No. 13 SFA Opens Season With 38-27 Win Over McNeese

DALLAS, Texas (TXAN 24) — #13 SFA Football opened their 2026 season with a statement Saturday night, defeating McNeese 38-27 at Louis Bonnette Field at Navarre Stadium.

SFA, the defending Southland Conference champion, jumped out to a 24-7 halftime advantage and extended its lead to 38-13 in the third quarter before McNeese mounted a late comeback attempt.

Lumberjacks quarterback Gavin Rutherford led the offensive attack, completing 18 of 29 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

Rutherford connected with Bugs Mortimer on a 37-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before SFA added a 31-yard field goal from Carlos Alvarado.

The Lumberjacks added two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Jaylen Jenkins scored on a one-yard run, and Michael Woods returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to give SFA a 24-7 halftime lead.

Rutherford continued his strong night after halftime, throwing touchdown passes of 35 yards to Clayton Wayland and 33 yards to Stetson Sarratt.

Despite McNeese’s fourth-quarter surge, SFA’s early advantage proved too much to overcome.

The victory gives SFA a 1-0 start as the Lumberjacks begin their defense of the Southland Conference championship.

SFA returns home next Saturday to host East Texas A&M at 7 p.m. in Nacogdoches.

The Lions enter the matchup 0-1 after falling 23-15 to No. 17/21 Mercer on Saturday night.