The Contraband

Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kye Dixson/The Contraband Senior quarterback Derrick Fourroux throws a block for freshman running back Champlain Babin. Babin took over the running duties after veteran Toddrick Pendland was sidelined with an injury earlier in the season.

The 2009 McNeese football season will go down as one of the best in school history with the heroic comeback against Henderson State, the prolific upset of Appalachian State, an average of 40 points per game, and Derrick Fourroux and Toddrick Pendland closing out their collegiate careers-breaking their fare share of records along the way. However, in order to put a playoff run onto the end of that sentence they will have to get past the defending Southland Conference champions, the Central Arkansas Bears.

Last season the Bears capped off their 10-2, conference championship season with an impressive 47-30 victory over the Cowboys. They did not, however, get their chance to make a playoff run due to an NCAA rule stating that any team that moves up a division must serve a trial period in their conference before playing in any postseason contests. Last year was only their second year in Division I-AA.

But this isn't last year.

This year McNeese has the bigger playmakers, not Central Arkansas. Of course the Cowboys have a majority of the same skill players as last year, but Central Arkansas lost most of its star power.

Toddrick Pendland is back to his old self after being limited for much of October, and is looking to break two McNeese records. Before the Texas State game, he was four touchdowns shy of Jessie Burton's single season touchdown record of 19 and 23 points behind Shonz LaFrenz 94 career points. Prior to last Saturday's contest Pendland was ranked first in the nation in scoring with an average of 11.75 points per game.

Meanwhile Fourroux has already put himself in the record books this season after his eight complete passes against Sam Houston State put him past Kerry Joseph's record of 566, and is the record holder for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 27 and counting.

Even with the McNeese stars playing as good as they have been, Central Arkansas is no team to be overlooked. They have a very balanced offensive attack that has managed to score an average of 30 points per game thus far in 2009.

Continued...

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