2012 McNeese State Cowboys football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	7–4 (4–3 Southland)
Head coach	Matt Viator (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Leger (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Collins (2nd season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 2011 2013 →

2012 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 10 Central Arkansas +^		6	–	1					9	–	3
No. 2 Sam Houston State +^		6	–	1					11	–	4
Southeastern Louisiana		5	–	2					5	–	6
McNeese State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	3					5	–	6
Northwestern State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Lamar		1	–	6					4	–	8
Nicholls State		0	–	7					1	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2012 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Matt Viator, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:30 pm	at Middle Tennessee*		Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN	ESPN3	W 27–21	18,690
September 8	7:00 pm	McMurry*	No. 22	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	Cowboy Insider	W 69–7	13,291
September 15	7:00 pm	at Weber State*	No. 19	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	Big Sky TV	W 35–21	9,617
September 22	7:00 pm	at Southeastern Louisiana	No. 19	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	The Southeastern Channel	L 24–25	4,791
September 29	7:00 pm	Northwestern State	No. 24	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	Cowboy Insider	W 30–22	10,532
October 13	7:00 pm	No. 21 Central Arkansas	No. 19	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (Red Beans and Rice Bowl)	Cowboy Insider	L 26–27	12,913
October 20	2:00 pm	at No. 6 Sam Houston State		Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	CSNH	L 10–45	10,151
October 27	7:00 pm	Stephen F. Austin		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	SLC TV	W 35–24	12,213
November 3	3:00 pm	at Nicholls State		John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	SLC TV	W 42–10	5,299
November 10	1:00 pm	at UTSA*		Alamodome San Antonio, TX		L 24–31	25,784
November 17	7:00 pm	Lamar		Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (Battle of the Border)	Cowboys Insider	W 35–0	11,235
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1][2][3]

McNeese State at Middle Tennessee State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 0 14 10 3 27 Blue Raiders 3 3 0 15 21 Date: August 30 Location: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN Game start: 6:32 CST Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 18,690 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C), Clear and nice, winds SW at 10mph Referee: Jeff Hillyer TV announcers (ESPN3): Chip Walters and Kelly Holcomb Sources:

After Texas A&M bought out the 2012 game scheduled against McNeese State, the Cowboys were able to find a replacement to open the season in the form of the Blue Raiders. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.^[4]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU MTST 1 12:40 6 34 3:20 Middle Tennessee State 20-yard field goal by Carlos Lopez 0 3 2 14:53 11 55 3:53 Middle Tennessee State 28-yard field goal by Carlos Lopez 0 6 2 9:20 11 70 5:33 McNeese State Josh Jordan 2-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Bolfing, Josh Lewis kick good 7 6 2 0:33 10 87 5:43 McNeese State Champlain Babin 8-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 14 6 3 12:00 8 51 3:00 McNeese State 46-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 17 6 3 1:20 5 49 2:08 McNeese State Cody Stroud 1-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 24 6 4 6:58 17 97 4:17 Middle Tennessee State Anthony Amos 6-yard touchdown reception from Logan Kilgore, 2-point pass to Jordan Parker from Logan Kilgore good 24 14 4 5:21 5 25 1:37 McNeese State 33-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 27 14 4 5:01 1 15 0:20 Middle Tennessee State Kyle Griswould 15-yard touchdown reception from Logan Kilgore, Carlos Lopez kick good 27 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 21

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The Cowboys look to get rid of a goose egg when they meet the D2 Independent War Hawks. McMurry and McNeese State have met twice before, in 1957 and 1958, with the War Hawks owning a 2–0 record against the Cowboys.^[5]

McMurry at #21 McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total War Hawks 0 0 7 0 7 • Cowboys 21 24 14 10 69 Date: September 8 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 13,291 Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), Cloudy, winds N at 13mph Referee: Buddy Gingras Sources:

