The bigger they are ...

I don't know what was more impressive on Saturday last, McNeese State's 40-35 win at Appalachian State or Houston's 45-35 defeat of Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

Both wins were potential season-makers. McNeese's win over the then-No. 2 team in the Football Championship Subdivision boosted the Cowboys from 16th-ranked to No. 8 in the FCS.

Newton native and MSU running back Todd Pendland was a straight-up man, amassing 127 yards rushing and 121 more receiving. Pendland accounted for 20 points on his own. Game ball time.

The then-unranked Cougars went to the No. 5 team in the country and put on a show from start to finish. The win earns them a berth in The Associated Press Top-25 Poll, with a debut at No. 21 this week.

It was the program's first win over a top-5 team since 1984 when the Cougs beat the University of Texas.

Momentum like this can turn into a special season if used properly. Houston has another big test this Saturday against Texas Tech. Can the Cougs make it 2 for 2 against the Big 12?

McNeese gets a breather at home against Savannah State.

College football in the area just got a whole lot more interesting.

Pendland leads Southeast Texans to make college football impact

A look at Southeast Texans who had the biggest impact in weekend college football games:

Toddrick Pendland, RB, McNeese State: Pendland accounted for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys' 40-35 victory over Appalachian State, the No. 2-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision. Pendland, a senior from Newton, tallied his second straight 100-yard rushing game with 19 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 10 passes for 121 yards and two scores. A field goal by freshman Josh Lewis gave McNeese a 38-35 lead with four seconds left, and a safety as time expired provided the winning margin. McNeese entered the contest ranked No. 16 in the FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

Darrell Jenkins and Seth Thomas, DBs, McNeese State: Jenkins forced a fumble that Thomas recovered near the goal line to prevent Appalachian State from scoring a touchdown less than a minute before halftime of McNeese's 40-35 victory. Thomas, a former West Orange-Stark standout, returned the fumble to the McNeese 22, where the Cowboys ran out the clock. Jenkins, a former Newton standout, also notched a team-high 9 tackles, two more than Thomas. The fumble and recovery let McNeese take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri: Weatherspoon tallied a team-high 14 tackles -- including one for a loss -- to help Missouri, which scored the game's final 21 points in a 27-20 victory against Bowling Green in Columbus, Mo. The most important tackle for Weatherspoon, a former Jasper star, came on a third-down pass that forced Bowling Green to punt and gave the Tigers a chance to tie the game, reported the Columbia Missourian newspaper. Missouri scored tying and go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Kheeston Randall, DT, Texas: Randall made his first collegiate start and had two tackles Saturday in UT's 41-10 victory against Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo. UT coach Mack Brown has credited Randall, a sophomore from Kelly, and defensive end Sam Acho as showing the most improvement of any players since spring training. Brown said both are "completely different than the players we saw last year," Brown said in the Austin American-Statesman. Randall had two tackles in eight games as a true freshman last season.

Tramain Thomas, DB, Arkansas: Arkansas did not play over the weekend, but here's a nod to Thomas for his first collegiate interception, snagged near the goal line in the Razorbacks' 48-10 victory over Missouri State on Sept. 4. The interception set up a touchdown that put Arkansas ahead 38-10 early in the third quarter. Thomas, a former East Chambers football and basketball star, also had six tackles. Thomas made 29 tackles in 12 games as a true freshman last season.

Lower expectations should help McCoy in Heisman chase

A co-worker asked today if Colt McCoy would win the Heisman Trophy this season.

My answer: Only if UT beats Oklahoma.

Once reminded that UT beat OU last season and Colt still failed to win the Heisman, I changed my answer to: Only if UT beats Oklahoma and everyone else.

With all things equal, here's guessing the Heisman voters will be more impressed by a standout season from McCoy than by Tebow, who already is a god in Florida and television broadcasters (especially Thom Brennaman).

In other words, voters will be less impressed by a player who already has such high expectations placed on him than they would from someone who has yet to reach the lofty status that is to be a Tebow.

Link: Tim Tebow Is Like The Son (Of God) Thom Brennaman Never Had

What will it take to draw fans to LU football games?

Folks around Lamar University are wondering just that. The money to bring back football has been granted and basically spent. Players have arrived on campus; 34 on scholarship, 30 as walk-ons.

Facilities are being constructed partly with money students voted to give in fees.

The university has built it, but will they come?

As a football fan out there what's it going to take to get you through the gates? Winning games helps, obviously. But the first season LU will play as an independent and is not eligible for Southland Conference wins until 2011.

Will it be the novelty of it all that brings in fans? That new-team smell? Will it take a Britney Spears halftime show? LSU-quality tailgating?

What do the fans want to see that will keep them coming back and prove that college football can survive -- dare I say thrive? -- in Beaumont? Feel free to sound off and maybe the administration will use your idea of half-price chili dogs as the first promotion.