McNeese Football Gets Ready for Week Two Showdown with Florida Gators

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - As the McNeese football team gets ready for their week two showdown with the Florida Gators in Gainesville, they do so hoping to put their week one woes behind them. McNeese struggled against Tarleton State in week one as they lost 52-34 thanks to 35 unanswered points by the Texans in the second half, and despite leading at halftime, the Cowboys would go on to fall in week one for the third consecutive season.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their schedule gets harder before it gets easier as their week two game brings them to Gainesville, Florida for their first-ever matchup with the Florida Gators. For Head Coach Gary Goff, week two is all about managing expectations, and trying to improve in week two, even if that means they don’t leave ‘The Swamp’ with a win.

“We’re trying to execute at a higher level, we didn’t do that last week, and so all week we’ve been talking about playing to our best ability one play at a time, and regardless of that one play’s outcome, lining up and doing it again, playing the next play,” said Goff. “So we’ve been focused on that all week, we’ve had a very physical, tough week, because it’s going to be a very physical and tough game. I’ll be happy if we go there and we play our best one play at a time, and when that play is over, if they’re the better player so be it, if they’re the better team when the game is over then so be it, but I want us to go there and play really hard for four quarters.”

McNeese, who holds an 0-4 record against current SEC teams (0-1 vs. Missouri, 0-1 vs. Texas A&M, 0-2 vs. LSU) have the tall task of going into Gainesville, and taking on a Florida team, who like McNeese, is coming off of a disappointing loss as the Gators fell to Utah in week one. With it, Coach Goff knows it’s no easy task to tame the Gators, and he joked about that on Thursday.

“We have stared at the Great Wall of China all week trying to figure out how to move it, and defensively they have looked at how to tackle a cheetah in the open field. They’re talented, they have first-round draft picks all over the field whether they’re freshmen or not they’re eventually going to be those types of players. But you take that Utah game, everybody is hard on them right now, but you take that Utah game, there are two or three plays here or there, and it’s a completely different outcome, I think they gave up 50 yards to Utah in the second half, so their better days are ahead of them for sure I just hope it’s not Saturday.”

Saturday’s game kicks off at 6:00 in Gainesville on ESPNU.

For the full Thursday interview with Head Coach Gary Goff, click here.

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