Lions host Tarleton State for final nonconference contest

Game 5 | Southeastern (0-4) vs. Tarleton State (3-1)
Sept. 30, 2023 | 3 p.m. | Strawberry Stadium (7,408) | Hammond, La.
Series History: First meeting
Last Meeting: n/a
Television: ESPN+
—Announcers; Chase Gispert, Lucas Hill and Alexis Genovese
Radio: Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM
—Announcers; Mark Willoughby, Harris Beall, Allen Waddell and Robbie Rhodes

HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team will host its second straight contest Saturday, welcoming nonconference foe Tarleton State for a 3 p.m. contest in Strawberry Stadium.

The game between the Lions (0-4) and the visiting Texans (3-1) will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).

Saturday will a Gold Out and all SLU fans are encouraged to wear gold. At halftime, the Southland Conference regular season and tournament champion Lady Lion basketball team will be recognized and receive their championship rings.

Southeastern will be looking to bounce back from its fourth straight loss to start the season. The Lions dropped their home and Southland Conference opener, 34-19, to HCU last Saturday in Strawberry Stadium.

In the loss, Eli Sawyer threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Jaylon Domingeaux and Jacob Logan on scoring passes.

SLU is averaging 318.3 yards and 18.0 points per contest heading into Saturday’s game. Sawyer (46-for-76, 560 yards, 3 TD) and Zachary Clement (33-for-53, 387 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT) have split time under center for the Lions.

Darius Lewis leads the Lions with 229 yards on 19 catches, while Logan has hauled in a team-high three touchdowns. Harlan Dixon leads Southeastern on the ground with 157 rushing yards.

Anthony Britton Jr., Herman Christophe IV and Ian Conerly-Goodly shared team-high honors with 10 tackles each Saturday versus HCU.

Opponents are averaging 39.3 points and 528.3 yards per game versus SLU. Conerly-Goodly (46 tackles), Christophe IV (40) and Britton Jr. (31) occupy the top three spots on SLU’s season tackle leaderboard, followed by KK Reno (20), Markell Linzer (17) and Coryell Pierce (17). Tylon Cooper and Tyrone Legette have SLU’s two interceptions.

Austin Dunlap, who has been named SLC Special Teams Player of the Week, is averaging a conference-best 45.3 yards per punt to highlight the Southeastern special teams.

Tarleton State has wins over McNeese (52-34), North Alabama (52-31) and Southwest Baptist (27-13) to its credit this season. The Texans’ lone loss was a 41-3 defeat at the hands of FBS foe Texas Tech.

TSU heads to Hammond averaging 33.5 points and 427.0 yards per game. Victor Gabalis (72-for-129, 1,042 yards, 8 TD, 8 INT) is the Texans’ quarterback with Benjamin Amayebu (32 catches, 279 yards) serving as his top target. Derrel Kelley III (282 yards, 2 TD) and Kayvon Britten (245 yards, 4 TD) provide an impressive 1-2 punch on the ground.

The Texan defense is yielding 29.8 points and 369.5 yards per contest. Qua’Shawn Washington leads TSU with 18 tackles, while Kyle Taylor has collected a team-high three sacks. Ty Rawls, Robert Rios and Les Odimara share the team lead with one interception each.

Kicker Adrian Guzman is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals and 17-for-17 on PAT to lead the TSU special teams, while Deangelo Rosemond is averaging 28.3 yards per kickoff return.

Saturday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between the Lions and the visiting Texans. The contest will be the opening of a home-and-home between the two schools, as SLU will return the trip to Stephensville in 2024.

Following Saturday’s game, Southeastern will return to the road, traveling to No. 8/9 UIW for a 4 p.m. Southland Conference contest Oct. 7 in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard live on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).

Season and single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which includes visits from Tarleton State, Lamar (Oct. 14), McNeese (Nov. 4) and Nicholls (Nov. 18) are available online at https://vivenu.com/event/2023-football-2klkar.

TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2023-24 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow lionupfootball on Instagram.

TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN FOOTBALL WITH FRANK SCELFO
The 2023 season of Inside Southeastern Football with Frank Scelfo is airing from its new home – Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux (305 CM Fagan Dr) in Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo and Allen Waddell, the hour-long radio show will air Mondays throughout the football season on Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.