The Lions will hit the road for a fourth straight week as they travel to Lake Charles to square off with the McNeese State Cowboys.

It will be a much shorter trip than last game as the Lions are coming off a 56-10 drilling of Central Connecticut State. Southeastern comes into this game ranked 15th in the FCS Coaches Poll.

Senior quarterback Cole Kelley continues to shine after receiving the Walter Payton Award in the spring season of 2021.

The Lion’s gunslinger has thrown for over 1200 yards, tossed 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions and boasts a 74% completion percentage through just three games. 

Southeastern currently has a record of 2-1. The Lions’ only loss was to FBS opponent Louisiana Tech University by a score of 45-42. The Lions nearly pulled one off and look to remain strong when they journey west to play a struggling 1-3 McNeese team Saturday, Oct. 2.

Regardless of the records, this matchup usually provides entertainment. The two teams are 3-3 vs. each other over the last six times they’ve met, dating back to 2015. They’ve played every year since Southeastern joined the Southland in 2003.

The Cowboys lead the overall series 21-15, with the first matchup taking place in 1960. The Lions won that game 21-6 and also beat McNeese the next season in ‘61 at Lake Charles.

Will history repeat itself 60 years later? The Lions surely hope so, as they are looking to capture their first Southland Conference title since 2014.

SLU has the team to do it. The offense is explosive as ever, averaging 49 points a game – third in the FCS. With Kelley calling signals, a high-scoring offense is something Lions fans are accustomed to.

Since joining the Lions in 2019, Kelley has lit up the stat sheet and emerged as a star quarterback in the spring season of this year.

McNeese is Southeastern’s conference opener and the teams most important game so far in this young season. Pretty much all coaches share the feeling that it is important to start league play 1-0 and Head Coach Frank Scelfo’s men look to do that in a potential statement game.

The Cowboys won’t make this easy on the Lions, however. Despite their 1-3 record, no team can be taken lightly. With Head Coach Frank Wilson at the helm and quarterback Cody Orgeron under center, McNeese always has a fighting chance.

Kickoff is at noon this Saturday at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles.