Game 12 | SLC Game 7 | Southeastern (6-5, 5-1 SLC) at Nicholls (4-7, 2-4 SLC)
Nov. 21, 2024 | 6 p.m. | John L. Guidry Stadium (10,500) | Thibodaux, La.
Series History: Series tied, 17-17
Last Meeting: Nicholls 21, Southeastern 16 (Nov. 16, 2023 | Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers; Jeff Palermo, Wayde Keiser
Radio: Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM
            Announcers: Mark Willoughby, Robbie Mahfouz, Allen Waddell and Robbie Rhodes
 
HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team will travel to Nicholls for the 35^th edition of the River Bell Classic Thursday at 6 p.m. in John L. Guidry Stadium.
 
The game between the Lions (6-5, 5-1 SLC) and the host Colonels (4-7, 2-4 SLC) will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard live in the Hammond area on Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM.
 
Southeastern enters the regular season finale having won its last two games and five of its last six outings. The Lions went into the bye with a 41-0 victory over Northwestern State - the program's first shutout win since 2019.
 
Eli Sawyer is the leader of the SLU offense, having thrown for 1,683 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Darius Lewis is the Lions' top receiver with 73 catches for 711 yards and four touchdowns, while Jaylon Domingeaux follows with 37 catches for 447 yards and a score.
 
Lewis' single-season reception total is good for fourth in program history and fifth in the FCS.
 
Lewis is not the only Lion among the single-season school and national leaders. Antonio Martin Jr.'s 1,164 yards are the third-most ever by a SLU rusher and ranks the Atlanta native seventh nationally.
 
Martin Jr. heads into the regular season finale needing 76 yards to become the school's single-season rushing leader and top the 1,239-yard performance by Jay Lucas in 2007.
 
The Lion defense has limited conference opponents to 16.8 points per game this season. KK Reno leads SLU with 85 tackles, followed by Donte' Daniels (78), Khamron Ford (66), Coryell Pierce (55) and Kaleb Proctor (45).
 
Warren Peeples paces the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Reno has forced a team-high two fumbles, while Carter Hanberry has recovered two fumbles and Pierce paces the squad with two interceptions.
 
In the return game, Lewis (17.6 yards per punt return, 3rd) and Brandon Hayes (25.6 yards per kickoff return, 17th) both rank among the national leaders.
 
Riley Callaghan is 9-for-10 on field goals in SLC play with his lone miss coming from 58 yards. Alec Mahler is averaging 44.5 yards per punt in his first year as the Lion punter.
 
Nicholls enters Thursday's contest on a three-game losing streak. The Colonels closed out their road schedule with a 24-7 loss to Lamar last Saturday.
 
Reigning SLC Player of the Year Pat McQuaide (1,920 yards, 13 TD, 9 INT) has handled the majority of the work under center for the Colonels with Terry Matthews (32 catches, 380 yards) his top target in the passing game. Collin Guggenheim leads Nicholls with 790 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
 
Eli Ennis paces the Colonel defense with 104 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. Jake Dalmado is Nicholls' top pass rusher with 12.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
 
The series between the Lions and the Colonels is tied at 17-17. Nicholls edged the Lions, 21-16, last season.
 
Should Southeastern earn the win Thursday in Nicholls, the Lions will bolster its chances of advancing to the NCAA FCS playoffs. The 24-team field will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
 
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. 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.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics observes a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.