Frustration has been the most prevalent emotion experienced by the 2014 McNeese State Cowboys.

Even when the season held great promise after the Cowboys stood tall against a Nebraska team that had not yet allowed 408 yards to a running back in a single game, the feeling around the locker room was that the Cornhuskers were let off the hook.

That feeling was back following Saturday’s 28-9 loss at Southeastern Louisiana, as the Cowboys came to the realization they allowed an entire season slip off the hook.

Two weeks ago, McNeese was positioning itself for a playoff bye. Now it’s just bye-bye after two straight losses.

The most stunning statistical nugget to come out of McNeese’s 31-16 loss to Stephen F. Austin and 28-9 loss to SLU is that it is the first time the Cowboys have lost consecutive conference games by more than a touchdown since 1987.

On one hand, that stat is a testament to the remarkable stability of this program. It’s really, really hard to go 27 years without back-to-back bad performances in your league. Even in McNeese’s worst season since that time, 1996, all five of its Southland losses were by five points or fewer. 

And then there’s the more obvious hand that is waving a giant red flag. 

How far has this program slipped if this is what’s happening?

Not as much as you’d think, even if things clearly aren’t where they were from 2000-09.

Which offensive player on the field in the fourth quarter Saturday was most likely to lead the Cowboys to the win over the Southland’s best team — the third-string quarterback, the fifth-string running back, or the only one of the team’s top three wideouts who has played since Week 2?

You could correctly argue that McNeese must do a better job of recruiting and developing depth, but the truth is very few FCS teams are capable of success when losing this much top-end talent.

The Northern Iowa team that ran McNeese out of the UNI-Dome last year didn’t even make the playoffs due to a similarly prevalent injury bug. This year, the healthier Panthers were the ones to end North Dakota State’s 33-game winning streak.

But the thought that McNeese can make a similar turnaround with a healthy 2015 does nothing to erase the disappointment felt by those like senior Ernest Celestie, who came back for a sixth year of eligibility hoping to do something special.

“It is part of football. Injuries are going to happen. They happen to every team, every year. A significant player is going to get hurt,” Celestie said. “But sometimes you shake your head (at this many) and think ‘What the heck? Why? What’s the reasoning? Did God have a hand in this? Or is that the way football is supposed to happen?’

“You do wonder what we did to to deserve this. It’s unfortunate. But it is life. Because even outside of football things like this happen. That’s why there’s backups and practice reps. It is part of the game. But I am shaking my head.”

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Alex Hickey covers McNeese sports. Email him at ahickey@americanpress.com(Rick Hickman/American Press)