Game 4 | Southeastern (0-3) vs. HCU (1-2)
Sept. 23, 2023 | 6 p.m. | Strawberry Stadium (7,408) | Hammond, La.
Series History: SLU leads 7-0
Last Meeting: Southeastern 61, HCU 24 (10/16/21 | Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers; Chase Gispert, Lucas Hill and Mackenzie Fletcher
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 make its Strawberry Stadium debut Saturday, hosting HCU for a 6 p.m. Southland Conference contest.
 
The game between the Lions (0-3) and the visiting Huskies (1-2) will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard live in the Hammond area on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).
 
For the home opener, Southeastern will hold a Green Out, as all fans are encouraged to wear green. 2023 also marks the 20^th anniversary of the return of football to Southeastern. All members of the 2003 team are invited to be recognized at the 2023 home opener Sept. 23. For more information on the 2003 team recognition, contact Assistant to the AD for Development Allie Crain at allie.crain@southeastern.edu.
 
Southeastern will be looking for its first win of the season. The Lions, who are receiving votes in both FCS polls, are hoping to bounce back from a tough 40-29 loss at Eastern Washington.
 
The Lions led heading into the final quarter, but were outscored, 20-7, over the final 15 minutes. Bauer Sharp caught two touchdowns, while Jacob Logan found the end zone for the second time this season. Quarterback Zachary Clement threw two touchdowns and rushed for another score in the loss.
 
SLU was led defensively at EWU by Herman Christophe IV, who finished with a career-high 15 tackles in the loss, while Ian Conerly-Goodly added 10 stops for his third straight double-digit tackle performance. Tylon Cooper recorded his first collegiate interception Saturday, while Arlen Williams collected two sacks.
 
Lion punter Austin Dunlap was named Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 48.0 yards per punt, including a season-long 63-yard punt.
 
The Southeastern offense is averaging 17.7 points and 304.3 yards per contest heading into Saturday's home opener. Clement (33-for-52, 387 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT) and Eli Sawyer (21-for-35, 229 yards, 1 TD) have split time under center.
 
Darius Lewis leads SLU with 181 yards on 14 catches, while Harlan Dixon has a team-high 141 yards rushing.
 
Opponents are averaging 40.8 points and 521.3 yards per contest versus the Lions. Conerly-Goodly leads the team with 36 tackles, followed by Christophe (30), Anthony Britton Jr. (21), KK Reno (16) and Kunta Hester (14). Cooper and Tyrone Legette share the team lead with one interception apiece.
 
Dunlap has a 44.4 punting average heading into Saturday's contest, while kicker Riley Callaghan (1-1 FG, 6-6 PAT) has been perfect on kicks this season.
 
HCU opened the season with a 66-0 win over NAIA Arkansas Baptist, before suffering road losses at Western Kentucky (52-22) and UT Martin (66-7).
 
The Huskies are averaging 31.7 points and 351.3 yards per contest this season. Former Lion Colby Suits (35-for-64, 494 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT) has handled the majority of the work under center for the Huskies.
 
Karl Reynolds (10 catches, 181 yards, 3 TD) has been Suits' top target, while Champ Dozier leads HCU with 221 yards rushing and four scores.
 
The HCU defense has allowed 39.3 points and 424.0 yards per contest heading into Saturday's contest. Preseason All-American linebacker Rodney Dansby has a team-high 33 tackles.
 
Dillon Fedor leads the Husky special teams, as he has connected on his own field goal attempt and all 12 PAT tries.
 
Southeastern has won the previous seven meetings with HCU. The teams last met in 2021 with SLU earning a 61-24 home victory over the Huskies.
 
Saturday's game will be the first of two home games for the Lions, who will close out nonconference play with a 3 p.m. contest versus Tarleton State next Saturday. The game between SLU and the visiting Texans can be seen 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). Next Saturday will also be a Gold Out, as fans are encouraged to wear gold as Southeastern takes on Tarleton State.   
 
Season and single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which includes visits from HCU, Tarleton State, Lamar (Oct. 14), McNeese (Nov. 4) and Nicholls (Nov. 18) 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.