Southeastern heads to Northwestern State for Thursday SLC contest

Game 8 | Southeastern (0-7, 0-3 SLC) at Northwestern State (0-5, 0-1 SLC)
Oct. 19, 2023 | 7 p.m. | Turpin Stadium (15,971) | Natchitoches, La.
Series History: SLU leads 38-29
Last Meeting: Southeastern 23, Northwestern State 7 | 11/12/22 | Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN+
—Announcers: Patrick Netherton, Gary Reasons and Tyler Moody
Radio: Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM
—Announcers: Mark Willoughby, Kemmler Chapple and Robbie Rhodes

HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team will return to action Thursday, traveling to Northwestern State for a 7 p.m. SLC contest in Turpin Stadium.

The game between the Lions (0-7, 0-3 SLC) and the host Demons (0-5, 0-1 SLC) will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).

The contest was originally scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. but was moved to allow Demon players and coaches attend the funeral services of Ronnie Caldwell Friday and Saturday in Austin, Texas. Caldwell, a NSU junior safety, died following an incident at an off-campus apartment complex Oct. 12.

Southeastern comes to Natchitoches looking for its first win of the 2023 season. The Lions have had the ball with the chance to take the lead in the final quarter of all five of its losses versus FCS competition, but have not been able to break through.

SLU rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit in Saturday’s 30-24 loss to Lamar. The Lions outgained the Cardinals, 453-359, but could not overcome a minus-four turnover differential in the defeat.

Eli Sawyer (1,240 passing yards, 6 TD, 5 INT) and Zachary Clement (569 passing yards, 6 TD, 2 INT) have split time under center for the Lion offense, which is averaging 19.3 points and 364.6 yards per game. Darius Lewis has been the top target in the passing game, leading the team with 32 catches for 376 yards.

Lewis, Bauer Sharp and Jacob Logan share the team lead with three receiving touchdowns each. Harlan Dixon is leading the team with 243 rushing yards, while he, Clement and Sharp each have two rushing scores.

Opponents are averaging 33.4 points and 435.7 yards per contest versus the SLU defense. Ian Conerly-Goodly leads the team and ranks ninth nationally with 77 tackles. Herman Christophe IV (61), Anthony Britton Jr. (39), Coryell Pierce (33) and KK Reno (30) round out the top five tacklers for the Lions.

Arlen Williams paces Southeastern with four sacks, while Tyrone Legette has a team-high two interceptions.

Punter Austin Dunlap leads the SLC and ranks 11th in FCS with a 43.9 punting average to lead the Southeastern special teams.

Northwestern State is also looking for its first win of the season. The Demons saw its game at Nicholls last Saturday cancelled following the passing of Caldwell.

Quaterius Hawkins (488 passing yards, 1 TD, 4 INT) and Tyler Vander Waal (306 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT) have split time under center for a Demon offense that averages 257.6 yards and 12.8 points per contest. Zach Patterson (17 catches, 138 yards) and Jaren Mitchell (14-151-1 TD) are the top targets in the passing game, while Scooter Adams paces NSU with 157 yards rushing.

The Northwestern defense is yielding 35.2 points and 393.0 yards per contest. Jared Pedraza and Jaeden Ward share team-high honors with 42 tackles each.

Southeastern leads the all-time series, 38-29, and has faced NSU more than any other opponent. The Lions have won their last 12 games versus the in-state rival Demons.

Following Thursday’s contest, Southeastern will enjoy a bye week before returning home to host McNeese Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The game versus the Cowboys will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM). Former members of the football program that are members of the Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame will be recognized at halftime of the SLU-McNeese contest.

Season and single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which continues with visits from McNeese and Nicholls (Nov. 16) 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.