McNeese to host Sam Houston in FCS playoffs

The stage is set for round two, not only in the 2015 Football Championship Subdivision playoff bracket, but also between No. 4 McNeese State and Sam Houston State.
The Southland Conference rivals met just three weeks ago in Cowboy Stadium with McNeese posting a 27-10 win against the Bearkats to claim the conference championship.
Now the two squads will go at it one more time this year when they face-off once again in Cowboy Stadium Saturday at 6 p.m. The winner will move on to the quarterfinal round to face the winner of the Colgate-James Madison second-round game.
McNeese, 10-0 and ranked Nos. 2 and 3 in the latest FCS top 25 polls, will host that game with a win Saturday.
Sam Houston (9-3 and ranked Nos. 10 and 6) rallied to beat Southern Utah 42-39 Saturday in the first round. The Bearkats, who finished 7-2 in the league and in second place behind the Cowboys, rallied from a 39-26 deficit midway through the third quarter by scoring 16 straight points to seal the win.
McNeese will be making its conference-record 16th appearance in the FCS playoffs — third-most appearances among current FCS teams. This will be the first time the Cowboys will play a Southland Conference member in the playoffs.
The McNeese ticket office will be open from 8-5 today through Friday and will open at noon on game day. Tickets also can be purchased at www.McNeeseSports.com.
Thousands of tickets already have been sold, so fans are encouraged to purchase tickets as soon as possible as a capacity crowd is expected.
Ticket prices are $25 for reserved seating, $20 adult general admission, $15 senior citizen general admission, $10 general admission for youth ages 13-17 and $5 general admission for youth ages 4-12.
McNeese students with a valid ID should check with the Office of Student Services for tickets.