McNeese State, the Southland Conference record-holder for most league titles won added its 14th piece of hardware to its trophy case on Saturday night when the 5th-ranked Cowboys scored 27 unanswered points to unseat reigning champion and 9th-ranked Sam Houston State, 27-10.
The win assured the Cowboys the league's automatic berth into the FCS playoffs and kept their undefeated season alive, now at 9-0 on the year and 8-0 in league play. Sam Houston State fell to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in league play.
Quarterback Daniel Sams accounted fro 332 total offensive yards – 168 passing and 164 rushing - including a 64-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter that helped spark a 14-point spurt in the final 1:40 of the half. That sent the Cowboys into the locker room up 14-10 after falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter.
The latter score to end the half came when sophomore wide receiver Kent Shelby capped off a highlight reel score with a one-handed corralling in coverage for a 6-yard touchdown.
Once the Cowboys took the lead, the nation's top-ranked scoring defense and No. 5 overall squad went to work by holding the nation's No. 2 team in scoring and total offense to 36 points and 170 yards below its season average, including just 172 total yards in the second half. The previous low score for the Bearkats was 34 points in a win over Stephen F. Austin.
The Bearkats were held to zero offensive touchdowns and just three points. A 90-yard interception return by Darion Flowers with 9:38 to play in the first quarter that squashed an impressive opening drive by the Cowboys that saw them drive to the SHSU 12-yard line before Sams' pass was picked off an returned for the score.
SHSU got a 20-yard field goal with 54 seconds to play in the quarter to go up 10-0 while the McNeese offense was held to three straight 3-and-out series into the second quarter.
McNeese managed to move the ball fairly well against the Bearkats in the first half, putting up 245 offensive yards, but saw three of its first six possessions end inside the Sam 30-yard line without any points.
That was until the final two possessions of the half resulted in 14 points and a 14-10 halftime lead.
Sams picked up 101 of his 164 rushing yards in the first half while Derrick Milton and Ryan Ross picked up steam in the second half to combine to rush for nearly 100 yards combined.
Shelby hauled in seven passes for 102 yards and a score as Sams finished 14 of 36 for 168 yards, an interception and a touchdown.
Cory Avery led the Bearkats with 107 yards on 22 carries as quarterback Jared Johnson completed 12 of 30 passes for 200 yards.
McNeese went up 17-10 after a Jean Breaux 23 yard field goal with and looked to put the game away early in the fourth with three downs to get the ball into the endzone from 1-yard out. But the Bearkat defense kept the Cowboys out of pay dirt and took over. The Bearkats moved the ball 40 yards over three plays to the 41-yard line but McNeese's defense tightened up and forced the Kats to punt it away.
The Cowboys got the ball back inside the red zone the next series but this time settled for a Breaux 27-yard field goal to make it 20-10 with 5:20 to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Breaux's short kick would be muffed by up-back Deon Hutchinson and McNeese's Carlos Carroll would recover at the Bearkat 20. Ross only needed one play to get into the endzone with his 20-yard touchdown score to make it 27-10 with 5:11 to play.
Breaux targeted Hutchinson again on the following kickoff with a squib kick, and just like the prior kickoff, Hutchinson couldn't handle the ball and the Cowboys' Holden Rogers recovered.
McNeese was unable to get any points out of its possession but ran nearly two minutes off the clock to give the ball back to SHSU with 3:20 to play where the Bearkats turned it over on downs and McNeese was able to run out the clock.
After playing nine straight weeks with preparations for 10, the Cowboys will welcome their open date next Saturday before closing out the regular season on Nov. 21 at Lamar.
For box scores and highlights, visit http://mcneesesports.com/news/2015/11/7/FB_1107154644.aspx
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