LAKE CHARLES – McNeese takes its first step towards a national championship on Saturday when the 4^th-seeded Cowboys (No. 2/3 in the FCS polls) hosts Sam Houston State (No. 6/10) in a rematch of a game that took place less than a month ago, in a second round matchup in the FCS playoffs in Cowboy Stadium.
 
Kickoff is slated for 6:04 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 as well as being broadcast on the McNeese Radio Network (92.9 FM The Lake in Lake Charles and 960 AM The Gator in Lafayette).
 
The Cowboys last played on Nov. 21 in a 20-14 win at Lamar to wrap up a perfect 10-0 regular season, the fifth unbeaten slate in school history and second under head coach Matt Viator. McNeese defeated Sam Houston State on Nov. 7 in Cowboy Stadium by a 27-10 score to capture the Southland Conference championship.
 
The Bearkats (9-3) came from behind to beat Southern Utah 42-39 in last week's first round of the playoffs.
 
This is the first time McNeese will face a conference opponent in 27 playoff games (16 appearances) and just the fifth time the Cowboys have played a team twice in one season, the last being Western Kentucky in 2002 (McNeese defeated the Hilltoppers 38-13 in the regular season but fell 34-14 in the national title game after playing without several key players due to injury).
 
"I'd rather not (have a rematch), but we are excited about playing Sam Houston," said McNeese coach Matt Viator. "At this time of year you're going to get a good opponent regardless of who it is. I understand the regional aspect (of the bracket), but to me it's a national tournament, not a regional tournament."
 
The Cowboys will be looking to snap a 5-game playoff losing streak that began in that 2002 title game. McNeese has fallen in the first round three times (2006, 2007, 2009) and once in the second round (2013) during the slump.
 
This year's McNeese team is different from those however. The Cowboys will be heading into Saturday's game the healthiest they've ever been under Viator when playing in the playoffs.
 
"There's no doubt this is the healthiest we've been," he said. "This is a different team. There's a lot of chemistry on it."
 
That chemistry has been proven week in and week out during the unblemished run to the 10-0 mark.
 
McNeese's defense is ranked No. 1 in the FCS in rushing (78.6 ypg), No. 2 in scoring (11.1 ppg), and No. 9 total (280.8). The Cowboys have allowed just one player to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season, that coming from Corey Avery of Sam Houston State in the Nov. 7 game where he rushed for 107 yards.
 
The defense has allowed just three rushing touchdowns on the season and 11 total.
 
Offensively, the Cowboys have been racking up the yards on the ground lately. In the last two games, the Cowboys are averaging 355 yards rushing in back-to-back games that saw them run for season highs, first with 305 against Sam Houston State followed by a 406-yard performance at Lamar.
 
McNeese's 241.9 yards rushing per game is the highest average since averaging 243.7 yards a game in the 1982 season.
 
Quarterback Daniel Sams leads the team in that department with 877 yards rushing on the season followed by Ryan Ross who has 872. Coming on strong lately has been the running of Derrick Milton who is coming off a career-high 138 yards against Nicholls and is averaging over 100 yards a game the last two outings. McNeese posted a first at Lamar with three players rushing for over 100 yards in the game.
 
The third phase of the game that has played a big part in the Cowboys' success has been the special teams.
 
Punter/kicker Jean Breaux finished the regular season as the No. 1 punter in the league with a 43.8 average, a mark that is currently tied as the best single-season average in school history. The 41.04 net punting average is ranked No. 1 in the nation while the Cowboys are ranked No. 2 in kickoff returns with an average of 26.3 yards per return.
 
McNeese has compiled an 11-15 all-time record in the playoffs while Sam Houston State, who has played in the semifinals in three of the last four games, including last year, is 12-7 in playoff games.