BEAUMONT, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team closed out a three-game road swing with a 47-31 Southland Conference victory over Lamar Saturday afternoon in Provost Umphrey Stadium.
 
Southeastern (6-3, 3-1 SLC) outscored Lamar, 20-7, in the final 18 minutes to pull away for the victory. It was SLU's fifth straight win over the Cardinals (1-8, 1-4 SLC).
 
With the win, the Lions clinched its fourth straight winning season and kept its Southland Conference championship hopes alive. The four straight seasons above .500 is the longest such run for SLU since six straight winning campaigns from 1976-81.
 
Cephus Johnson III (19-for-27, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Eli Sawyer (8-for-10, 144 yards, 2 TD) shared time under center for a SLU team that finished with 527 yards of offense and 28 first downs.
 
Southeastern's top target was Maurice Massey, who hauled in 10 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson III rushed for two scores, while Carlos Washington Jr. led the Lions on the ground with 66 yards on 18 carries.
 
Defensively, Jack Henderson, Anthony Britton Jr. and Herman Christophe shared team-high honors with eight tackles apiece. Henderson also forced a fumble that Tyrik Mitchell recovered, while Zy Alexander intercepted his first pass of the season.
 
Michael Chandler engineered a LU offense that finished with 415 total yards. He completed 16-of-34 passes for 251 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
 
Lamar drove into Southeastern territory on the opening drive of the game, but Chris Esquada's 44-yard field goal try missed wide left. The Cardinals intercepted Johnson III on SLU's first drive at the Cardinal 38-yard line, but Southeastern's defense stiffened, turning Lamar over on downs.
 
Southeastern marched the ball 66 yards on seven plays to take the lead. Johnson III raced in from 14 yards out to put the Lions up, 7-0, with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter.
 
After a Lamar three-and-out, SLU added to its lead. Taron Jones capped a four-play, 56-yard drive with a 13-yard run to give Southeastern a 14-0 lead with 2:22 left in the opening quarter.
 
On the first play of the second quarter, Chandler found Izaha Jones from 45 yards out to cut the Southeastern lead in half eight seconds into the second quarter.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Gage Larvadain raced down the left sideline for a season-long 75-yard return to set up SLU at the Cardinal 24-yard line. Three plays later, Riley Callaghan connected on a season-long 44 field goal to extend the Lion lead to 17-7 with 13:44 left in the opening half.
 
After a Lamar three-and-out, Southeastern moved into Lamar territory, but Bauer Sharp was stripped by Ramond Stevens and the ball was recovered at the Cardinal 42 by Breylon Charles. LU moved into Lion territory, but SLU was able to turn over Lamar on downs to take over at its own 37.
 
Southeastern marched into Lamar territory on the ensuing drive, but this time it was the Cardinal defense that stiffened, as Washington Jr. was stopped on fourth-and-short.
 
Lamar took the next possession 70 yards on eight plays. Chandler found Nathan Gaskamp from four yards out to cut the SLU lead to 17-14 with 1:21 left in the opening half.
 
Southeastern answered with a quick eight-play, 82-yard scoring drive to close the half. Massey made a great diving catch on a 38-yard scoring toss by Johnson III to give the Lions a 24-14 lead with six seconds left in the second quarter.
 
However, on the last possession of the half, a long play and a Southeastern penalty gave Lamar an untimed down. Esqueda lined in a 36-yard field goal to cut the SLU halftime deficit to 24-17.
 
SLU took the opening drive of the second half into Lamar territory, but were again turned over on downs as the Cardinals took over at their own 27-yard line with 11:22 left in the third period.
 
After a Lamar three-and-out, SLU extended its lead. Callaghan again set a new season-high as he drilled a 47-yard field goal – the longest made field goal by the Lions since 2014 – to put Southeastern up, 27-17, with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
 
One minute later, the Cardinals answered. Andre Dennis took a quick slant from Chandler and housed it from 62 yards out to pull Lamar within, 27-24, with 6:01 left in the third quarter.
 
Southeastern answered with a 75-yard scoring drive that took eight plays. Johnson III scampered untouched around left end for a 17-yard score and a 34-24 advantage with 3:07 remaining in the third period.
 
After a Lamar punt, SLU pulled ahead further with a nine-play, 78-yard scoring march. Massey caught a short pass from Eli Sawyer and powered in from 33 yards out to give the Lions a 41-24 advantage with just under 12 minutes left in the game.
 
