HAMMOND – The No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana football team tallied a single-game school record 806 total yards on the way to a lopsided 76-7 victory over Southland Conference newcomer Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.
 
With 2014 Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame inductees Wade Miley and Emilija Arnaudovska looking on, the Lions (7-3, 5-1 Southland) put together the most statistically dominant victory in program history. SLU limited Houston Baptist (2-8, 1-5 Southland) to 80 yards of total offense, while also finishing with a 30-5 advantage in first downs, holding the Huskies to zero first downs in the final 40 minutes of the game.
 
Southeastern's single-game totals for points, total offense and yards allowed were the best by a Southland school this season. The 76 points were the most Southeastern has ever scored versus a league opponent – besting the 63 points the Lions scored in a win at Incarnate Word earlier this season.
 
"We had a huge night offensively, so hats off to (offensive coordinator Chet) Pobolish and the offensive staff, as well as our players," Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts said. "We got off to a quick start and did a nice job staying focused on the task at hand on both sides of the ball."
 
A trio of Southeastern quarterbacks – senior Bryan Bennett (6-for-10, 126 yards, two touchdowns), senior Jordan Barnett (13-for-17, 233 yards, three touchdowns) and sophomore D'Shaie Landor (2-for-2, 85 yards) – combined to throw for a season-high 444 yards. Junior Jeff Smiley (six catches, 90 yards) and senior Chris Malott (3-104) each posted their first career games with two touchdown catches, while senior Devante Scott finished with four catches for 102 yards and a score.
 
The Lion rushing attack finished with 362 yards, led by freshman Eugene Bethea's career-high 125 yards, while junior Kody Sutton finished with 109 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Landor added 71 yards on the ground and the first two touchdowns of his SLU career, while junior Rasheed Harrell finish with 44 yards and a score.
 
After allowing 52 yards in a first quarter that saw HBU score its only points, the Lions held the Huskies to just 28 yards the rest of the game. Senior Drew Misita led Southeastern with eight tackles, while junior Dereck Robinson added six tackles and a team-high three tackles for loss. Senior Justin Church, senior Kaleb Muse and junior A.J. Bowen each were credited with sacks in the dominant defensive effort.
 
Southeastern wasted no time jumping out to a lead it would never relinquish. After Scott opened the game with a 62-yard kickoff return, Bennett found Smiley open in the right corner of the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage.
 
After an HBU three-and-out, the Lions quickly doubled their lead. A 43-yard Sutton run on a third-and-eight highlighted a seven-play, 97-yard scoring march. The drive was capped by a 38-yard strike from Bennett to Scott that gave the Lions a 14-0 lead with 10:24 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
After the two teams traded empty possessions, the Huskies mounted their only scoring drive of the game. Freshman Larry Day bulled in from a yard out to cap an 11-play, 65-yard drive that cut the lead to 14-7 with 2:34 left in the opening quarter.
 
Day's score would be the last highlight of the day for the Huskies. SLU took over six minutes off the ensuing drive – a methodical, 14-play, 79-yard march that Sutton capped by dancing in from six yards out to push the SLU advantage to 21-7 with 11:12 left in the opening half.
 
HBU would manage its last first down on the ensuing drive, but the Lions would force the Huskies to punt and Scott returned it 31 yards to set up Southeastern near midfield. On the next play, Landor broke free on a draw 50 yards to set up a Harrell score from a yard out and a commanding 7:48 remaining in the second quarter.
 
HBU would have the next scoring chance after recovering a Sutton fumble inside the SLU 30-yard line. The Lion defense held firm, however, and senior Marquel Combs blocked Travis Shinn's 47-yard field goal attempt to keep SLU up by three touchdowns.
 
Barnett quickly made the Huskies pay, engineering a five-play, 70-yard scoring march. The final 35 yards came on a pass to a wide-open Malott down the left sideline to give Southeastern a commanding 35-7 edge with 2:27 left in the half.
 
After Southeastern forced another HBU punt, the Lions struck again once more to close the half. Barnett found senior Marquis Hayes for a 39-yard pass to put the Lions in the red zone. Two plays later, Smiley caught a short pass, juked an HBU defender and walked in from 15 yards out to send the Lions into the break with a 42-7 lead.
 
HBU again pounced on a Sutton fumble deep in SLU territory early in the third quarter. However, the Lion defense drove the Huskies back eight yards and Shinn left a 52-yard field goal short.
 
On the ensuing drive, Barnett again found Malott wide open on a 47-yard touchdown pass to put the Lions up, 49-7, with 10:02 remaining in the third quarter. After another HBU punt, Landor found senior Blane Arnold on a 63-yard pass to set the Lions up deep in Husky territory. On the next play, Sutton scampered in from three yards out to cap the drive. HBU freshman Terrell Brown III blocked senior Ryan Adams' PAT try to keep the SLU lead at 55-7 with 5:54 left in the third quarter.
 
The Lions' next possession saw perhaps the best run of the season. Sutton weaved through traffic, cut across the field and scored from 52 yards out to give SLU a 62-7 lead with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
 
A 32-yard punt return by Harlan Miller set up Southeastern with the ball in HBU territory on the first drive of the fourth quarter. Landor finished the seven-play, 38-yard drive by racing in from three yards out to put the Lions up, 69-7, with 13:35 remaining. Landor would cap the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run to provide the final 76-7 margin.
 
Southeastern will close out its home schedule next Saturday, hosting No. 6 McNeese State at 3 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. It will be Senior Day for the Lions, as the accomplished senior class will be honored prior the game.
 
The game will be the Southland Television Game of the Week and will air in the Hammond area on WUPL (Charter Channel 14), as well as online on ESPN3 and www.Southland.org. The game 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).
 
Fans are encouraged to wear gold and the first 200 students will receive a free t-shirt. Five Finger Discount will provide entertainment from 12-2 p.m. in Friendship Circle.