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HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team wraps up the first season of the
Ron Roberts era on Thursday when the Lions venture to face arch-rival Nicholls State in the annual River Bell Classic at John L. Guidry Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net. The game will also be televised on a tape-delayed basis by WHNO-TV (Charter Cable 14) with a replay set for Thursday at 9 p.m. A live video stream, courtesy of SportsNOLA.com, will be available at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern (4-6, 4-2 Southland) looks to build on a positive Southland Conference campaign after the Lions clinched their second winning record in league play since 2005 with a 42-27 victory last week against Stephen F. Austin. The Lions trailed 21-20 at halftime and 27-20 in the third quarter before scoring 22 unanswered points in their most impressive performance of the season.
Nathan Stanley looks to close out a two-year career on a positive note as the signal-caller has completed 169 of 312 passes for 1,840 yards and eight touchdowns.
Stanley Moore has caught a team-high 26 passes for the Lions, who have seen 20 players catch at least one pass on the season.
Tony McCrea (25),
Marquis Fruge' (24),
Jeff Smiley (20),
Jeremy Meyers (18),
Blaine LeBlanc (12) and
Chris Malott (10) follow Moore in the receiving category with Smiley leading the team with a pair of TD receptions.
The true freshman tandem of
Xavier Roberson (399 yards, 4 TDs) and
Rasheed Harrell (304 yards, 1 TD) have led Southeastern's resurgent rushing game that has averaged 140 yards per game in Southland Conference play.
Ponchatoula's
Kaleb Muse has tallied a team-high 75 tackles for the Lions with
John Graves (61),
Cqulin Hubert (56) and
Tyler Stoddard (56) next in total stops. Linebacker
Devan Walker has recorded a team-high 11 tackles for loss and six sacks for the Lions while All-American candidate and Buck Buchanan Award Watch List member
Robert Alford has intercepted a team-high four passes.
Nicholls State (1-8, 0-6 Southland) has dropped six consecutive games since a 73-17 victory over NAIA Evangel (Mo.) College on Sept. 22.
Landry Klann has completed 139 of 240 passes for 1,674 yards and seven TDs on the season with Beaux Hebert completing 62 percent of his passes (23-for-37) in a relief role. Jesse Turner has caught a team-high 29 passes for the Colonels with Marcus Washington (24) and Nick Scelfo (20) next in receptions.
Washington, the Southland Conference's fourth-leading rusher, has rushed for a team-high 503 yards and five TDs for Nicholls State. LaQuintin Caston, who spent the majority of his career at quarterback before moving to wide receiver this season, is next in rushing with 221 yards followed by Turner (211 yards, 1 TD) and Tuskani Figaro (214 yards, 3 TDs).
Jordan Piper, a Ponchatoula native, leads Nicholls State with 92 tackles and is joined by Chris Bermond (49) and Siegan Vergenal (43). Rashar Knight has recorded a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks for the Colonels while T.J. Lumar has intercepted a pair of passes.
Nicholls State leads the all-time series between the rivals, 12-9, and is 6-2 against the Lions in games played in Thibodaux. Nicholls State has won the three previous meetings in Thibodaux by a combined 13 points, including a 27-25 decision in its last Southland Conference victory in 2010.
A win over Nicholls State would give Southeastern its first five-win conference record since 1978 when former coach Billy Brewer guided the Lions to a 5-1-1 mark in the Division II Gulf South Conference. A win by the Lions would also close out a sweep of their in-state Southland Conference rivals (including McNeese State and Northwestern State) for the first time in 24 seasons dating back to 1972.
