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McNeese Cowboys at LSU Tigers

Oct 3, 20266:45 PM CTSEC NetworkBaton Rouge, LA
By JR·2 min read
McNeese(2-3)
#11 LSU(3-1)
6:45 PM

TLDR: LSU just put a 35-6 beating on Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, and the reward is a Saturday night at home against McNeese. The Cowboys make the 2-hour trip from Lake Charles for a paycheck and a shot at the biggest crowd they'll see all year.

Week 5 · SAT OCT 3, 6:45 PM CTSEC Network
McNeese
(2-3)
WLLWL
#11 LSU
(3-1)
WLWW
Kickoff77°

LSU, 3-1 under first-year coach Lane Kiffin and fresh off a 35-6 win over Texas A&M, hosts 2-3 FCS McNeese in a classic buy game. The Cowboys have allowed 27 or more in 4 of their 5 games against FCS teams, so the real questions are how long LSU's starters play and whether a wet forecast slows things down. No odds have been posted yet.

McNeese Cowboys
  • Bye week next, nothing held back for Saturday
  • Won a 1-score game over East Texas A&M
  • Allowed 27+ in 4 of 5 FCS games
  • Scored 10 in the 27-10 loss at UTRGV
  • 2-3 with 3 losses to FCS opponents
LSU Tigers
  • Scored 35+ in all 3 home games
  • Held Texas A&M to 6 points
  • Offense hasn't scored under 24 all season

There's no quarterback duel to sell here, so start with the gap. Lane Kiffin's first LSU team is 3-1 and has scored 51, 45 and 35 in its 3 home games: 51-10 over Clemson in the opener, 45-14 over Louisiana Tech, then that 35-6 win over Texas A&M. The only loss was a 32-24 decision at Ole Miss, the game everybody had circled since the SEC schedule came out. Tiger Stadium has been a problem for everyone who's walked in so far.

McNeese is 2-3 and still working things out in Matt Viator's second year back on the sideline. The Cowboys opened with 3 straight home games and dropped 2 of them: 38-27 to defending Southland champ Stephen F. Austin and a 27-24 loss to Tarleton State. They lost 27-10 at UTRGV, then held on to beat East Texas A&M 27-24. There's no injury picture worth reporting on either side yet, and with nothing posted on the board, the odds card is still waiting on a number.

The schedule shapes this one on both sidelines. McNeese has a bye right after the LSU trip, so Viator can empty the tank in Baton Rouge with no conference game the next Saturday. LSU is coming off a physical SEC win over A&M, and this is the week to get its depth chart real snaps. How long the Tigers' starters stay out there matters more than the final score.

McNeese Cowboys
(2-3)
09/26WvsEast Texas A&M27-24
09/20L@Vaqueros10-27
09/13LvsTarleton State24-27
09/05WvsRams52-0
08/29LvsStephen F. Austin27-38
#11 LSU Tigers
(3-1)
09/26WvsTexas A&M35-6
09/19L@#9 Ole Miss24-32
09/12WvsLouisiana Tech45-14
09/06WvsClemson51-10

The Cowboys' tape doesn't suggest they can stay close. They've given up 27 or more in 4 of 5 games against FCS competition, and their 2 wins came by 52 points over Texas Wesleyan and by 3 over East Texas A&M. LSU's offense hasn't been held under 24 all season. The question isn't whether McNeese can match that. It's whether the Cowboys can string together enough drives to keep the second half from turning into a scrimmage.

The weather could add some mess. As of Sunday, the Baton Rouge forecast called for drizzle, a 73% chance of rain, 77 degrees and 8 mph wind. That's 6 days out and could change a lot, but a wet night makes the ball harder to hold, and that tends to hurt the team with less depth to absorb a turnover.

For McNeese, this is a check and a story to tell. For LSU, it's a chance to rest bodies after A&M and build some depth before the SEC schedule picks back up. Anything more than that from Saturday, October 3 would be a surprise.

McNeese Cowboys at LSU Tigers — Kiffin's Tigers Get an FCS Breather After Flattening Texas A&M | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush