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Cowboys Top Demons, 24-17
11/15/08 - 11:02 PM
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NATCHITOCHES - Quarterback Derrick Fourroux ran for three touchdowns, including a pair on long fourth-quarter scoring drives that lifted 16th-ranked McNeese State to a 24-17 road win at Northwestern State in a key Southland Conference football game Saturday night at Turpin Stadium.

The game was tied 10-all until the final 10 minutes. The outcome lifted the Cowboys to 7-3 overall, 4-2 in the conference, tied for first place in the standings with Texas State entering the final week of the season. McNeese next plays at No. 11-ranked Central Arkansas, 9-2 overall and 5-1 in league play but ineligible for the SLC title or postseason play due to its transitional status into Division I.

Northwestern (6-5 overall, 3-3 in the SLC)  can still share the SLC title if they can win next week at Stephen F. Austin while McNeese loses at Central Arkansas and Texas State loses at Sam Houston State. If Northwestern, UCA and Sam Houston win, Northwestern will share the title and be the SLC’s playoff representative if Nicholls beats Southeastern Louisiana.

“In this conference, especially this year, anything can happen,” said seventh-year Demons coach Scott Stoker.  “Right now it’s hard to think ahead. I’ve got a team full of guys who fought their guts out and came up empty, and it hurts.”

McNeese moved on top to stay with 9:55 remaining on a 4-yard Fourroux run ending a 15-play, 7:11-long, 79-yard drive to go ahead 17-10. On the next play from scrimmage, the Cowboys’ Jamelle Juneau made a diving interception of an underthrown pass for an open receiver behind coverage. McNeese then drove 69 yards in eight plays over the next 4:02 and took a 24-10 lead with 5:39 to go on a 14-yard scamper by Fourroux.

“The play that turned it was the interception,” said Stoker.  “We snapped it on the wrong count, the play got jumbled up,  the receiver was open deep and John (Hundley, NSU’s quarterback) scooped up the snap and tried to make a play. He just didn’t throw it far enough.  We needed to move the ball on that possession, hopefully get some points, but instead we were back on the field playing defense. McNeese had a lot of good momentum on offense and they drove it down the field again on us.”

Northwestern rallied late, getting a 28-yard Hundley touchdown pass to Dudley Guice with 39 seconds left and nearly pulling off its third onsides kick recovery of the season. The kickoff skipped off one Cowboy back toward midfield, and then back toward the sideline before McNeese’s Wes Mangan came up with the ball to seal the outcome.

“Our effort was awesome. McNeese made one more play than we did,” said Stoker.  “They have a great team and they earned the win, but our guys went toe-to-toe with them. Our defense played well enough to win. Our offense just couldn’t overcome the situation up front well enough to get us over the top.”

The Demons played without their biggest offensive lineman, 6-foot-6, 350-pound left tackle Jace Prescott, who was injured last week. Midway through the first quarter, NSU lost its starting left guard, Oklahoma State transfer Michael Booker, with an ankle injury, leaving the Demons playing two true freshmen up front.

“Injuries happen. We almost overcame that,” said Stoker. “It wasn’t for lack of effort or desire.”

It was the ninth time in the last 11 games in the 58-year-old series the margin was a touchdown or less. McNeese beat Northwestern for a fourth straight season and for the 14th time in the last 17 seasons.

McNeese opened the scoring with a 32-yard Blake Bercegeay field goal nine minutes into the game. Hundley came off the bench on the ensuing series and led a 9-play, 67-yard drive capped by his 1-yard sneak for a 7-3 NSU lead 1:59 before the end of the first period.

Robert Weeks drilled a 29-yard field goal 10:22 before halftime to boost the Demons ahead 10-3. McNeese responded with a 10-play, 71-yard drive over the next 4:08 to tie the game at 10 on a 1-yard dive by Fourroux.

McNeese brought the nation’s No. 3-ranked scoring offense (39.9 points per game) into the contest and ranked fourth nationally with a 471-yard offensive average. The Cowboys totaled 404 yards on 79 snaps, but their defense held the Demons to a season low of 227 yards on 57 plays.

Fourroux ran for 69 yards on 15 carries and threw for 138 more, hitting 11 of 22 passes. Tailback Toddrick Pendland, the nation’s No. 6 rusher with a 135.3 average, had 103 on 24 carries and broke McNeese’s 56-year-old single-season rushing record by getting to 1,321 yards, eight more than Jules DeRouen had in 1952.

Senior linebacker Mack Dampier led the Demons with a game-high 11 tackles, including a sack, while safeties Wesley Eckles and Gary Riggs each had nine stops. Riggs blocked a field goal, his second block in as many games.