Looking Forward, Not Backwards: McNeese Building Clout

by Matt Dye

When Gary Goff came to McNeese nearly three years ago, the expectations were high, but the reality of what he had to work with was overlooked.
Coming off the success of a 22-3 stint at Valdosta State, many expected Goff to immediately take McNeese to new heights, but coaching turnovers in three of the previous four seasons, as well as recovering from pandemicane 2020 had put the Cowboy football program as far back as anyone could remember.

But as they say, before anything can get better, it has to get worse, and last season saw Goff and the Cowboys fight to be competitive with a team of mostly underclassmen still learning their roles in Goff’s system. “We were one of the youngest programs in the country last year,” Goff says. “And I know this. When a program goes through tough times together, it brings them tighter, and we’ve got a tight-knit team.”

Now, with one of the strongest recruiting classes in the last 20 years, the Cowboys are looking forward, not backwards and are ready to ascend to the top of the mountain and reclaim dominance, with 57 new faces on the team including 20 FBS transfers.

One of the key figures of the Cowboys is transfer quarterback Clifton McDowell, who went undefeated in leading Montana to the FCS Championship game last year. He threw for over 2000 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, and rushed for 753 yards and nine touchdowns as he was named Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year. “When I heard Coach Goff talk about the team, and how he wanted to turn everything around, I really believed in it,” McDowell says. “I really liked what I saw when I came down to visit, and I’m ready to trust the process and get out there.”

McDowell will join returning 1st Team Pre-Season All-American linebacker Micah Davey, who led all of the FCS in tackles last year with 153, and who Coach Goff believes has only gotten better in the off-season. “I’m excited about redemption—proving everybody wrong. Being able to right the ship and returning McNeese back to its former glory,” Davey says.
The coaching staff also sees some new faces in co-defensive coordinator Josh Brown coming over from UTEP as well as Mike Smith, wide receivers coach, who comes with a pedigree of Power 5 expertise.

The question is going to be, with so many new faces and talent, how soon can Coach Goff and his team get everyone fully acclimated, which is why McNeese is predicted to finish 6th in the conference. Even so, the Cowboys could find themselves in the hunt if this team meshes quickly. That said, the competition will be steep, with the Southland Conference up for grabs between past years champions Nicholls and Incarnate Word, as well as with past champions returning to the conference, such as Stephen F. Austin.
The Cowboys open the season on the road against Tarleton State before hosting Southern on August 31st for their home opener. Then it’s off to Texas A&M. The Cowboys then head back home to start conference play against Stephen F. Austin.

While nothing is given, the Cowboys hardest stretch will be at the end of September and October when they have four road games in five weeks, including Incarnate Word and Nicholls back-to-back. But this level of competition is exactly what the Southland Conference is looking for. “I want to see two, three teams back in the playoffs,” SLC Commissioner Chris Grant says. The Cowboys look to be one of those teams.

McNeese season tickets are available now, and nearly all McNeese games will be aired on one of the ESPN family of channels.