Game 9 | Southeastern (1-7, 1-3 SLC) vs. McNeese (0-7, 0-3 SLC)
Nov. 4, 2023 | 3 p.m. | Strawberry Stadium (7,408) | Hammond, La.
Series History: MCN leads, 25-24
Last Meeting: Southeastern 28, McNeese 27 | 10/29/22 | Lake Charles, La.
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers: Chase Gispert, Lucas Hill and Alexis Genovese
Radio: Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM
            Announcers: Mark Willoughby, Harris Beall, Allen Waddell and Robbie Rhodes
 
HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team will return to Strawberry Stadium Saturday, hosting SLC and in-state foe McNeese at 3 p.m.
 
The game between the Lions (1-7, 1-3 SLC) and the visiting Cowboys (0-7, 0-3 SLC) will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, 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. Tangi Tourism is Saturday's Game Sponsor.
 
Southeastern is coming off a bye last Saturday. In their last game before the break, the Lions defeated Northwestern State, 37-20, for their first win of the season. SLU outgained the host Demons, 539-396, on the way to the win.
 
Eli Sawyer (1,368 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT) and Zachary Clement (761 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT) continue to share time under center for a Southeastern offense that is averaging 21.5 points and 386.4 yards per contest heading into Saturday's game.
 
Darius Lewis is the Lions' top target in the passing game with a team-high 38 catches for 485 yards. Lewis, Bauer Sharp and Jacob Logan share the team lead with three touchdown catches each.
 
Clement is the team's top rusher with 260 yards, followed closely by Harlan Dixon (252) and Rodeo Graham Jr. (203). Clement and Sharp have three rushing touchdowns apiece for SLU.
 
The Southeastern defense has steadily improved as the season has progressed, yielding 31.8 points and 430.8 yards per contest. Ian Conerly-Goodly is 11th in FCS with 87 tackles to lead SLU and is followed on the team tackle leaderboard by Herman Christophe IV (70), Anthony Britton Jr. (39), Coryell Pierce (39) and Victor Tademy (36).
 
Arlen Williams paces the SLU pass rush with five sacks. Tyrone Legette leads the Lions with two interceptions and six passes defended.
 
Southeastern punter Austin Dunlap continues to lead the Southland Conference with a 43.0 punting average. Riley Callaghan is 5-for-8 on field goals to also highlight the SLU special team efforts.
 
McNeese will come in to Hammond off an unscheduled bye after its scheduled Oct. 28 opponent, Northwestern State canceled the remainder of its 2023 season last Thursday.
The Cowboys put a scare in No. 4 UIW in their last outing, but fell victim to a 21-point Cardinal fourth quarter in a 35-24 loss.
 
Ryan Roberts (305 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) - son of former SLU head coach Ron Roberts -  took over as McNeese's starting quarterback for the UIW contest, while Nate Glantz (861 yards, 3 TD, 5 INT) has handled the majority of the work under center for a McNeese offense that is averaging 16.6 points and 294.3 yards per outing.
 
The duo of Jon McCall (23 catches, 383, 5 TD) and Makhi Paris (22-275) are the top Cowboy pass catchers, while D'Angelo Durham (382 yards, 2 TD) leads the McNeese ground attack.
 
The Cowboy defense is allowing 36.6 points and 458.0 yards per outing. Micah Davey is currently second in FCS with 96 tackles.
 
Callum Eddings comes into Saturday's contest with a 42.1 punting average, while Garrison Smith (6-8 FG, 14-14 PAT) has been accurate in the kicking game for the Cowboys.
 
Saturday will mark the 50th meeting between the in-state foes, as McNeese holds a 25-24 advantage in the all-time series. The Lions have won the past four meetings and five of the last six versus the Cowboys.
 
Single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which concludes with a visit from Nicholls on 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.