HAMMOND, La.  – The Southeastern Louisiana offense is stocked with explosive playmakers, but the Lions' success all starts up front.
 
The Lions are hoping to make strides on the offensive line and all signs are positive. Pat Allen, Jarius Gooch, Drew Jones, Alfred Beverly and Rendon Miles-Character all return with starting experience.
 
Southeastern is hoping to have improved depth up front. The addition of Wyatt Richthofen, who transferred from Southern Miss, as well as the improvement of redshirt freshmen Brennan Lanclos and Brendon Kelley, among others, is expected to help provide SLU with multiple options in the trenches.
 
"We've made a lot of progress mentally and physically since last season," Southeastern offensive line coach A.J. Hopp said. "We're seeing good competition every day and our guys understand the importance of their role. There's never been a championship team without a great offensive line."
 
The Lion offensive line features players who have the ability to play multiple roles. Among the starters, Gooch, Jones, Beverly and Miles-Character have all played more than one position during their time in Hammond.
 
"We're fortunate to have a versatile group up front," Hopp commented. "It's a long season and guys are going to have step up and fill different spots for us. We move players around a lot in practice for that reason and we feel our adaptability is a reason for optimism heading into the season.
 
"We've made progress across the board and have made improvements in every area," Hopp added. "We want the rest of our team to know that they can count on the O-line to get the job done every time and I think our players take a lot of pride in that."
 
The opening game of the 2019 season is a week away, as No. 6 Jacksonville State visits Strawberry Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m. Next Thursday's game against the Gamecocks will also be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day at Strawberry Stadium. All SLU faculty and staff can receive two complimentary tickets by presenting their Southeastern faculty/staff ID.
 
To avoid ticket lines, faculty and staff are encouraged to pick up their tickets prior to game day at the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office, which is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Friday. On game day, tickets may be picked up at the ticket booths in Friendship Circle or Strawberry Stadium. 
 
SEASON TICKETS
For season ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions open their home schedule versus No. 6 Jacksonville State on Aug. 29, before welcoming Southland Conference foes Lamar (Sept. 21), UIW (Oct. 12), Stephen F. Austin (Nov. 2) and Nicholls (Nov. 21).
 
2019 PROMOTIONS
For full details on promotions surrounding the Southeastern Louisiana football team's 2019 home schedule visit www.LionSports.net/FootballPromos.
 
INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN FOOTBALL WITH FRANK SCELFO
Inside Southeastern Football With Frank Scelfo will debut on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at Tope La Catering in downtown Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo, the Lions' second-year head coach, and Allen Waddell, the hour-long show will air weekly from Tope La Catering, located at 113 East Thomas Street. The season's first show will air on Tuesday due to Labor Day. The season's remaining shows will be held each Monday through Nov. 18 with a 7 p.m. start for each. The show will air on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps. A live video stream of the show will be available at www.youtube.com/sluathletics.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @SLUFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.