Southeastern looks to extend win streak at ACU

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team will look to continue its winning streak on Saturday, when it travels to Southland Conference rival Abilene Christian for a 2:30 p.m. contest at Wildcat Stadium.

The Lions (4-3, 4-1 Southland) have won four straight heading into the meeting with the host Wildcats (2-5, 2-3 Southland), who are coming off a pair of narrow losses to ranked Southland Conference opponents – Oct. 7 versus McNeese (13-7) and last Saturday at Nicholls (29-20).

Southeastern rolled to its fourth consecutive victory last Saturday at Houston Baptist, posting a single-game season-high point total in a 56-10 victory over the Huskies. The Lions tied a school record with its fourth straight game of 40 points or more, racking up 503 total yards on offense, while seniors Mayori Ellison (85-yard interception return) and Ryan Sigers (80-yard fumble return) each scored on defense for SLU.

“We’ve been playing well, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement,” Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts said. “Saturday will be another opportunity for us to continue to get better and play more consistently.

“We’re playing a very talented and well-coached Abilene Christian team this week,” Roberts added. “They are very good on defense and don’t make many mistakes. ACU has a lot of playmakers on offense, led by a very good quarterback. We’ll have our hands full this weekend.”

In the win over HBU, Southeastern finished with a season-high 376 rushing yards and is now fourth nationally with a Southland-best 303.6 yards per offense. One of the nation’s premier offensive lines has cleared the way for the quartet of freshman Marcus Cooper (459 yards, 2 TD), junior Darren Johnson (416-4 TD), senior Eugene Bethea (380-4 TD) and junior Julius Maracalin (297-7 TD).

Cooper (3rd), Johnson (6th) and Bethea (8th) rank among the Southland leaders in rushing yards, while Maracalin is ninth nationally and leads the league in rushing touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez (767 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT) has run the show for a Lion offense that ranks among the FCS leaders in scoring offense (8th, 40.0 ppg) and total offense (469.4 ypg, 11th). In the five games he’s started, SLU is averaging 50.2 points and 543.2 yards per contest.

Senior Juwan Dickey is Nunez’s top target, leading the team with 25 catches for 333 yards. Freshman Austin Mitchell paces the Lion roster with three touchdown receptions, while sophomores Bransen Schwebel and Zeke Jenkins have hauled in two scores each.

The Lions will be facing an ACU defense that ranks third in the Southland in both scoring defense (23.0 ppg allowed) and total defense (358.9 ypg allowed). Sophomore safety Bolu Onifade leads the team with 51 tackles, while senior defensive end Bryson Gates paces the team with 3.5 sacks.

The Wildcat offense heads into Saturday’s game averaging 18.6 points and 329.6 yards per game. ACU junior Dallas Sealey (1,615 yards, 6 TD, 6 INT) is third in the league in passing yards and leads the team with four rushing touchdowns.

The quintet of senior Troy Grant (32 catches, 346 yards, 1 TD), sophomore DeShun Qualls (30-260), sophomore Justin Miller (27-189-1 TD), senior De’Andre Brown (25-243-1 TD) and sophomore Josh Fink (20-249-2 TD) have provide a variety of targets for Sealey. Sophomore Tracy James leads the team on the ground with 310 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The Lion defense has been steadily improving, allowing 406.4 yards and 28.3 points per contest on the season. The two touchdowns scored in the win over HBU marked the first
time since the 2015 season that the SLU defense accounted for multiple scores in a game.

Senior Max Lyons is third in the Southland with 62 tackles, while senior Sione Teuhema, a member of the Buck Buchanan and Butkus Award watch lists, is eighth with 53 stops. Teuhema leads the Southland and ranks third in FCS in both tackles for loss (15.0) and sacks (8.0).

Seniors Jeff Williams II (44), Jake Jiannoni (39) and Lee Spight (35) round out the team’s top five in terms of tackles. Ellison paces the team with three interceptions, as SLU leads the Southland with eight picks.

Lyons has two interceptions of his own, while Sigers, Williams II and senior Torrance Mosley have one interception each. Senior Courtney Rutledge has a team-high two fumble recoveries, while Spight leads the Lions with two forced fumbles.

The x-factor for Southeastern has been sophomore Juwan Petit-Frere. The newcomer from Orlando, Florida leads the nation with 38.6 yards per kickoff return and two kickoff return touchdowns.

After its second straight road game, Southeastern will return home to host No. 7 Sam Houston State for a 7 p.m. contest at Strawberry Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN3 and heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, Kajun 107.1 FM, WFPR 1400 AM), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the TuneIn Radio app.

The game versus the defending Southland champion Bearkats will double as Homecoming, rescheduled from Oct. 7 after Hurricane Nate cancelled scheduled festivities. There will be no parking in Friendship Circle and no traffic will be allowed in Friendship Circle after 10 a.m. Those with Friendship Circle parking passes will have access to Lot B parking.

The annual Homecoming parade is scheduled for 2 p.m. The 2017 Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at halftime of the SLU-SHSU Southland showdown.

Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-1 Southland) at Abilene Christian (2-5, 2-3 Southland)
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 | 2:30 p.m. | Abilene, Texas | Wildcat Stadium (12,000)
Series History: Series tied 2-2
Last Meeting: Southeastern Louisiana 31, Abilene Christian 19 (Nov. 12, 2016 – Hammond, La.)
Television: None
Radio: Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9, Kajun 107.1, The Highway 104.7, WFPR 1400)
Announcers: Robbie Rhodes and Kemmler Chapple