April 19, 2006

McNeese State and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette have tentatively agreed to play a football game on Sept. 16 of this year in Lafayette.

The game is pending approval of the NCAA 1-AA committee of a 12th game for 1-AA schools. This vote is expected next week.

McNeese State athletic director Sonny Watkins and Louisiana-Lafayette athletic director David Walker made the announcement of the game.

Schools in division 1-A can play a 12th game beginning this season. The Cajuns are members of the 1-A Sun Belt Conference while the Cowboys belong to the 1-AA Southland Conference.

The game is on the open date for both schools and the kickoff time has been set for 4 p.m.

McNeese State had already completed an 11 game schedule for 2006, one that features six home games and five games on the road, two of those against 1-A South Florida and Toledo.

The pending game between the Cowboys and the Cajuns will be their first since the 1986 season.

The series between the two schools had been one of the biggest in the state when both teams were in the Gulf States and then the Southland Conference, annually drawing standing room only crowd. Louisiana-Lafayette won that last meeting in 1986 by a 33-13 score but the Cowboys hold a 19-15-2 lead in the series.