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP McMurry McNeese St. 1 8:40 10 61 4:33 McNeese State Cody Stroud 1-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 0 7 1 3:01 7 62 3:11 McNeese State Javaris Murray 1-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 0 14 1 0:26 4 22 1:09 McNeese State Damion Dixon 10-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 0 21 2 13:11 3 46 1:11 McNeese State Darius Carey 13-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 0 28 2 11:40 McNeese State Interception returned 41 yards for touchdown by Chris Raggett, Josh Lewis kick good 0 35 2 5:46 9 83 5:13 McNeese State Darius Carey 52-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Bolfing, Josh Lewis kick good 0 42 2 1:28 4 8 1:39 McNeese State 23-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 0 45 3 11:21 McNeese State Interception returned 30 yards for touchdown by Chris Raggett, James Bice kick good 0 52 3 3:49 9 95 4:45 McNeese State Dillon Berlin 5-yard touchdown run, James Bice kick good 0 59 3 2:28 3 4 1:21 McMurry Clinton McCoy 7-yard touchdown reception from Brady Lambert, Josh King kick good 7 59 4 12:11 9 37 5:27 McNeese State 27-yard field goal by James Bice 7 62 4 10:43 3 32 1:18 McNeese State Kelvin Bennett 17-yard touchdown run, James Bice kick good 7 69 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 69

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The Cowboys and Wildcats meet for the third time in 2012 with the series even at 1–1, the last having taken place in 1990 with Weber prevailing 27–7. The Wildcats will head to Lake Charles in 2013 as part of this home-and-home series.^[6]

#19 McNeese State at Weber State

1 2 3 4 Total • #19 Cowboys 0 14 7 14 35 Wildcats 0 0 7 14 21 Date: September 15 Location: Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT Game start: 7:05 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:53 Game attendance: 9,617 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), Sunny, winds N at 3mph Referee: Bruce Palmer TV announcers (Big Sky TV): Carl Arky and Ty Sparrow Sources:

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP McNeese St. Weber St. 2 4:00 9 80 4:01 McNeese State Darius Casey 3-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 7 0 2 00:16 11 80 2:47 McNeese State Cody Stroud 4-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 14 0 3 11:25 7 33 1:59 Weber State Shaydon Kehano 10-yard touchdown reception from Mike Hoke, Shaun McClain kick good 14 7 3 10:07 1 91 0:13 McNeese State Dionate Spencer 91-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 21 7 4 10:56 8 49 3:56 McNeese State Jereon McGilvery 8-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 28 7 4 6:45 2 80 0:51 McNeese State Javaris Murray 76-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 35 7 4 3:50 10 66 2:49 Weber State C. J. Tuckett 2-yard touchdown run, Shaun McClain kick good 35 14 4 00:20 7 63 1:01 Weber State Jordan Adamczyk 3-yard touchdown run, Shaun McClain kick good 35 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 35 21

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SLC play begins with this match against the Lions. The Cowboys currently own a 22–15 record against the Lions.^[1]

McNeese State at Southeastern Louisiana

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 14 10 0 0 24 • Lions 3 7 7 8 25 Date: September 22 Location: Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 4,791 Referee: Scott Novak TV announcers (Southeastern Channel): Allen Waddell and Trey Willie Sources:

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP McNeese St. SE Louisiana 1 7:39 9 63 4:48 McNeese State Cody Stroud 1-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 7 0 1 6:22 4 21 1:11 McNeese State Kendale Thomas 8-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 14 0 1 0:04 15 49 6:10 Southeastern Louisiana 49-yard field goal by Seth Sebastian 14 3 2 10:01 2 41 0:26 Southeastern Louisiana Nathan Stanley 2-yard touchdown run, Seth Sebastian kick good 14 10 2 8:41 3 72 1:15 McNeese State Javaris Murray 26-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 21 10 2 0:03 17 60 4:06 McNeese State 30-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 24 10 3 3:26 15 86 7:03 Southeastern Louisiana Michael Chaney 2-yard touchdown run, Seth Sebastian kick good 24 17 4 2:39 17 80 6:25 Southeastern Louisiana Taylor Jenkins 2-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Stanley, 2-point run by Michael Chaney good 24 25 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 25

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SLC play continues when the Demons and Cowboys meet with the Cowboys owning a 40–20–1 record against Northwestern State.^[1]

