McNeese Turns Back to Jake Strong at Quarterback

Lake Charles, Louisiana - If Saturday in Edinburg wasn't bad enough for McNeese, the Cowboys' loss to UTRGV also added insult to injury. Now, McNeese is back at quarterback where the season started.

Redshirt sophomore Devin Lippold, who started the Cowboys' last three games, is out this week with a right wrist injury. Head coach Matt Viator announced Monday that Lippold will miss Saturday's game against East Texas A&M. "Devin Lippold is out," Viator said. "He will definitely not play this week."

Lippold's status beyond this week's game is still unclear.

He took over for Jake Strong at halftime of McNeese's season opener after Strong suffered a right shoulder injury. Lippold played well in his first two starts, but struggled against UTRGV. He completed 12 of 29 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions as the Cowboys turned the ball over four times in a 31-14 loss.

Strong returned to action last Saturday against Texas-Rio Grande Valley after missing the previous three games. Lippold started the game, but was forced out after injuring his hand. Strong took over and will now return as the starter.

Viator said Strong is healthy and will not have any limitations. "He's fine, no limitations," Viator said. "He had a really good week of practice last week."

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McNeese Athletics (Andrew Smith)

McNeese Struggles Against UTRGV, Falls To 1-3

McNeese also struggled to stop the run, allowing 315 rushing yards.

"We didn't play good enough to win," Viator said. "We didn't execute good enough."

The Cowboys also struggled to finish drives. McNeese reached the red zone three times but came away with just one field goal.

Viator said the Cowboys had chances to make plays, but failed to take advantage of them. "I thought we had a few shots to get going," Viator said. "For whatever reason, we didn't execute."

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McNeese Athletics/Raymond Stewart

Now, Strong will get the chance to take control of the offense as McNeese tries to turn around a 1-3 start.

The Cowboys have already faced three strong teams in Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, and UTRGV, but have not been able to finish those games. Viator believes his team is closer than its record shows. "I still like this team. I still like these players," Viator said. "We're close, but we're still not there."

Now, McNeese will turn back to Jake Strong to lead the Cowboys, at least for now. The redshirt junior will make his return to the starting lineup Saturday when McNeese hosts East Texas A&M.

For McNeese, the goal is to finally put together a complete game. "I think we're close," Viator said. "What's frustrating to me is we're not quite there."