Southeastern ranked 23rd heading into Thursday’s River Bell Classic

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team moved up two spots to No. 23 in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 released Monday.

Southeastern (7-3, 4-1 SLC) extended its winning streak to four games with a 23-7 win over then-Southland Conference leader Northwestern State Saturday in Hammond. The Lions outgained the Demons, 499-209, in the victory – SLU’s 12th straight over its in-state conference rivals.

Gage Larvadain (seven catches, 137 yards) and Jessie Britt (18 carries, 120 yards) were the offensive standouts for SLU in Saturday’s win. Donte’ Daniels and Ian Goodly paced the Lion defense with nine tackles each, while Donniel Ward-Magee and Jack Henderson each intercepted passes. Kicker Riley Callaghan was named SLC Special Teams Player of the Week earlier Monday after hitting all three of his field goal attempts – with a long of 46 yards – and both of his PAT tries.

Southeastern, which is receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches FCS Top 25, is among two ranked Southland Conference teams. UIW, which suffered its lone loss to SLU Sept. 24, is No. 5 in the Stats Perform poll and ranked seventh in the coaches poll.

The Lions enter Thursday’s regular season finale at Nicholls needing a win to win their third Southland championship and earn its third FCS playoff appearance in the past four seasons. The 2022 version of the River Bell Classic marks the 50th anniversary of the inaugural meeting in the rivalry between the two nearby rivals.

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is set for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).

Stats Perform FCS Top 25
Team (First-place votes) Record Points Prv.
1. South Dakota State (47) 10-1 1,343 1
2. Sacramento State (7) 10-0 1,297 2
3. Montana State 9-1 1,237 3
4. North Dakota State 8-2 1,190 4
5. UIW 9-1 1,047 6
6. Holy Cross 10-0 1,030 5
7. Weber State 8-2 996 7
8. William & Mary 9-1 989 8
9. Samford 9-1 947 10
10. Jackson State 10-0 873 9
11. Richmond 8-2 786 12
12. Furman 8-2 783 13
13. Montana 7-3 625 16
14. Elon 8-3 566 18
15. Chattanooga 7-3 550 11
16. North Dakota 7-3 458 19
17. Southeast Missouri 8-2 446 20
18. New Hampshire 7-3 426 21
19. Mercer 7-3 402 14
20. Delaware 7-3 313 17
T21. Fordham 8-2 275 23
T21. Idaho 6-4 275 15
23. Southeastern 7-3 223 25
24. UC Davis 6-4 217 NR
25. UT Martin 6-4 46 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Rhode Island 38, Saint Francis 37, Austin Peay 36, Eastern Kentucky 27, Princeton 26, Abilene Christian 16, North Carolina Central 7, St. Thomas 6, Yale 6, Florida A&M 5.

AFCA Coaches FCS Top 25
Rk. School (First-place votes) Rec. Points Rk
1. South Dakota State (23) 10-1 695 1
2. Sacramento State (5) 10-0 673 2
3. Montana State 9-1 642 3
4. North Dakota State 8-2 602 4
5. Jackson State 10-0 575 5
6. Holy Cross 10-0 531 6
7. UIW 9-1 527 7
8. William & Mary 9-1 514 8
9. Samford 9-1 496 9
10. Weber State 8-2 462 10
11. Richmond 8-2 410 13
12. Montana 7-3 375 14
13. Furman 8-2 360 T16
14. Fordham 8-2 290 18
15. Southeast Missouri State 8-2 289 19
16. Mercer 7-3 275 11
17. Chattanooga 7-3 262 12
18. Elon 8-3 225 11
19. Delaware 7-3 165 15
20. New Hampshire 7-3 147 25
21. St. Thomas (Minn.) 9-1 114 23
22. Princeton 8-1 86 T16
23. North Dakota 7-3 75 NR
24. Florida A&M 8-2 67 NR
25. North Carolina Central 8-2 56 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Austin Peay 43, Idaho 27, Rhode Island 21, UC Davis 19, UT Martin 19, St. Francis (Pa.) 18, North Carolina A&T 13, Southeastern 10, Yale 9, Davidson 4, Eastern Kentucky 4.