christian	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+	W 27–0	10,339
October 25	3:00 pm	at Nicholls	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ESPN+
November 1	6:00 pm	Northwestern State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	ESPN+
November 8	4:00 pm	at East Texas A&M	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
November 15	6:00 pm	UT Rio Grande Valley	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	ESPN+
November 22	3:00 pm	at Lamar	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX (Battle of the Border)	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

Louisiana Christian (NAIA)

See also: Louisiana Christian Wildcats football

Louisiana Christian Wildcats (NAIA) (0–0) at McNeese Cowboys (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats (NAIA)	3	6	0	0	9
Cowboys	7	31	7	9	54

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE 7 mph
• Game attendance: 11,279
• Referee: Austin Mezzacasa
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylie Eyster (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (12:03) LCU – Levi Hilborn 46-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 1:49; Louisiana Christian 3–0) (5:00) MCN – Bryce Strong 7-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 7–3) Second quarter (14:00) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 38-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 7:03; McNeese 10–3) (9:07) MCN – Coleby Hamm 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:57; McNeese 17–3) (7:12) LCU – Bryce Perkins 4-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 1:46; McNeese 17–9) (4:45) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 21-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:20; McNeese 24–9) (3:09) MCN – Jonathan Harris 15-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 0:53; McNeese 31–9) (0:14) MCN – Jessie Campbell 11-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 6 plays, 96 yards, 1:19; McNeese 38–9) Third quarter (2:58) MCN – Bryce Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:59; McNeese 45–9) Fourth quarter (7:54) MCN – Marquez Davis 12-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 4:35; McNeese 52–9) (7:02) MCN – 0-yard safety (McNeese 54–9)

Statistics	LCU	MCN
First downs	10	39
Total yards	141	664
Rushing yards	19	305
Passing yards	122	359
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	22:03	37:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana Christian	Passing	Phillip Jones II	6/15, 65 yards
	Rushing	Jaterrius Johnson	6 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Edward Scott Jr.	4 receptions, 51 yards
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	22/28, 329 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Marquez Davis	12 carries, 97 yards, TD
	Receiving	Logan Mauldin	3 receptions, 86 yards

at Louisiana (FBS, Cajun Crown)

See also: 2025 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team and Cajun Crown

McNeese Cowboys (1–0) at Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (FBS) (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	3	0	10
Ragin' Cajuns (FBS)	7	10	0	17	34

at Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SW 5 mph
• Game attendance: 26,071
• Referee: Marshall Lewis
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald (play-by-play), Eric Mouton (analyst) and Ben Schafer (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter (12:58) UL – Bill Davis 6-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:54; Louisiana 7–0) (10:08) MCN – Devin Lippold 2-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:42; Tied 7–7) Second Quarter (1:06) UL – Bill Davis 36-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 0:47; Louisiana 14–7) (0:00) UL – Tony Sterner 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 0:39; Louisiana 17–7) Third Quarter (11:50) MCN – Fabrizio Pinton 45-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:10; Louisiana 17–10) Fourth Quarter (10:41) UL – Tony Sterner 37-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:19; Louisiana 20–10) (3:48) UL – Landon Baptiste 10-yard pass from Daniel Beale, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:46; Louisiana 27–10) (1:39) UL – Steven Blanco 34-yard run, Tony Sterner kick (Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:03; Louisiana 34–10)

Statistics	MCN	UL
First downs	14	25
Total yards	238	401
Rushing yards	47	315
Passing yards	191	86
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	25:43	34:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	19/30, 191 yards, INT
	Rushing	Bryce Strong	7 carries, 17 yards
	Receiving	Joshua Jackson	4 receptions, 83 yards
Louisiana	Passing	Daniel Beale	14/22, 86 yards, TD
	Rushing	Bill Davis	19 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	KeDarius Wade	1 reception, 19 yards

Weber State

See also: 2025 Weber State Wildcats football team

Weber State Wildcats (0–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	14	7	14	42
Cowboys	0	7	14	20	41

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: SE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
• Game attendance: 11,702
• Referee: Gary Leeper
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play), Chaston Tavares (analyst) and Rylee Eyster (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter (5:06) WEB – Jayleen Record 78-yard pass from Jackson Gilkey, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:42; Weber State 7–0) Second Quarter (14:46) WEB – Jackson Gilkey 50-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:56; Weber State 14–0) (13:23) MCN – Bryce Strong 68-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:23; Weber State 14–7) (0:21) WEB – Sloan Calder 10-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 4:38; Weber State 21–7) Third Quarter (12:02) MCN – Jonathan Harris 57-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:25; Weber State 21–14) (5:48) WEB – Davion Godley 2-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:14; Weber State 28–14) (2:21) MCN – Jake Strong 5-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 3:19; Weber State 28–21) Fourth Quarter (11:05) WEB – Davion Godley 12-yard run, Sloan Calder kick (Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:11; Weber State 35–21) (9:45) WEB – BJ Carey 0-yard interception, Sloan Calder kick (Weber State 42–21) (9:04) MCN – Tre'Vonte Citizen 79-yard run, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 2 plays, 88 yards, 0:41; Weber State 42–28) (4:56) MCN – Jonathan Harris 3-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 2:45; Weber State 42–35) (0:42) MCN – Jake Strong 19-yard run (Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 1:32; Weber State 42–41)

