No. 19/22 Southeastern Louisiana (2-1, 1-0 SLC) at Northwestern State (0-4, 0-1 SLC)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019 | 6 p.m. | Natchitoches, La. | Turpin Stadium (15,971)
Series History: SLU leads 33-29
Last Meeting: Southeastern Louisiana 24, Northwestern State 17 (Sept. 29, 2018 – Hammond, La.)
Television: Cox Sports Television (ESPN+ outside of CST viewing area)
            Announcers: Lincoln Rose, Stan Humphries and Carley McCord
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
Northwestern State Game Notes
Southland Conference Weekly Notes
 
HAMMOND, La.  – The No. 19/22 Southeastern Louisiana football team will open up the road portion of its Southland Conference schedule with a 6 p.m. contest at Northwestern State on Saturday in Turpin Stadium.
 
The game between the Lions (2-1, 1-0 Southland) and the host Demons (0-4, 0-1 Southland) will air on Cox Sports Television and ESPN+ (outside of the CST viewing area). 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 Southland Conference play with a victory for the first time since 2016 on Saturday, besting 2018 FCS playoff participant Lamar, 45-34. SLU trailed by three at the half, but outscored the Cardinals, 21-3, in the third quarter to take command for good.
 
In the win over the Cardinals, Chason Virgil (26-for-34, 307 yards, 4 TD) engineered a Lion offense that amassed 502 total yards. Austin Mitchell and Javon Conner each caught two touchdown passes, while CJ Turner also snagged a scoring grab of his own.
 
The SLU defense sacked Lamar quarterback Jordan Hoy five times in Saturday's victory. Josh Carr Jr. led Southeastern with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, while Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund added 1.5 sacks of his own. Mike Mason led SLU with 10 tackles, while Xavier Lewis was credited with an interception and a forced fumble.
 
Virgil (780 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT) is the leader of a Southeastern offense that is averaging 36.3 points and 420.3 yards per game. Virgil and Cole Kelley have found 11 different receivers  on the year with Mitchell (15 catches, 289 yards, 3 TD) and Devonte Williams (15-155-1 TD) serving as the top targets. Williams also leads the team with 150 rushing yards and three ground scores.
 
The Southeastern defense is allowing 29.3 points and 458.7 yards per game. Mason leads the team with 30 tackles and is joined in the top five by Donniel Ward-Magee (20), Alexis Ramos (20), Carr Jr. (20) and Tre' Spann (18).
 
The Lions are currently leading FCS with 35 tackles for loss and are second nationally with 14 sacks. Carr Jr. (8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) and Adeyemi-Berglund (6.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks) fuel the SLU pass rush.
 
Dejion Lynch and Carr Jr. lead SLU with three pass breakups each, while Lewis, Ferlando Jordan and Shawntrez Spates have one interception apiece.
 
The host Demons will be looking for their first win of the season when Southeastern comes to town on Saturday. NSU dropped its league opener at Houston Baptist, 48-21.
 
Northwestern State is averaging 15.5 points and 362.8 yards per game heading into Saturday's contest. Shelton Eppler (118-for-184, 1,076 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT) has handled the majority of the work under center for NSU.
 
Quan Shorts (35 catches, 284 yards, 3 TD) is Eppler's favorite target, while Jared West (42 carries, 142 yards, 2 TD) leads the Demon ground game.
 
Opponents are averaging 47.0 points and 469.0 yards per game versus Northwestern State. Ja'Quay Pough leads the team with 27 tackles, followed by Adrian Robertson, who has 26 tackles, including a team-high five stops for loss. Kyle Moore, Jomard Valsin and Dylan Wilson each have interceptions for the Demons with Wilson pacing the squad with five pass breakups.
 
Southeastern is 33-29 all-time versus the Demons, who is SLU's most frequent opponent in program history by a wide margin. The series has turned towards the Lions' favor in recent years, as SLU has won the last seven meetings between the in-state rivals, though the majority of those wins have gone down to the final quarter. Last season in Hammond, Southeastern held off a late NSU rally for a 24-17 victory.

Up Next
Southeastern will play its second straight in-state Southland foe on the road next Saturday, facing McNeese at 4 p.m. in Lake Charles. The game will air on Cox Sports Television and ESPN+ (outside of the CST viewing area). 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.
 
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.