LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana (KPLC) – For the first time since November, it’s officially game week for the McNeese Cowboys as they prepare for Saturday’s “Week Zero” showdown at Tarleton State, one of seven games being played nationwide this week.
“We’re excited that it’s finally happening. It’s been a long training camp, so we’re excited that it’s finally happening,” said head coach Gary Goff. “We’re ready to compete against somebody else. These guys have hit their wall a little bit because they’re tired of beating each other up, you know. So we’re excited where we are now, everyone’s healthy and we’re ready to go.”
The long offseason was crucial for the Cowboys, marked by attacking the transfer portal in hopes of gaining experience and improving on the failures of last season, in which the Cowboys did not win a single game on the field.
To improve on the field, the Cowboys have added some players who can help off the field as well, such as new chief of staff Aaron Ingram. With the help of Ingram and several other offseason additions, the Cowboys were able to sign the best transfer class in the Southland Conference.
New additions to McNeese:
- Curtis Deville, wide receiver, Purdue (Iowa High School)
- Clifton McDowell, quarterback, Montana
- TreVonte’ Citizen, running back, Miami (Lake Charles College Prep)
- AJ Thomas, edge rusher, Tulane
- Stephen Johnson, Defensive Player, Auburn
- Tristan Driggers, linebacker, UL Monroe
- Connor Knight, defensive player, UAB
- Zachary Session, offensive lineman, Sam Houston
- Reggie Ellis, cornerback, Tulsa
- Myles Winslow, Defensive Player, Georgia Southern
- Thomas Lane, Defender, Marshall
- Tyler Larco, kicker, Arkansas
One reason the Cowboys attacked the transfer portal so doggedly was what Gary Goff learned in his first two years in Lake Charles.
“You know, the main takeaway is that the youngest teams aren’t going to last long. We knew we were going to be missing a couple of new recruiting classes, right? We took that into account and that’s why we’ve leaned heavily on transfers on this roster. The young players that played last year are now redshirt sophomores or some of them are still redshirt freshmen and have a lot of playing experience. So I think we’re doing some good things on both sides of the ball right now based on what we have on our roster,” Goff said.
Now that it’s game week, McNeese is shifting his focus from hitting each other and getting used to each other to preparing for the opponent and the start of the season.
Those preparations for the Texans began late last week as they prepared to play against a Tarleton State team that brings plenty of experience.
“They’re probably going to be pretty balanced. They’re a pretty electric receiver group, their running back is really good, I think their quarterback throws a great ball and all 11 starters are back on offense, right? So they have a strong offense, they scored a lot of points every game last year and I think they’re well coached. So they have a really good offense and it’s going to be a big challenge for our defense. But I think we’ve improved a lot on both sides of the ball, so I’m looking forward to the challenge in week one,” Goff said.
Saturday’s game against Tarleton State begins at 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.
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