McNeese (3-3) at No. 5 Sam Houston (4-0)

When: 4 p.m. Saturday at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas

Broadcast: ESPN+

The Matchup: Sam Houston can secure at least a share of the Southland Conference title with a win over McNeese on Saturday, but the Bearkats have higher goals in mind.

The Kats are currently in a perfect position to host at least one FCS playoff game by winning their last two regular season games of the spring.

The Bearkats opponent for their final scheduled home game of the spring is a McNeese squad who has shown marked improvement over its last two games.

The Cowboys enter on a two-game win streak in coach Frank Wilson’s first campaign and arrive in Huntsville on the heels of a 43-31 win over Nicholls that effectively ended the Colonels hopes of a Southland Conference title.

SHSU provides the most formidable challenge of the spring for the Cowboys. The Kats are defeating their opponents by an average of 30.5 points per game this spring and survived a road test against Northwestern State last week.

The Kats have been on “upset alert” since destroying Nicholls 71-17 in their second game of the spring. SHSU will need to remain focused on the task at hand this week and avoid looking ahead to a showdown next week against UIW.

Players to Watch: 

McNeese - Cody Orgeron, QB, Sr, Mandeville, La. (Mandeville HS)

Andre Sam, DB, Jr, Iowa, La. (Iowa HS)

Isaiah Chambers, DL, Gr, Houston, Texas (Houston)

SHSU - Cody Chrest, WR, Gr, Houston, Texas (Harvard)

Jahari Kay, DL, Sr, Berkeley, Calif. (Laney College)

Trevor Williams, LB, Jr, College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated HS)

Key to Victory: The offensive line for both teams will be pivotal in determining the winner of this game.

Sam Houston’s offensive line has been solid this spring, allowing six sacks on 147 passing attempts. The Kats offensive line will have a challenge in this in McNeese defensive lineman Isaiah Chambers.

The graduate transfer from Houston is leading the Cowboys with 12.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and nine quarterback hurries this spring for a McNeese defense averaging 3.8 sacks per game.

The SHSU defensive line has been equally impressive this spring, producing an average of 4.75 sacks per game led by defensive lineman Jahari Kay, who has 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in four games.

McNeese will also need to pay attention to Kats linebacker Trevor Williams, who is tied with Kay for the team lead in tackles for loss (6.5) and leads the SHSU defense in total tackles.

Prediction: Sam Houston by 20