Lamar wouldn't go away quietly, however. The Cardinals drove 66 yards on eight plays with Khalen Griffin walking in from four yards out to cut the SLU lead to 41-31 with just over nine minutes remaining.
 
LU unsuccessfully attempted an onside kick on the subsequent kickoff. On the first play from scrimmage, Larvadain hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Sawyer to give SLU a 47-31 cushion with 8:54 left.
 
The Lion defense got the ball back on the next possession, as Henderson stripped Chandler and Mitchell fell on the loose ball at the Lamar 41-yard line with just under seven minutes remaining. Callaghan's 46-yard field goal missed wide left with 4:32 left.
 
Alexander picked off Chandler on the next possession to end any chance of a Lamar comeback, as Southeastern ran out the clock and secured its third straight victory.
 
Southeastern will close out its regular season home schedule next Saturday, hosting Southland Conference leader Northwestern State at 4 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The 2022 senior class will be recognized in a Senior Day ceremony approximately 30 minutes before kickoff. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can also be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).
 
SLU – 14 10 10 13 – 47 (6-3, 3-1 SLC)
LU - 0 17 7 7 – 31 (1-8, 1-4 SLC)
 
Scoring Summary
1^st Quarter
SLU – Johnson III 14 run (Callaghan kick), 6:07
SLU – Jones 13 run (Callaghan kick), 2:22
2^nd Quarter
LU – Jones 45 pass from Chandler (Esqueda kick), 14:52
SLU – Callaghan 44 FG, 13:44
LU – Gaskamp 4 pass from Chandler (Esqueda kick), 1:21
SLU – Massey 38 pass from Johnson III (Callaghan kick), 0:06
LU – Esqueda 36 FG, 0:00
3^rd Quarter
SLU – Callaghan 47 FG, 7:01
LU – Dennis 62 pass from Chandler (Esqueda kick), 6:01
SLU – Johnson III 17 run (Callaghan kick), 3:07
4^th Quarter
SLU – Massey 33 pass from Johnson III (Callaghan kick), 11:56
LU – Griffin 4 run (Esqueda kick), 9:01
SLU – Larvadain 39 pass from Sawyer (Callaghan kick failed), 8:54
 
                                                                             SLU        LU
FIRST DOWNS                                              28           16                                                                                                                                                                                       
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                                  40-204    37-164                                                                                                                                   
PASSING YDS (NET)                                       323         251
Passes Att-Comp-Int                                          37-27-1   34-16-1                         
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS                77-527    71-415                                                                     
Fumble Returns-Yards                                        0-0          0-0                                          
Kickoff Returns-Yards                                       2-91        4-105                           
Punt Returns-Yards                                             3-26        0-0
Interception Returns-Yards                                 1-0          1-0            
Punts (Number-Avg)                                          1-31.0     4-44.8                                                                 
Fumbles-Lost                                                      4-1          1-1                                                                                                                       
Penalties-Yards                                                   10-70      9-93
Possession Time.                                                 28:52      31:08                       
Third-Down Conversions                                    4-13        8-17                                                                                                        
Fourth-Down Conversions                                  1-3          2-5                                                                      
Red Zone Scores-Chances                                  4-5          3-3                                                                                          
 
RUSHING: SLU – Washington Jr. 18-66, Johnson III 8-57, Sharp 1-25, Graham Jr. 5-19, Jones 1-13, Larvadain 1-13, McClendon 2-7, Lorio 1-6, Sawyer 2-1, Team 1-(-3). Totals – 40-204. LU – Griffin 13-84, Bowden 7-41, Carver 6-23, Chandler 10-16, Batten 1-0, Dummett 2-(-2). Totals – 37-164.
 
PASSING: SLU – Johnson III 19-27-1-179-1, Sawyer 8-10-0-144-2. Totals – 27-37-1-323-3. LU – Chandler 16-34-1-251-3. Totals – 16-34-1-251-3.
  
RECEIVING: SLU – Massey 10-150, Larvadain 5-54, Washington Jr. 4-37, Carter 2-36, Turner 2-19, Jones 2-6, Kovacs 1-24, Sharp 1-(-3). Totals -27-323 . LU – Dennis 4-108, Rhea 3-35, Dummett 3-28, Jones 1-45, Lazard 1-19, Bowden 1-9, Fuselier 1-4, Gaskamp 1-4, Gibbs 1-(-1), Griffin 1-0. Totals – 16-251.
 
A – 5,396.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2022-23 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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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.