HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University racked up 539 total yards on the way to a 37-20 Southland Conference victory over Northwestern State Thursday night in Turpin Stadium.
 
SLU (1-7, 1-3 SLC) broke through for its first victory of the season thanks to a complete team effort on both sides of the ball. The Lions outgained the host Demons (0-6, 0-2 SLC), 539-396, on the way to their 13^th straight victory over their league and in-state rivals.  
 
Zachary Clement (12-for-18, 192 yards) and Eli Sawyer (6-for-10, 128 yards) shared time under center for Southeastern, as Darius Lewis (six catches, 109 yards), Bauer Sharp (5-67) and Maurice Massey (3-for-85) were the top targets in the passing game.
 
Deantre Jackson led a 219-yard rushing attack on the night, rushing for 119 yards and a score on six carries. Clement, Sharp and Da'Shun Hugley all found the end zone on rushing scores.
 
Victor Tademy, Tyrone Legette and Ian Conerly-Goodly each finished with 10 tackles to lead the Lion defense. Tademy returned an interception 58 yards for a score, while Markell Linzer also picked off a pass. Arlen Williams and Javen Sanchez each collected a sack.
 
Tyler Vander Waal completed 27-of-43 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions fro the Demons. He spread the ball around to 13 different receivers with Dennis Smith leading the way with six catches for 41 yards.
 
Southeastern took the opening kickoff and Clement took a knee after a 10-yard gain on the first play in honor of NSU junior safety Ronnie Caldwell, who passed away after an off-campus incident last Thursday. Five plays later, Sharp capped the 75-yard scoring march with a one-yard run to give SLU a 7-0 advantage with 12:26 left in the first quarter.
 
On the ensuing possession, NSU answered with an impressive nine-play, 75-yard scoring march. Vander Waal was 5-for-5 on the opening march and scampered in from two yards out to knot the score at 7-7 with 9:09 remaining in the opening period.
 
SLU rolled down the field on the ensuing possession. Hugley swept around right end on a reverse from 22 yards out to cap a seven-play, 82-yard drive and give the Lions a 14-7 edge with 6:33 left in a high-scoring opening stanza.
 
The Lions forced a Demon punt on the ensuing drive and quickly moved into NSU territory. However, SLU fumbled in the red zone to squander a scoring opportunity. Eight plays later, Brett Money drilled a 38-yard field goal to cut the Southeastern advantage to 14-10 as the opening quarter came to a close.
 
Southeastern turned over the ball on downs in its own territory on its first drive of the second quarter to give the Demons a short field. Three plays later, Stanley King made a tough catch in the back corner of the end zone. The 32-yard scoring toss put NSU up, 17-14, with 13:16 left in the first half.
 
SLU answered once again, as Tristan Goodly broke loose for a 48-yard kickoff return to just shy of midfield. After a 29-yard pass from Sawyer to Massey set up the Lions in a goal-to-go situation, Clement raced in from four yards out to put Southeastern up, 21-17, with 8:39 left in the second quarter.
 
NSU was forced to punt on its next drive as the Lions looked poised to add to its lead, moving into Demon territory. However, Southeastern once again turned it over downs. Both teams traded punts to close out the quarter, as SLU maintained a four-point lead heading into halftime.
 
Northwestern State moved the ball into Lion territory on the opening drive of the third quarter, but the SLU defense came up with a big play. Tademy stepped in front of a pass and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown to extend the Southeastern lead to 28-17 with 13:33 left in the third quarter.
 
NSU again took the ball deep in Southeastern territory on the ensuing drive, but the Lion defense again came up big. Christophe IV and Tyrik Mitchell stuffed Chance Newman on a fourth-and-short inside the SLU 10-yard line to regain possession.
 
Four plays later, Jackson extended the lead. The freshman out of Edna Karr High School showed the speed that earned him the moniker of "The Jet", busting loose around the right end for a season-long 81-yard touchdown run and a 34-17 Lion lead with 9:12 remaining.
 
Northwestern State would pull within 14 on a field goal by Money in the first minute of the fourth quarter. The Lions answered on the ensuing drive, milking nearly four minutes off the clock before Riley Callaghan connected on a 30-yard field goal to extend the lead to 37-20.
 
Southeastern would maintain that advantage, turning the Demons away on downs on each of their final three drives to close out the win.
 
Southeastern will enjoy a bye week before returning home to host McNeese Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. The game versus the Cowboys will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM). Former members of the football program that are members of the Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame will be recognized at halftime of the SLU-McNeese contest.
 
Season and single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which continues with visits from McNeese and Nicholls (Nov. 16) are available online at https://vivenu.com/event/2023-football-2klkar.
 
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 2023-24 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
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow lionupfootball on Instagram.
 
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.
 
INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN FOOTBALL WITH FRANK SCELFO
The 2023 season of Inside Southeastern Football with Frank Scelfo is airing from its new home – Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux (305 CM Fagan Dr) in Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo and Allen Waddell, the hour-long radio show will air Mondays throughout the football season on Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM.
 
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.