Countdown begins
Cowboys get into routine practice schedule
After two weeks of camp, the McNeese State football team went through its first day of regular practice on Tuesday to prepare for its Sept. 1 season opener at Northern Colorado.
The Cowboys practiced in helmets and worked with the scout team, a process head coach Lance Guidry emphasized as vital to success.
“It’s an adjustment with the scouts,” Guidry said. “It’s always about getting them trained. Most of the guys on scouts were in camp, but it’s about getting them running the cards and what we want, especially for the defense.”
Fortunately, he added, the Cowboys have an extra week to prepare before they get on a regular weekly schedule.
The Cowboys had Monday off for the first day of classes.
Senior starting quarterback James Tabary echoed Guidry, saying if the scouting team doesn’t show up and perform, the starters can’t properly prepare for the opponent.
“Those scout guys are really important,” Tabary said. “Sometimes they might not think that their role is that important, but it’s very important that they give us good looks, help us pick up the defense’s weakness and pick up blitzes.”
But mostly, the Cowboys said they are excited to be preparing for a team that doesn’t have the same name printed across their jersey.
Senior linebacker BJ Blunt said the team’s attitude changed this week as they sense the season’s first game drawing near.
Blunt said he wakes up every morning and looks at a calendar, counting down the days until that first kickoff.
“There is most definitely an attitude change,” Blunt said. “We have a lot of guys that made the cut that want to show what they can do. They want to show why they deserve to be out there playing.”
Tabary earned one of 36 spots on the College Football Performance Awards Football Championship Subdivision National Performer of the Year watch list, the organization announced Monday afternoon.
He was one of 23 quarterbacks on the list. He earned a spot on after becoming the first quarterback in program history to have five career 300-yard games passing.
Tabary said he was honored, but that ultimately he’s more focused on getting the Cowboys ready.
“It feels great, but I’m all about the wins, baby,” Tabary said. “If we get as many wins as I think we’re going to get, then the rest will come. I’m just worried about (Northern Colorado) right now. The watch list is whatever. It’s just preseason, so it doesn’t mean that much to me. But it’s an honor to be on there.”
McNeese at N. Colo. — Sept. 1
Former McNeese State head coach Lance Guidry returns Saturday