Southeastern adds April 17 football game at Southern Illinois

HAMMOND, La. – The No. 19/23 Southeastern Louisiana football team has added an April 17 contest at No. 16/18 Southern Illinois, SLU and SIU officials announced on Wednesday.

Kickoff for the newly-scheduled regular season finale is set for noon at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

Southern Illinois (4-3) has had its last two games cancelled when its scheduled opponents opted out of the season and were eager to give its student-athletes an opportunity to compete before the NCAA FCS playoffs. When SIU head coach Nick Hill reached out to the Lions (3-2), who have an April 17 bye week, Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo was eager to accept the offer.

“We’re excited to be able to travel to Southern Illinois and play,” Scelfo commented. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to give our student-athletes another chance to compete.”

The Salukis compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Three of Southern Illinois’ four wins this season have come over top-25 competition, including a 38-14 victory over reigning national champion North Dakota State on Feb. 20.

Hill wanted to give his Salukis every opportunity to play after its final games on April 3 versus Illinois State and April 10 versus Western Illinois were cancelled. Hill released a statement expressing his disappointment at the cancellation of his final two games and it caught Scelfo’s eye.

“I’m super-thankful for coaches like Coach Scelfo,” Hill stated. “He told me he really appreciated my statement, and that he felt the same way. They feel like they’re a playoff team, too, so this game is a great opportunity to showcase two outstanding programs that love to play football.”

The game will either be on ESPN+ or ESPN3 with television clearances announced next week. The contest can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9 FM, Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Game Day Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.

Up Next
No. 19/23 Southeastern will close out its Southland Conference schedule on Saturday with a 3 p.m. Southland contest at No. 17/18 Nicholls. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9 FM, Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Lions Game Day Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.