Game Notes
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University looks to build off an impressive win last week in its Southland Conference opener as it heads west to face league rival Sam Houston State in a 2 p.m. contest at Bowers Stadium.
The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), in the New Orleans area on WGSO-AM (990) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern (2-3, 1-0 Southland), which looks to improve to 2-0 in league play for the second consecutive season, erased a pair of disappointing one-point losses with a 49-24 victory over then No. 15-ranked Texas State last week in its league opener. The Lions gained a season-high 493 yards total offense while allowing a season-low 238.
Tyler Beatty recorded career-highs of 368 yards passing on 27 completions with five touchdowns in the win while
Simmie Yarborough caught eight passes for 114 yards and moved into fifth place on the school's all-time receptions list with 140.
Yarborough, who passed Felton Huggins as the school's all-time leader in touchdown receptions (24), can vault past former Lions Josh Taylor, Duane Floyd and
Jay Lucas into second place with seven receptions.
On the ground,
Sam Fairley (275 yards) and
Zeke Jones (250 yards) are sixth and seventh in the Southland Conference, respectively, in rushing while
Kory Theodore (19 receptions) and Texas transfer
Brandon Collins (18 catches) are ranked among the top 10 in receptions.
Southeastern leads the Southland Conference and is eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision in run defense, allowing 93.8 yards per game. The Lions are 11th nationally in sacks (3.0) while
Mark Newbill has totaled 60 tackles on the season and is third in the FCS at 12.2 tackles per game.
Tommy Connors,
Clint Coleman and
Re'Keem Wilson each have three interceptions apiece to lead Southeastern, which is second in the Southland Conference in turnover margin. Connors is also fourth in the league in total tackles (44) with
Ryan Godare (32) 11th.
The game will officially mark the return of Southeastern head coach Mike Lucas to Huntsville after spending 15 seasons as the Bearkats' defensive coordinator under Ron Randleman. Lucas missed the last contest in Huntsville, in which Southeastern rallied for a 30-27 overtime win in 2008 – after undergoing a heart valve procedure and missing the final six games of the season.
SHSU (3-2, 1-0 Southland) looks to build on its three-game winning streak that included a 26-7 victory at Nicholls State in its Southland Conference opener. The Bearkats recorded a school- and Southland Conference single-game record with 12 sacks in the contest and held the Colonels to 97 yards total offense.
Redshirt freshman Tim Flanders leads the Southland Conference – and is 12th nationally among FCS players – with 111.6 yards rushing. The Kansas State transfer has rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games and paces a squad that leads the Southland Conference that is averaging 172 yards on the ground.
Freshman Brian Bell directs the SHSU offense, throwing for three touchdowns while Seth Patterson has caught a team-high 16 passes.
SHSU leads the all-time series, 7-4, but Southeastern has won the previous two meetings and are 2-3 overall in Huntsville.
After facing SHSU, Southeastern will face in-state rival McNeese State in the annual Homecoming Game at Strawberry Stadium. Tickets are available by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466.
