HBU VS. McNEESE ST.
Records: Houston Baptist 1-2, 0-1 Southland; McNeese State 2-1, 0-1 Southland.
Series history: First meeting. Key players: HBU – QB Bailey Zappe, RB Terrance Peters, LB Garrett Dolan; McNeese – QB James Tabary, RB Justin Pratt, S Dominique Hill.
Who has the edge
Offense — McNeese State. The Cowboys boast a scoring offense (37.0) that ranks among the top 20 FCS schools. Pratt, a Klein Collins product, is their leading rusher, with 225 yards and two TDs on 46 attempts. James is completing 66.7 percent of his passes (72-of-108) for 831 yards, nine TDs and three INTs. The Cowboys are 3-for-3 on fourthdown conversions. The Huskies have only two TDs on five redzone appearances. Defense — McNeese State. The Cowboys are stout against the run, surrendering only 43.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the FCS. Opponents are managing only 2.0 yards per carry. They boast 11 players with at least half a sack, led by LB Ashari Goins, who has 2.5 sacks to go with 17 tackles (three for loss). Huskies foes have five TDs in 11 red-zone opportunities. Special teams — Even. K Alec Chadwick is 3-for-3 on field goals with one make in each outing, including a 54-yarder for the Huskies’ only points against Abilene Christian. P Christian Guzman is averaging 43.1 yards per punt and LaDarius Dickens has seven kick returns for 155 yards. McNeese K Trent Manuel is 3-of-5 on FGs, with all three makes in the opener against Nicholls State. He missed a 37yard FG and one PAT last week.
Notable: Tabary, a 6-2, 210-pound junior from New Orleans, was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week after his team’s win over Alcorn State. He threw for 322 yards and four TDs, including a
33-yard score with 26 seconds to play. Tabary set a McNeese career record with his fifth 300-yard passing game.
About Houston Baptist: Dolan, the FCS’s active leader with 361 career tackles, recorded a schoolrecord 19 tackles last week, but it wasn’t enough to buoy the Huskies’ stagnant offense in a 24-3 setback with Abilene Christian in their Southland opener. The Huskies (1-2, 0-1) also stumbled 20-11 against Texas State before beating Texas Southern 24-17. Zappe is 44-of86 passing for 481 yards, one TD and two INTs.
About McNeese State: The Cowboys return to Southland play after beating Florida Tech (42-21) and Alcorn State (34-27) the last two weeks. They lost 37-35 to Nicholls in their opener. The Cowboys lean on Houston-area players, including Pratt, RB David Hamm (Klein) and WR Darious Crawley (10-108, 2 TDs receiving), a Cypress Ridge product.