Statistics	WEB	MCN
First downs	21	21
Total yards	447	537
Rushing yards	229	259
Passing yards	218	278
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	32:43	27:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Weber State	Passing	Jackson Gilkey	11/20, 218 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jackson Gilkey	15 carries, 114 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jayleen Record	1 reception, 78 yards, TD
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	20/39, 278 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tre'Vonte Citizen	11 carries, 117 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jonathan Harris	7 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD

at Utah State (FBS)

See also: 2025 Utah State Aggies football team

McNeese Cowboys (1–2) at Utah State Aggies (FBS) (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	0	7
Aggies (FBS)	13	21	14	0	48

at Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: N 4 mph
• Game attendance: 16,273
• Referee: Brad Carrell
• TV announcers (KMYU): Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst) and Frank Dolce (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (5:46) USU – Kahanu Davis 45-yard pass from Bryson Barnes (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:03; Utah State 6–0) (3:54) USU – Brady Boyd 53-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 2 plays, 58 yards, 0:37; Utah State 13–0) Second quarter (7:55) USU – Miles Davis 30-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:02; Utah State 20–0) (5:59) MCN – Jonathan Harris 20-yard pass from Jake Strong, Fabrizio Pinton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:56; Utah State 20–7) (1:33) USU – Bryson Barnes 3-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:26; Utah State 27–7) (0:22) USU – Javen Jacobs 1-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 5 plays, 52 yards, 0:43; Utah State 34–7) Third quarter (9:37) USU – Bryson Barnes 21-yard run, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 4:03; Utah State 41–7) (3:34) USU – Brady Boyd 9-yard pass from Bryson Barnes, Tanner Rinker kick (Drive: 4 plays, 89 yards, 1:50; Utah State 48–7) Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Statistics	MCN	USU
First downs	13	27
Total yards	239	627
Rushing yards	109	334
Passing yards	130	293
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	28:46	31:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Jake Strong	7/23, 89 yards, TD
	Rushing	Tre'Vonte Citizen	12 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	Jonathan Harris	1 reception, 20 yards, TD
Utah State	Passing	Bryson Barnes	19/27, 293 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Bryson Barnes	13 carries, 128 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Braden Pegan	3 receptions, 95 yards

at Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2025 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

McNeese Cowboys (1–3) at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	3	7	17
Lumberjacks	0	14	10	10	34

at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, Texas

• Date: September 27
• Game time: 7:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Rob Myers (play-by-play) and Hunter Taylor (analyst)

Statistics	MCN	SFA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Stephen F. Austin	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2025 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

Southeastern Louisiana Lions (3–2) at McNeese Cowboys (1–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	14	24	0	0	38
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Palermo (play-by-play) and Chaston Tavares (analyst)

Statistics	SELA	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Houston Christian

See also: 2025 Houston Christian Huskies football team

Houston Christian Huskies (2–4) at McNeese Cowboys (1–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: October 18
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT

Statistics	HCU	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Nicholls

See also: 2025 Nicholls Colonels football team

McNeese Cowboys (2–5) at Nicholls Colonels (1–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Colonels			0

at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, Thibodaux, Louisiana

• Date: October 25
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	NICH
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

Northwestern State (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Northwestern State Demons football team and McNeese–Northwestern State football rivalry

Northwestern State Demons at McNeese Cowboys – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Demons			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: November 1
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	NWST	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

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

at East Texas A&M

See also: 2025 East Texas A&M Lions football team

McNeese Cowboys at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: November 8
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

UT Rio Grande Valley

See also: 2025 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros football team

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at McNeese Cowboys – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Vaqueros			0
Cowboys			0

at Cowboy Stadium, Lake Charles, Louisiana

• Date: November 15
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	RGV	MCN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Rio Grande Valley	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Lamar (Battle of the Border)

See also: 2025 Lamar Cardinals football team and Battle of the Border (Lamar–McNeese)

McNeese Cowboys at Lamar Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Cardinals			0

at Provost Umphrey Stadium, Beaumont, Texas

• Date: November 22
• Game time: 3:00 PM CST
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	LAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Lamar	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "2025 Football Schedule". McNeese State University Athletics. Retrieved February 6, 2025.