Twenty-two minutes after McNeese dispatched a hapless, one-win Abilene Christian, its coach offered refreshing honesty.
His two hands clenching each side of the dais, Lance Guidry fielded four questions about that 33-14 win — a no-nonsense victory that was devoid of any discernible excitement.
A fifth came, asking how the upcoming week would differ from the eight that preceded it.
“Been planning since last week,” the McNeese coach said of his team’s impending showdown with No. 1 Sam Houston State. “I just started watching (Sam Houston State film) last week after I watched the Abilene Christian film and I saw what they did and I just started working in advance on Sam (Houston) and just looking at some things we needed to do and seeing if I could find any tendencies they’ve been doing.”
Football coaches tend to follow an unwritten script. No one game is more important than the other, they’ll all say, and all 11 opponents — regardless of talent level or record — receives the same devout planning as the other.
Guidry scoffs at such social norms. He was forthright Saturday that most of the preparation for Abilene Christian, a 1-7 team that McNeese made 1-8, was ceded to defensive coordinator Tommy Restivo.
Guidry watched the Wildcats briefly — they did play Sam Houston State to a 48-21 loss two weeks ago — before turning his eyes solely to the electrifying Bearkats.
He rewound the videotape in search of inclinations for a team that averages 54 points and 592 yards per game. The Bearkats play in more four-wide receiver sets than last season, he notes. Those receivers do not, under any circumstances, drop the football.
The quarterback, of course, is Jeremiah Briscoe, whom the Cowboys surprisingly saw in their playoff loss last season.
“I’m not going to say we weren’t ready for (Briscoe), but there were two different types of quarterbacks with two different offenses,” Guidry said. “Well now this is his offense and it’s a lot different than what it was … They’re good. They’re really good.”
Game planning is a tedious exercise, one that can sometimes feel rushed or unthorough with a 48-hour timeframe — Sunday morning through Monday night — to ensure it is ready for Tuesday’s first practice.
Guidry took no such chances with the team’s season-defining game. A victory against the No. 1 team in the country and a win against Lamar two weeks later makes a Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth a real possibility for a McNeese bunch that was under .500 two weeks ago.
“Definitely glad we took care of business tonight and our mind is moving to Sam Houston,” cornerback Khalil Thomas said. “We have to have a great week of practice, lock in and prepare like we need to. We know it’s going to be a good game.”
Thomas was on the team last season, when Sam Houston spoiled the Cowboys’ undefeated dream season.
Roles reverse this season. Guidry, who helped to resurrect McNeese as a player in the early ‘90s before assisting in reviving dormant Miami (Ohio) and Western Kentucky programs, enjoys being in such a position.
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