Southeastern Game Notes / Northwestern State Game Notes

HAMMOND, La. – The No. 11 Southeastern Louisiana football team will open the home portion of its Southland Conference schedule on Saturday, welcoming Northwestern State for a 3 p.m. game at Strawberry Stadium.
 
The meeting between the Lions (3-2, 1-0 Southland) and the visiting Demons (2-2, 0-0 Southland) will be the Southland Television Network Game of the Week. WUPL (Charter Channel 16 in the Hammond area) is the local Southland TV affiliate. Fans can also watch online at www.southland.org/watch. The game will also be available on ESPN3.
 
The contest will also be broadcast live in the Hammond area on the flagship station of Southeastern Football, KSLU-FM (90.9), as well as affiliates and Northshore Broadcasting stations Kajun 107.1 FM (WHMD) and The Highway 104.7 FM (WJSH), along with LionSports.net.   
 
The game will also see SLU and Raising Cane's partner to support the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center's Geaux Pink initiative. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game. The first 200 students will receive free t-shirts and Impaired Faculties – a band made up of SLU faculty - will provided entertainment from 12-2 p.m. in Friendship Circle.
 
Southeastern will be back at home for the first time in nearly a month when the Demons come to town. The Lions closed out a three-game road swing and opened defense of their Southland Conference title with a 63-7 victory over Incarnate Word. Southeastern posted its highest point total and biggest margin of victory ever versus a Southland opponent.
 
Senior quarterback and Walter Payton Award candidate Bryan Bennett was named Southland Offensive Player of the Week after engineering an offense that racked up 564 offensive yards in the victory. Bennett (89 yards, two touchdowns) and junior Kody Sutton (104-1 TD) highlighted a Lion ground attack that set a single-game school record with seven touchdowns and accumulated 337 yards – the third-highest single-game rushing total for the program. Bennett also threw for 212 yards, connecting with senior Devante Scott and junior Jeff Smiley for touchdowns.
 
The Lion defense limited UIW to 166 total yards and seven first downs. Junior Herbert Harris led SLU with five tackles, while senior Kaleb Muse recovered a fumble forced by senior Drew Misita. Both Muse and Misita were credited with sacks, while freshman Ryan Sigers recorded his first interception.
 
"We were able to execute at a higher rate (at UIW) than we have in the previous seasons," Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts commented. "But, Northwestern State is a very good team coming off a big victory (30-27 at FBS member Louisiana Tech on Sept. 20) and we have to raise our game and execution to another level if we want to be successful."
 
The SLU offense enters the game averaging 462.2 yards and 38.2 points per contest. Bennett leads the team with 260 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Sutton (219-1 TD), junior Xavier Roberson (158-1 TD), junior Rasheed Harrell (136-1 TD) and freshman Eugene Bethea (130-2 TD) contribute to a balanced rushing attack.
 
Bennett has thrown for 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns through five games. Scott (19 catches, 392 yards, 2 touchdowns), Smiley (15-197-2 TD) and Roberson (12-148) are Bennett's top targets, while senior Jeremy Meyers also has two touchdown receptions.
 
The Lions will be facing a Northwestern State defense under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Lucas. Lucas spent seven seasons in Hammond, serving as the SLU defensive coordinator in 2005 and 2006, before serving as the head coach from 2007-11.
 
Lucas' charges have allowed 492.5 yards and 39.5 points per contest – numbers skewed by a 70-6 loss at FBS No. 6 Baylor. Senior Marion Chapman leads the team with 33 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and two sacks. Senior Imoan Claiborne and sophomore Adam Jones share the team lead with two interceptions.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, NSU is averaging 363.8 yards and 28.5 points per outing. Senior quarterback Zach Adkins runs the show for the Demons and comes in the Saturday's game with 865 passing yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Senior Garrett Atzenweiler leads the team with 212 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Ed Eagan is one of the league's most dynamic playmakers and has a team-high 22 catches for 266 yards and two scores.
 
Adkins and company will be facing a Southeastern defense that is allowing 295.4 yards and 16.6 points per contest. Senior Tyler Stoddard leads the team with 36 tackles, followed closely by Misita (33 tackles), senior Isiah Corbett (33 tackles) and senior Kaleb Muse (25 tackles). Misita leads the team with two sacks, while Corbett has a team-high five tackles for loss.
 
Corbett also leads the team with two interceptions, while Stoddard, Misita, Sigers, junior Jordan Batiste and senior Marice Sutton also have picked off passes. Junior Micah Eugene leads the team with two fumble recoveries.
 
Following this week's game, Southeastern will be back on the road, heading to Lamar for a 6 p.m. contest in Beaumont, Texas. The contest will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on the flagship station of Southeastern Football, KSLU-FM (90.9), as well as affiliates and Northshore Broadcasting stations Kajun 107.1 FM (WHMD) and The Highway 104.7 FM (WJSH), along with LionSports.net.