A Look at the Rockets' Fourth Opponent: McNeese State
8/17/2006 12:00:00 PM | Football
Aug. 17, 2006
Lake Charles, LA - After having played only two games at home last season because of Hurricane Rita, McNeese State is looking forward to a six-game home schedule this year.
And, the Cowboys will have 53 lettermen on the squad that is expecting a better showing than last year's 5-4 effort and third-place seat in the Southland Conference standings.
The hurricane displaced the Cowboys for most of the campaign. Three of their games - all home outings - were canceled, two other games were played at neutral sites and the two home games that were contested were played in the daylight, something out of the ordinary for a school that usually packs in 17,000 fans for night games.
This year's home schedule will find the Cowboys back in Cowboy Stadium and under the lights.
McNeese will actually open its slate on the road against Division I South Florida and the Cowboys will also tackle Division I Toledo on the road.
The home schedule begins Sept. 9 against West Virigina Tech and includes outings with South Dakota State, Southern Utah, Texas State, Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls Sate.
Among the lettermen returning from last year's squad are 26 on the offensive side of the football and 26 on defense. Also back is place kicking specialist Blake Bercegeay, the Southland Conference freshman of the year in 2005 who booted 16 field goals.
Returning starters coming back on offense are Kris Bush at tailback, Jason Miller at fullback, Quinten Lawrence and Carlese Franklin at wide receiver, Brent Pousson at tackle, Jimbo Hill and James Jordan at guard and Lance Fremin at center.
Regulars back on defense are end Bryan Smith, tackle Robert Hooker, linebackers Trey Bennett and Allen Nelson, cornerbacks Ivan Stevenson and Jonathan Walker, strong safeties Jamelle Juneau and Stephen Barrett and free safeties Kody Knox and Lawrence Darby.
Among the position changes the Cowboys made in the spring were those moving Jordy Johnson and Brett McPhatter from tailback to fullback and Darrick Brown from wide receiver to defensive back. Bush led the Cowboys in rushing last year with 455 yards while Chris Thomas, the starter the year before, had 355 yards.
Mark Fontenot, who started two games last year, tops a list of five players at quarterback. Beau Lasseigne saw action there last year while Derrick Fourroux and Bart Crader are up from the redshirt ranks and Steven Mistretta is back after spending last season sidelined with an injury.
Fontenot completed 56 passes for 791 yards and five tds last year and Lasseigne hit on four of nine for 23 yards and a score. Fourroux made a big move in the spring, bringing a strong running and passing game to the position.
Lawrence, last year's team MVP, returns as the top receiver on the team having caught 27 passes for 572 yards and six tds. Franklin had 23 catches for 401 yards. Both returned kickoffs and Franklin and Steven Whitehead ran back punts.
On defense, the statistical leaders back are Juneau with 63 tackles and Smith with seven quarterback sacks, 11 tackles for a loss and 11 quarterback hurries. Marcus Brown had three fumbles recovered and Hooker blocked two kicks.
Speed is expected to highlight the Cowboy defensive attack this season, that side having as much or more speed than any McNeese defensive team in recent years.
The Cowboys have been picked to win the SLC title this year by the league coaches and they also had seven players (Lawrence, Franklin, Pousson, Bercegeay, Bennett, Walker and Whitehead) named to the pre-season all-league team.
