NATCHITOCHES – Looking to remain in contention for its first-ever Southland Conference football title, Southeastern Louisiana closes out its road schedule on Saturday when it faces long-time rival Northwestern State at Turpin Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.

Despite the loss of its starting quarterback (Brian Babin) and top two receivers (Simmie Yarborough and Merrick Lanaux), Southeastern moved into a first-place tie with three teams after posting a 25-21 victory over No. 12 Central Arkansas. The Lions forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter, including two interceptions by Re'Keem Wilson, and rallied to record their first-ever win over the Bears.

Southeastern, which defeated Texas State before falling at McNeese State in a pair of one-point contests, face SFA at Strawberry Stadium on Nov. 14 before closing out the regular-season against arch-rival Nicholls State on Nov. 19. A win in its final three games would clinch Southeastern's first winning season since 2004

Junior Tyler Beatty, a Baylor transfer who replaced Babin at quarterback last week against UCA, threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start while Chris Wilson caught six passes for a career-high 163 yards and two TDs.

Facing a Northwestern State (0-8, 0-4 Southland) team under first-year coach Bradley Dale Peveto, Southeastern looks to snap a six-game losing streak in Natchitoches that dates back to 1978. The last Southeastern victory at Turpin Stadium came in 1976 in a 34-27 contest.

Sporting the 16th-ranked offense in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Southeastern is eighth in the country in scoring offense and ninth in passing offense. Babin, a fifth-year senior, has thrown for 1,879 yards and 19 touchdowns for the Lions in seven games while Yarborough has caught a team-high 48 passes and Lanaux 31.

Jasper Ducksworth has been Southeastern's top runner, totaling 480 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Zeke Jones has gained 354 yards with a team-high five touchdowns for the Lions.

Defensively, junior Mark Newbill has posted a team-high 69 tackles followed by Ryan Godare (59 tackles) and Quinten Pierre (43 tackles). Pierre and Re'Keem Wilson have each intercepted a team-high three passes for Southeastern, which is second in the Southland Conference in turnover margin while recording a league-high 11 interceptions.