(KNGT-FM) – We all know the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Well, that can certainly be said for Coach Matt Viator and the McNeese Football program, which is trying to rebuild after some of the lowest points in the program’s history. McNeese State is much better than its 1-4 record shows through four games this football season.
Saturday Night, McNeese fell to Stephen F Austin 34-17, but you can’t just look at the game from the scoreboard. Coaches say all the time that they are just a few plays away, and most of the time, it is corny, but even though they may not tell you that, it is absolutely the case for Viator and his Cowboys, who are still trying to learn how to win.
Take this season from a broad perspective. Many expected McNeese to be 2-2 to start the season. The Cowboys started the season with an easy win against Louisiana Christian. They don’t play their best football against Louisiana-Lafayette and still play the Cajuns to a 7-point football game into the 4th Quarter, a 2-point conversion away from beating Weber State, played a game against Utah State for a paycheck, and then you get to conference play and Stephen F Austin.
The Cowboys certainly had their chances against the Lumberjacks on Saturday Night, but the inconsistency on offense continued to plague them.
“Consistency. The last several weeks, we’ve struggled to get going early. Against Weber, we ended up productive overall, but it was slow early. Utah was tough all around. Saturday night, we moved the ball, but penalties and missed chances set us back. We’re getting into too many 3rd-and-10 situations. That’s too much pressure on the O-line and QB.”
The Cowboys are still trying to find ways to consistently run the football, sustain drives, but more importantly, win the early 1st & 2nd down plays. “We’ve tried to mix it up with runs and passes on first down. Neither has been as productive as we need. We have to execute better and get in better situations,” said Viator during his Monday press conference.
But, to go back to an earlier point, though the record may show 1-4, there are definite signs of improvement for McNeese Football. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the McNeese Football program won’t return to glory in one either, even with their goal of winning the Southland Conference still sitting right in front of them.
It doesn’t get any easier for McNeese State this week as another conference front-runner, Southeastern, will come to Lake Charles for a matchup with the Cowboys.
