Southeastern Lions ppen football season’s second half at HBU

Southeastern Louisiana (3-3, 2-2 SLC) at Houston Baptist (4-4, 1-3 SLC)
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 | 2 p.m. | Houston, Texas | Husky Stadium (5,000)
Series History: SLU leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Southeastern Louisiana 62, Houston Baptist 52 (Oct. 13, 2018 – Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN3
Radio: Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9, Kajun 107.1, The Highway 104.7, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM WFPR)
Announcers: Mark Willoughby and Robbie Rhodes

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team heads into the home stretch of the 2019 season this Saturday, starting the second half of the year with a 2 p.m. Southland Conference contest at Houston Baptist.

The game between the Lions (3-3, 2-2 Southland) and the host Huskies (4-4, 1-3 Southland) will be televised on ESPN3 and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM WFPR), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps.

Every Southland team heads into Week Nine with at least one league loss, meaning the conference race remains wide open. However, teams like Southeastern and Houston Baptist with multiple Southland defeats, have little margin for error for the remainder of 2019.

The Lions are coming off their bye week, as Southeastern fell to UIW, 27-21, back on Oct. 12. SLU outgained the Cardinals, 515-317, in the loss, but could not overcome six turnovers – four interceptions and two fumbles.

Southeastern, which is averaging 34.7 points and 462.5 yards per game, enters Saturday’s contest with the sixth-ranked passing offense in FCS. Chason Virgil (1,782 passing yards, 11 TD, 8 INT) and Cole Kelley (198-6 TD-0 INT) have both been effective under center.

CJ Turner leads the Lions with 34 catches for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Mitchell (26-495-5 TD), Bransen Schwebel (26-306-3 TD), Devonte Williams (22-191-1 TD) and Javon Conner (20-203-2 TD) are the other top targets for Virgil and Kelley.

Opponents are scoring 30.0 points and averaging 423.8 yards per game versus Southeastern. Alexis Ramos leads the Lions with 46 tackles, followed by Xavier Lewis (35 tackles), Mike Mason (33), Josh Carr Jr. (31) and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (31).

SLU ranks among the national leaders in tackles for loss (59, 3rd) and sacks (22, 5th). Carr Jr. (11.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks) and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (11.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks) are the team’s top pass rushers.

The SLU kicking game has been solid with two young contributors. Austin Dunlap is second in the Southland with a 42.9 punting average, while Bryce Broussard is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals.

Houston Baptist will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when Southeastern comes to town. The Huskies dropped a 42-27 decision to McNeese last Saturday.

The Huskies rank near the top of FCS in total offense (3rd, 508.8 yards per game), scoring offense (3rd, 43.0 ppg) and passing offense (2nd, 362.2 ypg). The nation’s leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, Bailey Zappe (2,791 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT).

The duo of Jerreth Sterns (82 catches, 656 yards, 6 TD) and Ben Ratzlaff (59-765-10 TD) is the league’s most prolific pass catching combo. Ean Beek (579 yards, 4 TD) and Dreshawn Minnieweather (438, 5 TD) are the leading rushers for the Huskies.

Opponents are averaging 489.9 yards and 34.8 points per game versus HBU. Brennan Young (83) and Caleb Johnson (70) are the Huskies’ top tacklers, while Andre Walker paces the squad with 14.0 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.

Southeastern has won all five previous meetings between the two schools. Last season’s shootout was the closest margin between the Lions and Huskies, as SLU outlasted HBU, 62-52, in Hammond.

Up Next
Southeastern will return home to host Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The contest will be streamed free on the Southeastern Sports Network at youtube.com/sluathletics and on LionSports.net. The game can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM WFPR), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps.

Fans are encouraged to wear green to the SLU-SFA contest, as next Saturday is a Green Out in Strawberry Stadium. Children 12 and under will receive a complimentary ticket (one free children’s admission per each adult ticket purchased). Younger Lion fans with a local school ID will receive a general admission ticket for the low price of $8.

The 13th Annual Gumbo Cook-Off is also set for Saturday. Visit www.LionSports.net/gumbo for more information.

TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions’ remaining home schedule will see SLU welcome Southland Conference foes UIW (Oct. 12), Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 2) and Nicholls (Nov. 21).

2019 PROMOTIONS
For full details on promotions surrounding the Southeastern Louisiana football team’s 2019 home schedule visit www.LionSports.net/FootballPromos.

INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN FOOTBALL WITH FRANK SCELFO
Inside Southeastern Football With Frank Scelfo will air every Monday through Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Tope La Catering (113 East Thomas Street) in downtown Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo, the Lions’ second-year head coach, and Allen Waddell, the hour-long show will air on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM WFPR). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps. A live video stream of the show will be available at www.youtube.com/sluathletics.

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

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.

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.