‘Jacks with Relentless Effort in Defensive Struggle at No. 11 McNeese

Saturday, September 29

Lake Charles, La. / Cowboy Stadium

6 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

1-3 , 1-2

No. 11 McNeese

4-1 , 3-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Stephen F. Austin

McNeese

Photo by: SFA Athletics

‘Jacks with Relentless Effort in Defensive Struggle at No. 11 McNeese

9/29/2018 8:57:00 PM | Football

Box Score

SFA scores 10 unanswered points in fourth quarter, forces two Cowboy turnovers while holding McNeese to 257 yards

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Photos

LAKE CHARLES, La. – In continual rain Saturday night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the Stephen F. Austin football team showed relentless effort at Southland Conference leader and No. 11/10 ranked McNeese. Throughout a hard-fought defensive struggle inside Cowboy Stadium, the Lumberjacks (1-3, 1-2 Southland) scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, forced a pair of turnovers and held the host Cowboys (4-1, 3-0 Southland) to 257 yards of total offense.

After a 14-point first quarter by McNeese, the home team knocked through a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter to go ahead 17-0 before holding on for a 17-10 win.

"We fought our tails off," interim head coach Jeff Byrd commented following the game. "That's what a college football game is supposed to be like. If that's the No. 10 ranked team in the country, we stood toe-to-toe with them for 60 minutes. It wasn't always pretty but I thought our guys played hard."

"We're still a work in progress," continued coach Byrd. "There were times where we couldn't run the football, you can't get one dimensional and they made us a little one dimensional. Then we started making a few plays, we've got to gain confidence on offense. Those guys were fighting their tails off and I couldn't be more proud of them."

"When you're trying to build the culture and turn the corner, that's the kind of effort you have to have," added Byrd. "We did more things right than we did wrong but when you get into a college football game against a team that's ranked top-10 in the country, little bitty things are going to cost you."

Cowboys Lasso Early
It took McNeese just 1:09 to score the first points of the game, needing only three plays to go 68 yards following a three-and-out on SFA's opening drive. Running back David Hamm took the ball around the right side for a 55-yard rushing touchdown after two and a half minutes of play. Being outgained 119-60 in the first quarter of play, the Lumberjack offense was thwarted as the Cowboys went ahead 14-0 after an SFA fumble. A Lumberjack forced fumble by freshman defensive end Tyrell Buard, which was recovered by senior linebacker Ryan Woods, gave SFA momentum about midway through the first quarter. However, that momentum was quickly overturned following a McNeese fumble recovery at the Lumberjack nine-yard line. Three plays later, Cowboy starting quarterback James Tabary connected with Parker Orgeron for a six-yard touchdown pass with 5:05 to go in the quarter.

Defense Turns Up in Second Quarter
SFA played inspired defense throughout the second quarter as neither team was able to was able to achieve much on the offensive side of the ball. The 'Jacks held McNeese to only 16 yards of offense in the second quarter, but were able to gain just 45 yards.

At the Half
Each team was held to under 150 yards of total offense through the first 30 minutes of play. SFA had 49 yards on the ground and 56 yards through the air in the first half, while the Cowboys gained 89 yards rushing and 46 yards passing.

Third Quarter Provides Slim Opportunities
The third quarter of action saw many more punts as the 'Jacks were unable to cross into opponent territory and allowed just one opportunity for the McNeese offense to score. Starting at their own 40, the Cowboys took the ball 48 yards on eight plays and used 2:01 of clock before All-American kicker Gunnar Raborn knocked through a nearly-blocked 29-yarder. The field goal the lone score of the quarter, put McNeese ahead 17-0 with 3:13 remaining in the third.

'Jacks Surge in Fourth
SFA scored 10 unanswered points in the final 10:04 of play, sparked by the Lumberjacks' relentless defensive effort. Holding the home team to just 44 yards of offense in the final 15 minutes of action, SFA forced its second turnover of the night when junior East Mississippi Community College transfer linebacker Quin Jones dislodged the Cowboys' Ryan Ross with sophomore safety Trenton Gordon pouncing on the loose ball. Moments later, senior starting quarterback Foster Sawyer found an open senior wide receiver Terian Goree in the end zone from five yards out to make it a 10-point game at 17-7. Seizing the momentum, coach Byrd called for an onside kickoff which senior punter Caleb Lewallen perfectly executed. The onside kickoff going 20 yards, Lewallen sprinted down the field and came up with the loose ball to give the 'Jacks first-and-10 at the SFA 45. The 'Jacks went 31 yards on 11 plays before junior place-kicker Storm Ruiz made a 41-yard field goal at the 5:59 mark to get SFA to within one score at 17-10. On McNeese's ensuing drive, the 'Jacks thought they had their third fumble recovery of the night but the Cowboys' Hamm was ruled down before the ball was forced out. SFA got one more opportunity with 4:05 remaining but a McNeese interception on a fourth-and-11 pass gave the ball back to the home team. The Cowboys sealed the game with a 17-yard first-down rush on their following drive.

The Bottom Line
The game featured 20 total punts, 10 by each team, and a combined 859 yards of punting. The contest also saw just 23 total first downs, a true defensive struggle. The 'Jacks claimed just 188 total yards as Sawyer finished 24-of-40 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Jamall Shaw led SFA on the ground with 40 yards on nine rushes, while Goree claimed a game-high 11 catches for 66 yards and a score. The Lumberjack defense held McNeese to 83 yards through the air and Tabary to 78 yards on 11-of-20 passing. The Cowboys' Hamm gained a game-high 69 yards on eight rushes, while backup quarterback Cody Orgeron had 45 yards on a trio of carries. Junior safety Alize Ward claimed a team-high six tackles as the SFA defense made seven tackles for loss and forced three fumbles. McNeese's defense posted 10 tackles for loss and claimed three sacks and six pass breakups, led by B.J. Blunt who tallied a game-high 12 tackles with nine solo stops, two sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. The Cowboys' Cory McCoy contributed nine total tackles with five individual stops.

Of Note
For the first time since 2012 the home team in the SFA and McNeese series earned the win. The away team had come away with a triumph the previous five seasons in the series. With his nine yards on two catches, junior wide receiver Tamrick Pace moved into a tie for 21st place on the Lumberjacks' all-time career receiving yards list. Through three seasons playing in the Purple and White, Pace has amassed 1,659 receiving yards.

Up Next…
The 'Jacks will continue one of Texas' oldest rivalries next weekend with the 93rd Battle of the Piney Woods against Southland adversary Sam Houston State. Kickoff from inside NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday, Oct. 6 is slated for 1 p.m.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the 2018 season.

-SFA-