Southeastern spring football practice focused on mental side of game

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team opened its second week of spring practice Tuesday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.

Southeastern head football coach Frank Scelfo was pleased with the Lions’ mental game through the opening week of spring drills.

“We saw a lot of things carry over from the meeting room to the field,” Scelfo commented. “We were able to see guys who knew what to do and weren’t having to think their way through things and instead could just go make plays.”

The Lion offense is in its first season under new offensive coordinator Anthony Scelfo, who enters his fourth season with the SLU offensive staff.

“Saturday was our first padded practice and we didn’t have many missed assignments,” Frank Scelfo commented. “We simplified some things offensively and that’s allowing guys to play a little faster. Our flow offensive has been really good.”

The Southeastern defense will be replacing numerous starters up front and in the secondary, but expect to see new faces and veterans alike embrace stepping into bigger roles.

“Much like the offense, we’re not seeing many schematic mistakes defensively,” Scelfo said. “We may not make the play every time, but it’s not because we’re not where we’re supposed to be, which is encouraging. The offense really controlled things early in practice Saturday, but the defense answered later in practice. That give-and-take is what you want to see this time of year.”

While Scelfo and his staff look to see growth throughout the spring, he singled out a position group on each side of the ball that will have his attention over the 11 remaining practices.

“On offense, we want to see who is going to separate himself at quarterback,” Scelfo commented. “We need someone who is going to be consistent and take care of the football. On defense, we want to see who emerges at the safety position. We’re deeper at safety than we’ve been and that’s a position that’s going to take a while to play itself out, as we find who can be the most consistent option for us back there. We have the talent and I’m really excited about the growth at that position.”

Southeastern will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:50 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. through March 23. SLU’s 10 a.m. practice March 9 will be part of Super Lion Saturday.

Southeastern opens the 2024 season at Tulane. The nonconference slate also includes visits to Southern Miss and Tarleton State, while Eastern Washington and two-time defending FCS national champion South Dakota State visit Hammond.

Southland Conference foes UIW, Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce come to Strawberry Stadium this fall, while the Lions will travel to Nicholls, McNeese, HCU and Lamar in league play.

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. 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.

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