Scelfo impressed with defense at second Southeastern preseason football practice

Southeastern Football Practice Report – Day 2

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team continued fall practice with another split squad practice session Thursday morning at Strawberry Stadium.

Thursday’s practice was the second of four that saw the Lions split into two groups. SLU head coach Frank Scelfo thought the Southeastern defense took a step forward on day two.

“The defense flew around a lot more today,” Scelfo said. “They forced some turnovers today, which was good to see. We were more aggressive attacking the football, which is something I really liked. We have to be ball hawks on defense and make some game-changing plays on that side of the ball.”

The Southeastern defense closed out the final segment of the day with a pair of turnovers. Senior linebacker Tamarcus Russell intercepted a pass, while sophomore defensive lineman Noah Vance pounced on a fumble on the day’s final play.

While the defense carried the day, the offense made some plays in the passing game during the team portions of practice. Senior Nih-jer Jackson hauled in a long pass from junior Lorenzo Nunez, while sophomore Austin Mitchell ran down several bombs from junior Chason Virgil.

Southeastern features an almost entirely new defensive staff. The Lion defense is under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Louie Cioffi, who has spent the past two decades as an NFL assistant coach. Brandon Lacy (defensive line) is entering his 10th season in Hammond, while the remainder of the defensive staff – Tarence Calais (defensive backs) and Chris Lachney (linebackers) – is in their first season with the program.

“We want to be as aggressive as possible on defense,” Scelfo commented. “Our personnel and week-by-week game plan will dictate how aggressive we will be. But for the most part, we want to be on the attacking side of things in all three phases.”

The Lions will return to the practice field on Friday at 9 a.m. On Friday evening, Scelfo will be talking SLU football with Bobby Hebert, Deuce McAlister and Kristian Garic on WWL-AM (870) at 6:20 p.m. Southeastern opens the 2018 season on Aug. 30 with a 7 p.m. contest at ULM.

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
For season ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions will welcome conference foes Central Arkansas (Sept. 15), Northwestern State (Sept. 29), Houston Baptist (Oct. 13), Abilene Christian (Oct. 20) and McNeese (Nov. 3).

Season ticket holders will also be able to participate in the Season Ticket Party, set for Aug. 25 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the south end zone of Strawberry Stadium.

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

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 letterwinners.

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.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @SLUFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

Fall Camp Key Dates
Aug. 1 – 9 a.m./10:30 a.m.
Aug. 2 – 9 a.m./10:30 a.m.
Aug. 3 – 9 a.m./10:30 a.m.
Aug. 4 – 9 a.m./10:30 a.m.
Aug. 5 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 6 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 7 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 8 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 9 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 10 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 11 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 13 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 14 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 15 – 3:30 p.m. (First day of classes)
Aug. 25 – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Season Ticket Party)