LAKE CHARLES, La. – The No. 19 McNeese State University football team and its highly-touted defense tied an NCAA record on Saturday night with four interception returns for touchdowns in a dominant 55-7 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word at Cowboy Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Cardinals (1-6, 1-4 SLC) started things off in explosive fashion, as sophomore Desmond Hite collected the opening kickoff and blazed his way through a posse of Cowboys (6-1, 4-1 SLC) for a 96-yard score.
 
UIW looked like the better team for the first 10 minutes on Saturday, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
 
The Cardinals appeared to be on their way to a 14-0 lead after linebacker Quandre Washington recovered a McNeese fumble and returned the ball more than 60 yards to the red zone. Upon review however, officials determined that running back Justin Pratt lost his helmet prior to the fumble. The play was ruled dead at the spot of the lost helmet, the fumble was overturned and what would have been a golden opportunity for UIW ultimately resulted in a Cowboys field goal.
 
The Cardinals' luck went from bad to worse as McNeese posted back-to-back interception returns for touchdowns, stampeding to a 17-7 advantage over UIW after 15 minutes of action.
 
The Cowboys increased their lead at the 8:44 mark of the second quarter, when quarterback James Tabary snuck into the end zone for a 1-yard score, giving McNeese a 24-7 halftime lead.
 
At the break, the Cowboys totaled 244 total yards, compared to just 55 by the Cardinals. UIW tallied only 3 first downs, while McNeese racked up 12.
 
The Cowboys went from a gallop in the first half to an all-out sprint in the third quarter, scoring on a 54-yard rush and a 7-yard reception, before registering their third pick-6 of the ballgame to secure a 45-7 advantage.
 
McNeese added a field goal with 8:43 remaining in the game, and earned its fourth interception return for a touchdown less than two minutes later.
 
LEADERS
 
Taylor Laird and Sean Brophy combined to go 6-of-26 for 65 yards and 5 interceptions, including 4 pick-6s. Derrick Mitchell and Ra'Quanne Dickens totaled 69 yards together, while Zaire Andre led the Cardinals receiving core with 3 receptions for 53 yards.
 
Tabary finished 17-of-33 for 276 yards, an interception and a passing touchdown, while rushing for a second score. David Hamm led the Cowboys with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Lawayne Ross hauled in 5 receptions for 96 yards on the night.
 
Cam Knight paced the UIW defense with 11 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
 
McNeese's Damion Morgan collected 7 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Cardinals host No. 20 Nicholls for homecoming at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 
STAY TUNED
 
UIW travels to Huntsville for a matchup with No. 7 Sam Houston on Saturday, Nov. 4. A game time for the contest has yet to be announced.
 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.