No. 23/24 Southeastern Louisiana (1-0) at Ole Miss (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 | 3 p.m. | Oxford, Miss. | Vaught Hemingway Stadium (64,308)
Series History: Ole Miss leads 1-0
Last Meeting: No. 5 Ole Miss
Television: SEC Network Alternate (Charter Spectrum 803; Directv 611.1; DISH 596/597 and 404.1/404.2 with Hopper; AT&T U-Verse 608/609 and 1608/1609; Verizon FIOS 332 and 882)
            Announcers: Mike Morgan, Tom Ramsey and Taylor Davis
Radio: Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9, Kajun 107.1, The Highway 104.7, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM WFPR)
            Announcers: Mark Willoughby, Robbie Rhodes and Allen Waddell

Live Video
Live Audio
Live Stats
Southeastern Game Notes
Ole Miss Game Notes
Southland Conference Game Notes 

HAMMOND, La.  – The No. 23/24 Southeastern Louisiana football team will open its road schedule on Saturday, facing FBS foe Ole Miss at 3 p.m. at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.
 
The game between the Lions (1-0) and the host Rebels (1-1) will air on the SEC Network Alternate channel. It also can be heard 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 WFPR), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps.
 
The Lions opened the season with a 35-14 victory over No. 6 Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks are the highest-ranked team Southeastern has defeated since a 34-21 victory over No. 4 Sam Houston State during the 2013 season.
 
As a result of the Aug. 29 win, Southeastern made its debut in the STATS FCS Top 25 at No. 23. The Lions returned to the national poll for the first time since Oct. 12, 2015, when SLU was ranked No. 21 in the coaches poll and No. 23 in the STATS poll.
 
The Lions had its game at Bethune-Cookman last Saturday cancelled due to potential impacts from Hurricane Dorian. As a result, SLU will head into Saturday's game with over two weeks of rest.
 
In the season opening victory, Jacksonville State, which has advanced to the FCS playoffs in each of the past six seasons, finished with 481 total yards, but the aggressive Lion defense's debut under new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry was opportunistic and keyed Thursday's victory. SLU sacked JSU quarterback preseason OVC Player of the Year Zerrick Cooper six times and intercepted the Gamecock junior twice.
 
SLU senior Shawntrez Spates set up a touchdown with a first quarter pick, while sophomore Ferlando Jordan took back a third-quarter interception 65 yards back for a touchdown. Mike Mason, Joshua Carr Jr., Dwaine Thomas, Alexis Ramos, Will Douglas, Ronald Cherry III and Fred Brown each were credited with at least a partial sack, as SLU harassed Cooper throughout.
 
Mason led SLU with 11 tackles, while Tre' Spann and Donniel Ward-Magee each finished with 10 stops apiece. Carr led the Lions with 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
 
The Lion offense was efficient with Chason Virgil (11-for-24, 164 yards, 1 TD) and Cole Kelley (5-for-9, 74 yards, 2 TD) splitting time under center. Austin Mitchell (four catches, 86 yards), Devonte Williams (4-76) and Bransen Schwebel (3-33) each caught touchdowns, while Williams also rushed for a score.
 
Former Ole Miss letterwinner Micheal Spurlock will return to his alma mater, as he is in his second season on the Southeastern coaching staff as wide receivers coach. Spurlock spent his collegiate career at Ole Miss, where in 2005 he was the Rebels' starting quarterback for eight games as a senior and represented the program at SEC Media Days. He earned his bachelor's degree from Ole Miss in 2005.
 
Though Southeastern has not played the Rebels since 2009, SLU's top two quarterbacks have played in Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium. Virgil threw for a pair of touchdowns in a 73-21 loss to the Rebels as a true freshman in 2015.  Kelley threw for three touchdowns and led Arkansas to a 38-37 victory over Ole Miss as a redshirt freshman in 2017.
 
Ole Miss opened the season with a 15-10 loss to Memphis, but bounced back with a 31-17 victory over Arkansas last Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener.
 
Matt Corral is the signal caller for a Rebel offense that is averaging 328.0 yards per game thus far this season. Corral has thrown for 339 yards and two touchdowns versus one interception in the first two games of 2019.
 
Elijah Moore (11 catches, 190 yards, 2 TD) has been the favorite target for Corral in the early going. Scottie Phillips (45 carries, 206 yards, 3 TD) has handled the majority of the ground work for Ole Miss.
 
On defense, opponents are average 16.0 points and 362.5 yards per game versus the Rebels. Keidron Smith (12 tackles), Josiah Coatney (11), Ryder Anderson (10), Jacquez Jones (10) and Lakia Henry (10) all have double-digit tackles for Ole Miss.
 
Saturday's game will be the second meeting between the two teams. Back in 2009, then-No. 5 Ole Miss defeated the Lions, 52-6, in Oxford. Southeastern is 0-24 versus Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents since the program returned prior to the 2003 season.
 
Up Next
Southeastern will return home to open Southland Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 21, hosting Lamar at 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The game will air on ESPN+. It also can be heard 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 WFPR), online at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps.
 
The SLU-Lamar game will also double as the annual Hall of Fame Game. The 2019 Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame class of Bryan Bennett (football), Stefan Lopez (baseball), Karin Smith Gadberry (softball) and Simmie Yarborough (football) will be inducted in a private ceremony earlier in the day and recognized at halftime of the Lions-Cardinals contest.
 
It will also be Solid Gold Saturday in Strawberry Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear gold and the first 500 fans will receive free gold t-shirts courtesy of McDonald's and Southeastern Athletics.
 
The annual Family Day promotion in conjunction with The Office of Student Engagement will happen before the game with exclusive perks. Visit http://www.southeastern.edu/admin/lead_dev/dsala/family_day/index.html for more Family Day information.   
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions' remaining home schedule will see SLU welcome 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 air every Monday through Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Tope La Catering (113 East Thomas Street) in downtown Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo, the Lions' second-year head coach, and Allen Waddell, the hour-long 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 WFPR). 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 @LionUpFootball 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.