HAMMOND – The No. 17/20 Southeastern Louisiana football team will face its biggest game of the 2015 season to date on Saturday, when it travels to face Southland Conference rival No. 13/22 McNeese State at 6 p.m. in Cowboy Stadium.
 
The Lions (3-1, 2-0 Southland) and the host Cowboys (4-0, 3-0 Southland) are two of three Southland teams yet to suffer a league loss, along with Central Arkansas. Saturday's game is set to be televised on Cox Sports Television. It can also be viewed on ESPN3, but the ESPN3 broadcast will be blacked out in the CST viewing area. A full map of ESPN3 blackout locations is available at LionSports.net.
 
The game can also be heard on KSLU-FM (90.9) and LionSports.net, as well as affiliates and Northshore Broadcasting stations Kajun 107.1 FM (WHMD) and The Highway 104.7 FM (WJSH).
 
Both Southeastern and McNeese State are coming off Southland Conference victories last week. The Lions finished with a season-high 539 total yards in a 30-27 victory over Lamar, as senior running back Kody Sutton capped a 17-play, 79-yard drive with the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. McNeese remained unbeaten with a 37-7 win at Nicholls State.
 
Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts saw improvements in last Thursday's win, but knows his team needs to continue to progress.
 
"With every win, the next week's game gets that much bigger," Roberts said. "We've been getting better each week, but we still feel like we haven't put together a great four quarters. We have a tremendous amount of respect for (McNeese) Coach (Matt) Viator and the entire McNeese State program. We have a huge challenge ahead of us and we'll need to play our best game to get a win on Saturday."
 
The Lion offense is coming off its best performance of the season, as junior quarterback D'Shaie Landor threw for 283 yards and a score, while also rushing for two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Jeff Smiley (five catches, 135 yards, 1 TD) was Landor's top target, while senior running back Xavier Roberson (19 carries, 91 yards) and Sutton (19 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD) contributed to the Lion ground game.
 
Landor's showing last Thursday was SLU's first significant passing performance of the season, as the Lions have been ground-heavy in their attack through the first four games. Roberson (212 yards, 2 TD), Sutton (194 yards, 3 TD) and Landor (156 yards, 3 TD) have been the team's top rushers. The Southeastern running back corps should be buoyed by the return of freshman Julius Maracalin, who has missed the past two games.
 
Southeastern will need all hands on deck against a McNeese defense that leads the Southland Conference in most categories. The Cowboys have not allowed more than 14 points this season, holding opponents to 6.8 points, 246.5 total yards and 76.2 rushing yards per contest.
 
Sophomore safety Dominique Hill leads MSU with 22 tackles, while sophomore defensive end Jammerio Gross has a team-high six tackles for loss. The Cowboys have forced seven turnovers and totaled 15 sacks thus far this season.
 
On the other side, the Lion defense has accumulated impressive numbers of its own, forcing 14 turnovers and recording 13 sacks. Senior defensive back Micah Eugene leads SLU with 17 tackles, while senior defensive back Harlan Miller, an FCS Defensive Player of the Year candidate, has a team-high three interceptions. Senior defensive end Aaron Price leads a talented Lion pass rush with three sacks and four tackles for loss.
 
Southeastern will be charged with slowing down a Cowboy offense that is averaging 448.0 yards and 36.2 points per outing. Senior quarterback Daniel Sams leads MSU in passing (659 yards, 5 TD) and rushing (346 yards, 3 TD), while sophomore Ryan Ross (226 yards, 2 TD) and David Hamm (220 yards, 1 TD) have contributed to a McNeese ground attack that is average 247.2 rushing yards per game. Sophomore Kent Shelby (13 catches, 228 yards, 3 TD) has been Sams' top target.
 
Southeastern is 18-22 all-time versus McNeese State and 5-6 since joining the Southland Conference in 2005. The Lions have won the last three meetings between the two schools and have won their last 11 games versus in-state Southland Conference rivals.
 
Following Saturday's contest, Southeastern will return home to host Stephen F. Austin for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 17, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The game will be televised on Fox College Sports and the Fox Sports Go app. In the Hammond area, fans can also access the game on WUPL (Charter Channel 16, DirecTV Channel 54).
 
The contest can also be heard on KSLU-FM (90.9) and LionSports.net, as well as affiliates and Northshore Broadcasting stations Kajun 107.1 FM (WHMD) and The Highway 104.7 FM (WJSH).
 
The first 300 students in attendance to the Homecoming game will receive free t-shirts courtesy of Southeastern Athletics Marketing and Promotions. At halftime, the 2015 Southeastern Homecoming King and Queen will be announced.