LSU’s trip to McNeese on Saturday comes with the kind of in-state thread that college football in Louisiana always seems to find. The Tigers and Cowboys have barely crossed paths on the field - this will be only the third meeting ever - but the overlap between the programs runs deep.
LSU is 2-0 in the series, winning 34-7 in 2021 and 32-10 in 2010. And while the Tigers have handled both games comfortably, each matchup carried its own Louisiana flavor.
The 2021 game came with a particularly familiar face on the McNeese sideline. Frank Wilson was the Cowboys’ head coach then, after establishing himself at LSU as a championship-winning running backs coach and head of recruiting. Wilson later served as LSU’s interim head coach in 2026 after Brian Kelly’s firing.
Wilson’s run at McNeese was shaped by more than football. In 2020, Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit Lake Charles, leaving him to balance the demands of coaching with helping guide the community through a difficult stretch. Even with canceled games in the mix, he still led the Cowboys to three wins.
That 2021 meeting also created a family storyline, with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron facing his son, McNeese quarterback Cody Orgeron. LSU rolled to the win, but Wilson still came away with something to like from his quarterback, who completed 90 yards and a touchdown against the 2019 champions.
The 2010 game had a different kind of early drama. McNeese got on the board first after LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson fumbled at his own 5-yard line, setting up an easy Cowboys touchdown pass from Cody Stroud.
That was about as good as it got for McNeese. LSU’s defense tightened up, forced two turnovers and opened the door for the running game to take over. The Tigers’ backs accounted for 28 of LSU’s 32 points, with Michael Ford, Steven Ridley, Spencer Ware and Russell Shepard combining for 179 yards.
Saturday’s game is still expected to be heavily tilted toward LSU, but it carries real weight for McNeese and for college football in Louisiana. The two games against the Tigers were scheduled in 2023, when LSU paid McNeese $1.53 million to meet twice at Tiger Stadium in 2026 and 2029. That was a record amount an FBS school had paid McNeese, and one of the five largest sums ever paid to an FCS program.
For McNeese, that kind of payout matters. In the NIL era, it can help the Cowboys compete for players in ways that are harder for other FCS programs. The game itself matters too, giving McNeese players a chance to step into Tiger Stadium and test themselves against one of the country’s biggest stages.
“I’m really excited to have LSU on the schedule in ’26 and ’29,” said McNeese Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer. “The opportunity to play the Tigers in Tiger Stadium will be an amazing moment for our players, our coaches and our fans. I love playing a game like this every season, especially in this region.”
It can also open doors. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Jackson transferred from McNeese to LSU ahead of the 2026 season after posting 20 catches for 258 yards last year.
The biggest crossover between the programs may actually be on the basketball side, where Will Wade has been linked to both schools. Wade first coached LSU men’s basketball from 2017 to 2022, winning the 2019 SEC championship, taking the Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen and finishing 105-51 in Baton Rouge.
After LSU let him go in 2022 for recruitment violations, McNeese hired him anyway. In two seasons there, Wade went 50-9, got the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament in 2023 for the first time in 22 years and then delivered McNeese’s first NCAA tournament win in 2024 against Clemson.
Wade returned to LSU ahead of the 2026 season, and he didn’t hide his appreciation for what McNeese has built when he spoke about the matchup.
“They’ve built just an incredible program,” Wade said. “The community support there is unparalleled with everybody that’s involved … Whenever we’re not playing, I’m watching McNeese.
I mean, I love the place, you know. I love everybody there.”
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