Box Score


                                                                    
HAMMOND – The first victory of the Ron Roberts Era was one for the ages.
 
A three-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Nathan Stanley to freshman tight end Taylor Jenkins followed by a two-point run by senior running back Michael Chaney with 2:39 left gave Southeastern Louisiana (1-3, 1-0 Southland) the lead for good. On the ensuing McNeese State possession, senior cornerback Robert Alford picked off MSU junior quarterback Cody Stroud to solidify a 25-24 win over the No. 17 Cowboys (3-1, 0-1 SLC) Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium.
 
The Lions and McNeese State headed into Saturday's game headed in opposite directions and McNeese State  took a 24-10 lead into the break. Southeastern was able to turn the tides, out-scoring MSU, 15-0, in the second half to give the Lions its first win under their first-year head coach and their first over the Cowboys since 2005.
 
A gutsy play call by Roberts keyed the winning drive. A field goal miss by MSU senior kicker Josh Lewis gave the Lions the ball at the McNeese State 20-yard line with 9:04 left. After Southeastern managed one first down, the Cowboy defense stiffened forcing Southeastern into a fourth-and-11 from its own 34-yard line.
 
Roberts sent out senior punter Beau Mothe for the assumed punt, but he had other plans. Mothe ran a fake, finding senior long snapper Rogers Mueller for a 27-yard gain down the right sideline, giving the Lions new life and a first down at the McNeese State 39-yard line.

It's something we've been working on,” said Roberts. “We were looking to see if it was there. We were going to burn a timeout if it wasn't. But he saw it, and he took it. It was great execution by Beau and a great catch by Rogers.”
 
Six plays later, Stanley converted a third-down opportunity with an 11-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Chris Malott to set the Lions up with goal-to-go at the MSU three-yard line. McNeese State again held firm, forcing Southeastern into a fourth-down opportunity.
 
The Lions overloaded the right side and Stanley rolled in that direction. Meanwhile, Jenkins slipped out into the left flat unnoticed and Stanley lobbed an easy touchdown to the Baton Rouge product to bring Southeastern within one at 24-23.
 
Roberts initially sent junior place kicker Seth Sebastian out for the extra-point attempt, but McNeese State was called for a substitution infraction to allow the Lions to move the ball just outside of the one-yard line. The penalty led to Roberts changing to a two-point try and Chaney provided the winning points.

“As soon as the penalty popped up, I figured it was a chance for us to seal this game,” Roberts said. “I believed we could get a yard-and-a half, especially with what was at stake.”
 
McNeese State took over the at its own 17-yard line with two timeouts remaining and a kicker in Lewis, who previously kicked a game-winner in Strawberry Stadium when his 52-yard field goal gave the Cowboys a 13-10 win in 2010. However, Alford would provide no chance for a comeback, as he made a sliding interception at the Cowboy 30-yard line.
 
The Cowboys used their final two timeouts on two Lion runs, setting up a third-and-seven with 2:19 remaining. Junior wide receiver Tony McCrea made a great double move and junior Ryan Bronson had no choice but to commit a pass interference penalty to prevent a Lion touchdown.
 
With a first down in McNeese State territory, Stanley was able to take four kneels before giving MSU the ball at its own 27-yard line with three seconds left. Stroud's last attempt fell short, as senior linebacker Tay Alford brought pressure, forcing Stroud to throw a desperate pass that had no chance of gaining any significant yardage.
 
The Lions trailed 24-10 at halftime and 14-0 just nine minutes into the ball game, but would never give up. A 15-play, 86-yard scoring drive was capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Chaney that cut the lead to 24-17 with 3:26 left in the third quarter.
 
From then on, the two teams traded empty possessions, before a short Mothe punt and a 10-yard punt return by Darius Carey set MSU up at the Lion 32-yard line with 13:41 left in the final quarter. McNeese State's drive stalled, but Lewis had a prime chance to make it a two-possession game, but hooked his 36-yard attempt wide left to set up the Lions' triumph in the final nine minutes.
 
Stanley stepped up big under center for the Lions, completing 21 of 35 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 29 yards and another score. Junior wide receiver Marquis Fruge' (six catches, 96 yards) and McCrea (five catches, 90 yards) were the favorite targets of the signal caller from Tahlequah, Okla.
 
The Lions were able to buck the recent trend in the series with the Cowboys, winning the time of possession battle by controlling the ball for over 33 minutes and putting together four scoring drives of 15 plays or more. Last season, McNeese State kept the ball for over 40 minutes in a 48-27 win over Lake Charles.
 
Defensively, junior defensive back Theo Alexander led the Lions with 12 tackles, while senior linebacker Devan Walker, sophomore defensive end Justin Church and junior linebacker John Roberts were each credited with a sack. Robert Alford had seven tackles to go with his game-clinching pick.
 
Stroud was 14-of-28 through the air for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Cowboys. Senior running back Champlain Babin led the Cowboys with 57 yards on 11 carries, while junior backfield mate Javaris Murray had 12 carries for 45 yards. Junior Terence Cahee led MSU with eight tackles, but the Lion offensive line helped hold MSU without a sack in the contest.
 
Southeastern will return to action on Saturday, when they face Lamar at 3 p.m. in Beaumont, Texas. Saturday's game will be televised on the Southland Television Network and will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.