Southern inks deal to play McNeese in 2019

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana -- The Southern Jaguars will be coming to Cowboy Stadium in 2019.

"With our commitment to broadening the Southern University athletics brand, traveling to Lake Charles to face McNeese State provides a unique opportunity to add a storied in-state football program to our 2019 schedule and expose Southwest Louisiana to Jaguar football and the Jaguar Nation," said Southern Interim Director of Athletics Roman Banks.

A contract was recently agreed upon, and signed, by both school’s athletic directors, that will have Southern playing in Lake Charles for the first time on Aug. 31, 2019.

“We’re excited to have such a great program come to Cowboy Stadium, in what will no doubt, draw a big crowd,” said McNeese Director of Athletics Bruce Hemphill. “It’s always great when you can get an in-state team like Southern to come to your place. With their large fan base and alumni numbers, it will make for an exciting atmosphere and more than likely a capacity crowd.”

McNeese visited Southern in 2004, beating the Jaguars 35-18 in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the gridiron.

Southern was scheduled to make a return trip to Lake Charles in 2005 but that game was canceled due to Hurricane Rita and was never made up.

The game in 2019 is not a rescheduling of that game.

Southern, which has won 19 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and nine Black College National Championships, finished 10-3 in 2016 and fell one win shy of reaching its third SWAC Championship game in the last five years after going 8-1 in league play.

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