HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team returns to Southland Conference play on Saturday when it faces intra-state rival Northwestern State in a 3 p.m. televised contest at Strawberry Stadium.
The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net. The game, which will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network, can be seen live in the Hammond area on WHNO-TV (Charter Channel 14) and in the Baton Rouge area on WBTR-TV (Cox Channel 19).
The game is also part of the “Take A Kid To The Game” promotion with all children ages 12 and under receiving free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. Tickets are available by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or on-line at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern (2-4, 2-0 Southland), the lone remaining unbeaten team in the SLC race, looks to keep its league record unblemished after posting wins over McNeese State and Lamar. A win over Northwestern State (3-3, 1-1 Southland) would give Southeastern its first 3-0 start in conference play since 1974 when the Lions, under then first-year coach Billy Brewer, opened play in the Division II Gulf South Conference with wins over North Alabama, UT Martin and West Alabama.
Quarterback
Nathan Stanley has led the Southeastern offense completing 108 of 203 passes for 1,147 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore
Stanley Moore is the top target for the Lions as the former Bastrop High product has caught 18 passes.
Tony McCrea and freshman
Jeff Smiley have caught 16 passes each for the Lions with
Marquis Fruge' (15),
Michael Chaney (14) and
Jeremy Meyers (10) part of a group of players with 10 or more receptions.
Defensively,
Kaleb Muse leads Southeastern with 44 tackles on the season with
John Graves (39),
Theo Alexander (33),
Tyler Stoddard (33),
Cqulin Hubert (30) and
Devan Walker (30) next.
Northwestern State, which has won the last two meetings in the series, defeated Lamar in its last contest, 30-23, as Mamou native Robert Walker rushed for 103 yards. The Demons rushed for 206 yards against the Cardinals while the defense recorded five sacks.
Brad Henderson has directed the Northwestern State offense completing 102 of 180 passes for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns. The senior quarterback is also second on the team in rushing with 164 yards while multi-purpose threat Phillip Harvey leads the team with 18 receptions.
Harvey, who is one of the top special teams players in the nation, averages 32.3 yards on punt returns while averaging 27.4 yards per kickoff return with a 97-yard touchdown. In last season's 51-17 victory over the Lions in Natchitoches, Harvey returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards for a score.
Derek Rose leads a solid defense for the Demons with 53 tackles. Patrick Black and Jamaal White have recorded 45 stops each for Northwestern State with Bert White (32 tackles), Cortez Paige (28 tackles) and Wa'Derrious Sellers (26 tackles) following.
The game will mark the 56th meeting between the schools in a series – the longest in Southeastern's gridiron history – that dates back to 1935. Northwestern State holds a 29-26 advantage in the all-time series with Southeastern claiming an 11-7 advantage in games played in Hammond.
Randy McIlvoy, the sports director at KPRC-TV in Houston, will handle play-by-play duties and will be joined in the booth by color analyst Shea Walker, a former Texas A&M receiver and veteran broadcaster for the last 18 years. Erin Cofiell will serve as the sideline reporter.
The Southland TV Network became a reality in 2008 and has broadcast more than 100 events. The network earned a College Sports Media Award in 2009-10 for best live/game event in the collegiate division, following that up with an honorable mention in the professional division (2010-11) and a nomination in the collegiate division (2011-12). Plus, the network has captured five Telly awards.
The list of Louisiana markets includes Baton Rouge on WBTR (41); Lafayette on KLFY (10.2), Lake Charles on KVHP (29.2); Morgan City-Houma on KWBJ (22); Monroe on KWMS (17); New Orleans on WHNO (20.1); and Shreveport-Texarkana on KPXJ (21.1). The list of Texas markets includes Abilene-Sweetwater on KRBC (9.2); Amarillo on KCPN (19.2); Austin on Time Warner YNN Sports (408/1509); Beaumont-Port Arthur on KUIL (12.3); Corpus Christi on KIII (3.2); Dallas-Fort Worth on KTXD (47.1); El Paso on KVIA (7.2); Houston on KUBE (57.1); Laredo on KTXW (8.2); Lubbock on KMYL (22.2); Midland-Odessa on KWWT (30.2); San Antonio on KSAT (12.2); Tyler-Longview on KCEB (54.1); and Waco-Temple-Bryan on KCEN (6.2). The network reaches the Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas, market on KARZ (42.1).
All Southland TV games will be streamed live and for free on the Southland Digital Network, available via Southland.org and the official mobile and tablet apps for iPhone and Android. Coverage is also accessible from ESPN3 on WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app for iPhone, iPad and Android users, as well as Xbox LIVE systems.
The game will air on same-day delay on the Comcast Network in the Washington, D.C./Mid-Atlantic and Pittsburgh, Pa./North Jersey regions Saturday at 9 p.m. CDT.
Other delayed airings include Comcast SportsNet Houston Sunday at 8 a.m. CDT. Oklahoma's Cox Channel, which covers the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets, plans to air the Demons-Lions matchup Sunday at 9 p.m. CDT. Cox Sports Television, which is available to more than two million viewers in nine states, will carry the broadcast Monday at 7 p.m. CDT.
Nationally, the game will air on a tape-delayed basis on Fox College Sports Central, Sunday at 5 p.m. CDT.
