HAMMOND – McNeese State junior running back Todd Pendland rushed for 173 yards on 24 carries to lead the No. 16 Cowboys to a 24-14 win over Southeastern Louisiana in Southland Conference action Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium.
The Lions (4-5, 1-3 SLC) dropped consecutive games for the first time this season and also dropped their first home game of the year. McNeese State (5-3, 2-2 SLC) held Southeastern to 198 total yards – including only 30 yards net rushing.
Southeastern junior quarterback Brian Babin completed 17 of 31 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the St. Amant native's scoring strikes found Andre Cryer, who finished with five catches for 51 yards. Freshman Kory Theodore also made five grabs for a game-high 77 yards for the Lions.
McNeese State bottled up Southeastern All-SLC running back Jay Lucas, holding the Baton Rouge native to 49 yards on 11 carries. McNeese also sacked Babin five times.
Southeastern was led defensively by sophomore Ryan Godare who had a team-high nine tackles and a forced fumble. Sophomore Mark Newbill had nine tackles as well for the Lions, while junior Tommy Connors made eight stops. Southeastern senior Tony Johnson recorded an interception and senior Travis Williams was credited with a fumble recovery.
Pendland was the workhorse for the Cowboys, though Steven Whitehead had four catches for 65 yards. McNeese quarterback Derrick Fourroux rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown, while throwing for 112 yards and a score.
After trailing 21-7 at the half, Southeastern cut into the McNeese State lead late in the third quarter. Babin hit Theodore for 35 yards on the drive's second play and the Lions marched 83 yards on eight plays. Babin found Cryer in the corner of the end zone. The Kentwood native made an outstanding leaping catch to pull Southeastern within a score at 21-14 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
After the two teams traded punts, McNeese State took over with just under 14 minutes left to play. Behind the running of Pendland and Fourroux, the Cowboys ate up just over 11 minutes of the clock with a 19-play, 65-yard drive. With 2:47 left in the contest, Blake Bercegeay connected on a 31-yard field goal to put the game away.
Southeastern jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. On McNeese State's first drive, Godare stripped a scrambling Fourroux and Williams recovered it to give Southeastern the ball at the McNeese 28-yard line.
Four plays later, Babin found Cryer from 12 yards out to give the Lions the early lead. Babin's throw deflected off the hands of McNeese State cornerback Jeremy Haynes and into Cryer's waiting arms for a 7-0 Lion lead with 10:27 left in the opening period.
Southeastern looked to build on the momentum, as Craig Duronslet recovered an onside kick by Jeff Turner to give the Lions the ball back at the Cowboy 41. However, McNeese State stiffened its defensive effort, forcing a three-and-out for Southeastern.
On the next McNeese State drive, Fourroux hit Whitehead on a 41-yard catch to set the Cowboys up with a first and goal at the Southeastern five-yard line. Southeastern answered with an apparent stop, but Connors was whistled for a third down personal foul to keep the drive alive. On the next play, Fourroux hit a wide open Wes Mangan from four yards out to tie the score at 7.
After McNeese State forced another punt, the Cowboys took the lead for good on their final drive of the first quarter. Pendland opened the drive with a 60-yard run and Fourroux capped it with a two-yard score on a quarterback draw to put MSU up, 14-7, with 1:25 left.
A short punt by Southeastern punter Cody Samples and an 18-yard return by Whitehead set up the Cowboys final score of the first half. The special teams play of Whitehead allowed McNeese State to take over at the Southeastern 27-yard line. Pendland capped the drive three plays later with an 11-yard burst up the middle to put McNeese State up, 21-7, at the half.
Southeastern will close out its 2008 home schedule, hosting league rival Texas State at 2 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium. The Southeastern senior class will be honored prior to Saturday's contest. The Lions-Bobcats contest will also be televised on the Southland TV Network.
