April 23, 2008

McNeese State unveils its 2008 football team as well as its new artificial turf on Thursday when the Cowboys play their annual spring game.

Starting time will be 6 p.m., the teams will play four, 10 minute quarters and there is no admission charge.

Head coach Matt Viator said that there will be no live kickoffs or punts but that the rest will be as much like a true game as possible. The team has been divided for the game and Derrick Fourroux and Mark Fontenot will be the starting quarterbacks, Fourroux for the Gold team and Fontenot for the Blue team.

The game will bring an end to the Cowboys spring drills and mark the first scrimmage on the new artifical turf at Cowboy Stadium. It was only 59 days ago that the process began to change over the stadium infield from natural grass to artificial.

The players got on the field Wednesday afternoon for practice and there was nothing but glowing reviews for the field which has been named the Louis Bonnette Field in honor of the longtime McNeese State sports information director.

A rain shower also peppered the field while practice was going on and it had no effect on the workout.

Before, during and after the scrimmage, McNeese State will allow fans to "select a seat".

Available seats in the stadium will be designated with colorful cards and fans will have the opportunity to pick their seats and purchase them as season tickets.

Peter Colon, the McNeese athletic ticket manager, said that the ticket office will be open all that night and members of the football season ticket committee will be in the stands answering questions and helping fans find open seats.

Colon said that all a potential season ticket holder had to do was to pull the stickers on the open seats and bring them to him in the ticket office to have the seats reserved.

The Cowboys are shooting for 8,000 season tickets in the upcoming 2008 season, a new record.

Also, prior to the spring game, season ticket holders are invited to a tailgate party in the northwest parking lot. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and there will be music and refreshments.

Cowboys workout in the rain on the new turf on Wednesday afternoon.