1979 McNeese State Cowboys football team

The 1979 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Ernie Duplechin, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 11–1 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the Southland title. McNeese State was invited to the Independence Bowl, where they lost to Syracuse.

1979 McNeese State Cowboys football
Southland champion
Independence Bowl, L 7–31 vs. Syracuse
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	11–1 (5–0 Southland)
Head coach	Ernie Duplechin (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Hubert Boales (1st season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
McNeese State $	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
UT Arlington	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Lamar	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	2
Arkansas State	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Louisiana Tech	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Louisiana Tech record includes one win by forfeit.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	at Tulsa*	Skelly Field Tulsa, OK	W 6–3	24,600	[1]
September 8	Southeastern Louisiana*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 10–7		[2]
September 15	West Texas State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 21–0	19,500	[3]
September 22	Northeast Louisiana*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 12–10	19,860	[4]
October 6	at UT Arlington	Cravens Field Arlington, TX	W 14–13	9,303	[5][6]
October 13	at Lamar	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX (rivalry)	W 34–25		[7]
October 20	Arkansas State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 10–7		[8]
October 27	at Chattanooga*	Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	W 24–17		[9]
November 3	Northwestern State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	W 44–13	19,875	[10]
November 10	Louisiana Tech	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 41–7	19,375	[11]
November 17	at Southwestern Louisiana	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA (rivalry)	W 10–6		[12]
December 15	vs. Syracuse*	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	L 7–31	27,234	[13]
*Non-conference game

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