A Look Back at the History Between LSU and McNeese: The Bonnette Bowl
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Surprisingly, there is not much of a history between LSU and McNeese in football. They have only played each other twice, with the Tigers taking both. The most interesting part of this series is the family ties.
Louis Bonnette spent 46 years at McNeese as the Sports Information Director. Louis had three children: Michael, Matthew, and Anne. Anne would have the most important job as a registered nurse. Michael, an LSU alum, became the SID for the Tigers in August 2000 before rising to his current role as LSU Athletics’ Communications Director and Associate Athletics Director. Meanwhile, Matthew would graduate from McNeese and take over as Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information in 2012, replacing Louis upon his retirement. Matthew as well would rise through the ranks at McNeese and is currently the Senior Associate AD for Athletics Communications.
The first meeting in October of 2010 saw LSU win 32-10. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson combined to complete 14 of 22 passes for 126 yards. The run game was highlighted by some Tiger greats in Michael Ford, Stevan Ridley, Spencer Ware, and gadget player Russell Shepard. Ford and Ridley led the way, with Ford taking 10 carries for 86 yards and two scores, while Ridley had 15 carries for 46 yards for a pair of scores himself. Russell Shepard led the way in receiving with seven catches for 53 yards, followed by Terrence Toliver, who caught two passes for 27 yards. Kelvin Sheppard led the Tigers in tackles with 11, with Ryan Baker picking up two sacks. Morris Claiborne also added an interception to the defensive performance. Also worth noting on the Tiger side, Patrick Peterson had four combined punt and kick returns for 97 yards. Cody Stroud was the quarterback for McNeese, completing 15 of 32 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Andre Anderson was the leading rusher and receiver for the Cowboys with 79 yards on 23 carries and 37 yards from four catches. Also suiting up for the Pokes in that game was future NFL/CFL wide receiver and return specialist Diontae Spencer.
In 2015, the two would attempt to meet again, but due to a four-hour lightning storm, the game was called off and ruled a “no contest,” and no stats were ever recorded in the official record books.
That takes us to 2021, when even more family ties and some coaching crossovers would come into play. Ed Orgeron was the head coach of LSU when they played host to McNeese. His son Parker was on staff with the Tigers working in player development. On the other side, Ed’s son and Parker’s twin brother, Cody, was the quarterback of the Cowboys. Parker had also previously played wide receiver for McNeese. The head coach for the Pokes was none other than Frank Wilson, who had previously spent time at LSU and would return to Baton Rouge following the 2021 season.
LSU took this one 34-7. Max Johnson got the start for LSU in this game, completing 18 of 27 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns, while Garrett Nussmeier, who claims Lake Charles as home, came in in relief. Corey Kiner led the Tiger ground game with 52 yards from 11 carries, bringing one in for a score. Jack Bech led the receivers with four catches for 57 yards, while Kayshon Boutte caught five passes for 31 yards and two scores. Trey Palmer also added a receiving TD of his own. Damone Clark led the Tigers in tackles with seven, while Andre Anthony recorded two and a half sacks. On the McNeese side, Cody Orgeron completed 10 of his 20 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown to Carlo Williams, who was the Cowboys’ leading receiver with 44 yards. Stephon Huderson led the Pokes in rushing with 67 yards from 16 carries. Kordell Williams led the McNeese defense with 10 tackles, while Joey McNeely, Earenest Grayson III, and Leon Young all recorded one sack apiece.
With even more crossover heading into Saturday, former McNeese President Dr. Wade Rousse and former McNeese Athletics Director Heath Schroyer have also made the jump from Lake Charles to Baton Rouge. Rousse now serves as the President of LSU and Schroyer as the Senior Deputy AD and Executive Director of External Relations for the LSU System.
LSU comes into the game ranked No. 11 in the country with a 3-1 record, while McNeese sits at 2-3. Both teams will look to work out some of their kinks as they work through conference play the rest of the season. The Tigers and Cowboys will kick off at 6:45 p.m. CST in Tiger Stadium and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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