Desperation turned to motivation for McNeese State.

With their season slipping away, the Cowboys found a foe they could pick on in an old rival.

McNeese used three second-quarter touchdowns to roll past Northwestern State 35-17 Saturday in Natchitoches.

Using an improved run game and a solid defense, the Cowboys pounded the Demons 35-17 in Turpin Stadium. It was McNeese’s 15th win in 16 meetings between the schools.

“This was critical for us,” Cowboys head coach Frank Wilson said “We played with confidence in ourselves that we hadn’t done all year. This gives us some momentum going forward.”

The win was the first in Southland Conference play for the Cowboys (2-4, 1-2 SLC) and put an end to a two-game losing streak.

“We just went out there and whooped them,” Cowboys defensive end Mason Kinsey said.

Kinsey led a defensive group that played up to its preseason hype, sacking Demons quarterbacks four times and holding them to 254 yards of total offense, most coming after the game had been decided.

McNeese’s defense scored on a 15-yard Corione Harris return of a fumble caused by Darius Daniels in the second quarter. That put McNeese up 21-3.

“Everybody was just making plays,” said Kinsey, who had a pair of sacks. “We wanted to be physical from the start and jump on them. We were able to do that.”

On offense, Josh Parker stepped into a bangedup backfield and scored the first two touchdowns of his McNeese career. Parker finished with a game-high 74 yards on 16 carries. The freshman scored on runs of 3 and 19 yards.

“It’s a weight off my shoulders,” Parker said of his touchdowns. “Our offense had a great day. You have to give credit to the offensive line, without them I don’t get anything.”

Six McNeese players ran the ball for a combined 161 yards. The wildest came from defensive lineman Accord Green, who bolted 35 yards on a fake punt while serving as the protector.

“I just seen the hole and took off,” said the 6-foot-4, 265-pound junior who threw in a solid stiff-arm in for good measure.

The trick play came after the Demons had cut the lead to 28-10 and were looking to steal momentum. On fourth-and-7 from his own 41, Wilson called for the fake on the last play of the third quarter.

“We felt the momentum swinging and wanted to take it back,” Wilson explained. “(Green) made a great run and we blocked it perfect.”

Cowboys quarterback Cody Orgeron added a pair of touchdown passes while going 16 of 25 for 176 yards. He hit Mason Pierce with a 43-yard scoring strike in the second quarter and K.J. Brown from 5 yards in the fourth.

For Pierce, who had three catches for 66 yards, it was his fifth touchdown of the season and fourth in the last two games. As for the redshirt freshman Brown, his score was the first of his career.

Pierce’s play was specular as he jumped between a pair of defenders and grabbed the ball while in the air as he was hit. He came down at the 4-yard line but kept his balance and made it into the end zone for a 14-3 lead.

Moments later Harris scored his touchdown and the Cowboys were in control.

“It was great to see our offense put some points on the board,” Wilson said. “Our defense played lights out. It was an all-around effort for us.”

The Cowboys hope that just like in the spring, the win over Northwestern State (1-5, 1-2) can lead to a strong finishing kick and help turn the season around.

“One game at a time,” said Cowboys defensive tackle Joey McNeely. “This is the start of what we believe we will get going. That 1-4 record didn’t show the team we are.”