Northwestern State at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total Demons 0 0 14 8 22 • Cowboys 7 10 3 10 30 Date: September 29 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 10,532 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C), Cloudy, winds ESE at 5mph Referee: Ross Smith TV announcers (Cowboy Insider): Tom Hoefer, Johnny Suydam, and Richard Dow Sources:

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Northwestern St. McNeese St. 1 6:29 5 52 2:23 McNeese State Josh Jordan 17-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 0 7 2 14:07 5 73 1:52 McNeese State Diontae Spencer 43-yard touchdown reception from Cody Stroud, Josh Lewis kick good 0 14 2 0:00 14 64 2:48 McNeese State 17-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 0 17 3 13:56 3 34 1:04 Northwestern State Clifton Brown 18-yard touchdown reception from Brad Henderson, John Shaughnessy kick good 7 17 3 4:33 18 64 9:23 McNeese State 21-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 7 20 3 2:44 6 74 1:49 Northwestern State Phillip Harvey 41-yard touchdown reception from Brad Henderson, John Shaughnessy kick good 14 20 4 10:19 4 7 2:03 McNeese State 31-yard field goal by Josh Lewis 14 23 4 9:28 2 22 0:47 McNeese State Javaris Murray 18-yard touchdown run, Josh Lewis kick good 14 30 4 5:58 11 98 3:30 Northwestern State Jovhan Jilbert 58-yard touchdown reception from Brad Henderson, 2-point Jovhan Jilbert pass to Robert Walker good 22 30 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 22 30

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Central Arkansas heads to Cowboy Stadium in 2012. The Cowboys are 3–3 against the Bears.^[1]

Central Arkansas at McNeese State

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 7 3 0 17 27 Cowboys 3 9 0 14 26 Date: October 13 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 2:50 Game attendance: 12,913 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds SSE 17mph Referee: Alan Eck TV announcers (UCA Gameday): Justin Acri Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP C. Arkansas McNeese St. "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 26

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The defending conference champions appear near the end of November. The Cowboys own a 24–8–1 record against Sam Houston State, but the Bearkats have won the recent games.^[1]

McNeese State at Sam Houston State

1 2 Total Cowboys 0 Bearkats 0 Date: October 20 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX TV announcers (CSN Houston): Dave Saltzman, Eddie Robinson Jr., and Bart Enis Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU SHSU "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

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An attempt to pull further away from the Lumberjacks takes place in this 2012 contest. The Cowboys own a 16–13–2 record against the Lumberjacks.^[1]

Stephen F. Austin at McNeese State

1 2 Total Lumberjacks 0 Cowboys 0 Date: October 27 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA TV announcers (SLC TV): Lyn Rollins, Rene Nadeau, and Erin Cofiell Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SFA MSU "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

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The Cowboys open November with the Colonels. It's the 37th meeting with the Cowboys owning a 25–11 advantage in the series.^[1]

McNeese State at Nicholls State

1 2 Total Cowboys 0 Colonels 0 Date: November 3 Location: John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA TV announcers (SLC TV): Kevin Eschenfelder, Rene Nadeau, and Erin Cofiell Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU NSU "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

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The Roadrunners stand as the final non-conference team until playoff time comes for the Cowboys in 2012. It's the second meeting between the 2 with McNeese having won the 2011 match.^[1]

McNeese State at UTSA

1 2 Total Cowboys 0 Roadrunners 0 Date: November 10 Location: Alamodome San Antonio, TX Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU UTSA "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

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The 31st meeting between the Cardinals and Cowboys closes the 2012 SLC season. The Cowboys own a 21–8–1 record against the Cardinals.^[1]

Lamar at McNeese State

1 2 Total Cardinals 0 Cowboys 0 Date: November 17 Location: Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA Sources:

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Lamar MSU "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
Sports Network	RV	22	19	19	24	21	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	RV	21	19	17	21	18	15	21	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV

All McNeese State games will be broadcast on Gator 99.5 FM. KVHP 30.2 is the local affiliate for SLC TV and will air McNeese State games on SLC TV.