Southern Hospitality
Cowboys smother Vikings' offense in season opener
Robert C. Teal
Issue date: 9/10/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
It wasn't enough for Jerry Glanville that Elvis was in the stadium. He had to have an offense, too.
The Cowboys defeated Portland State in an impressive season opener, beating the Vikings soundly, 35-15.
After turning over the ball on the first drive of the game, and after a well-executed drive by Portland to get into the Cowboy's red zone, the McNeese defensive line made an impressive stand and forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal. This set the tone for the rest of the night, with the Cowboy's defense giving up some major yardage through the air, then taking a big stand with their backs to the wall to make Portland settle for field goals.
It only happened 5 times.
Still, if I had to give a player-of-the-game award to anybody, it would probably be the entire defensive line and linebacker corps, for stepping up and making big plays when it really counted.
On the other side of the ball, except for the first turnover of the game, McNeese quarterback Derrick Fourroux was on fire all night. Showing his impressive ability to scramble and still make excellent passes, combined with his ability to find holes to run through when he had no one to throw to, Fourroux alone proved to be a many-headed monster that the Portland defense just couldn't deal with.
Add in some great runs by Kris Bush, Todd Pendland, and Jamie Leonard. With all these kinds of talent on the field, Portland never really knew who hit them, and they couldn't really zone in on any one of these threats. Coach Matt Viator, who continues to call plays as offensive coordinator, showed why he's considered the top coach in the SLC last saturday night.
Although McNeese played an exceptional game that night, I can't help but get the feeling that Portland State just shot themselves in the foot one too many times. It was either by penalties, or by losing momentum when they were in the red zone. Many times in the first half, Portland could've converted some third-and-goals, and maybe changed the momentum of the game. But they just couldn't perform when it really counted.
After taking a week off, the Cowboys will travel to Lafayette this Saturday to renew their rivalry game between McNeese State and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
The Cowboys defeated Portland State in an impressive season opener, beating the Vikings soundly, 35-15.
After turning over the ball on the first drive of the game, and after a well-executed drive by Portland to get into the Cowboy's red zone, the McNeese defensive line made an impressive stand and forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal. This set the tone for the rest of the night, with the Cowboy's defense giving up some major yardage through the air, then taking a big stand with their backs to the wall to make Portland settle for field goals.
It only happened 5 times.
Still, if I had to give a player-of-the-game award to anybody, it would probably be the entire defensive line and linebacker corps, for stepping up and making big plays when it really counted.
On the other side of the ball, except for the first turnover of the game, McNeese quarterback Derrick Fourroux was on fire all night. Showing his impressive ability to scramble and still make excellent passes, combined with his ability to find holes to run through when he had no one to throw to, Fourroux alone proved to be a many-headed monster that the Portland defense just couldn't deal with.
Add in some great runs by Kris Bush, Todd Pendland, and Jamie Leonard. With all these kinds of talent on the field, Portland never really knew who hit them, and they couldn't really zone in on any one of these threats. Coach Matt Viator, who continues to call plays as offensive coordinator, showed why he's considered the top coach in the SLC last saturday night.
Although McNeese played an exceptional game that night, I can't help but get the feeling that Portland State just shot themselves in the foot one too many times. It was either by penalties, or by losing momentum when they were in the red zone. Many times in the first half, Portland could've converted some third-and-goals, and maybe changed the momentum of the game. But they just couldn't perform when it really counted.
After taking a week off, the Cowboys will travel to Lafayette this Saturday to renew their rivalry game between McNeese State and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
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