BEAUMONT, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana University running back Antonio Martin Jr. powered in from four yards out to give the Lion football team a thrilling 30-27 overtime victory over Lamar Saturday afternoon in Provost Umphrey Stadium.
 
Southeastern (5-5, 4-1 SLC) overcame a 10-point deficit to take a 21-17 fourth quarter lead. Lamar (5-4, 2-2 SLC) took the lead with 1:18 remaining, but SLU was unable to force overtime on a 37-yard Riley Callaghan field goal on the final play of regulation.  
 
After holding the Cardinals to a field goal to start the extra period, Eli Sawyer found Martin Jr. on a screen pass and the Atlanta native took it all the way down to the LU seven-yard line. Two plays later, Martin Jr. scored the game-winning touchdown to give Southeastern its first overtime win since a 51-50 win over Texas State in 2009.
 
"Our team didn't panic and understood this is a 60-minute game," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "This was a physical game and we had some guys step up for guys that went down. I'm just so proud of the effort that our players have continued to give through this 10-game stretch."
 
Martin Jr. rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, giving him 1,054 yards rushing for the season and making him the seventh player in program history to top 1,000 career rushing yards.
 
Sawyer finished 23-for-38 for 208 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Darius Lewis was once again the top target in the passing game for SLU, finishing with seven catches for 93 yards and a score.
 
The Southeastern defense forced Lamar into three turnovers on the game. Coryell Pierce returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown, while Keydrain Calligan also had his first pick as a Lion. Warren Peeples forced a fumble that Carter Hanberry recovered for SLU.
 
KK Reno led the Lions with 11 tackles, while Donte' Daniels finished with 10 stops. Daniels and Rowan Briggs each had 1.5 tackles for loss, as Briggs, Kadan Lewis and Kaleb Proctor were each credited with sacks.
 
Khalan Griffin paced the Lamar offense with 146 yards on the ground. Robert Coleman (9-for-19, 81 yards, 2 INT) and Jakolby Longino (2-for-4, 43 yards, 1 TD) split time under center for the Cardinals.
 
After SLU was forced to punt on the game's first possession, Lamar took the early lead. A 35-yard run on a quarterback keeper by Coleman capped a six-play, 78-yard scoring drive and put the Cardinals up, 7-0, with 9:44 left in the opening quarter.
 
Southeastern went three-and-out on its next possession and the Cardinals drove deep into Lion territory. However, Peeples forced Griffin to fumble and Hanberry pounced on the loose ball at the SLU seven-yard line.
 
SLU managed to get several first downs, but ultimately had to punt. On the next Lamar drive, Pierce stepped in front of a Coleman pass and returned the interception 50 yards for a score to tie the score at 7-7 with 14:07 left in the opening half. Pierce's pick six was the first defensive touchdown scored by the Lions in 2024.  
 
After the two teams traded punts, Lamar retook the lead with a 12-play, 74-yard scoring march. Coleman snuck in from a yard out to put the Cardinals up, 14-7, with 2:20 left in the second quarter.
 
The two teams traded three-and-outs on the first two possessions of the second half. SLU tried a fake punt, but Lamar shut it down and took over at the Lion 39-yard line. Lamar took advantage of the short field and extended the lead to 17-7 on a 38-yard field goal by Ben Woodard with 9:00 left in the third period.
 
Southeastern answered right back with a 13-play, 75-yard scoring march. Martin Jr. closed out the drive, taking the direct snap and bulling in from two yards out to cut the Lamar advantage to 17-14 with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter.
 
On the next Lamar drive, Calligan intercepted Coleman and SLU took over at the Cardinal 34-yard line. Southeastern took advantage of the short field, as Lewis took a short pass from Sawyer and scored from 18 yards out to give the Lions a 21-17 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
Southeastern forced a punt on Lamar's next possession and drove into Lamar territory. However, Kristian Pugh intercepted Sawyer to give the Cardinals the ball back at its own 38-yard line with 5:51 left.
 
SLU looked to have clinched the victory with a Pierce interception, but the pick was erased by a Lion penalty right before the two-minute warning. Three plays later, Kyndon Fuselier hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Longino to give LU a 24-21 lead with 1:18 remaining.  
 
Southeastern had its final drive extended by a Lamar pass interference, drove into Lamar territory and Callaghan knotted the game with a 37-yard field goal at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime.
 
The Lion defense held Lamar to a 30-yard field goal by Woodard on the Cardinals' first possession of overtime. Three plays later, Martin Jr. bulled in from four yards out to give Southeastern the overtime victory.
 
Following Saturday's contest, SLU will return home to close out its regular season home slate with a 6 p.m. contest Nov. 9 versus Northwestern State. Approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff, the Lions will honor the senior class of Daniels, Pierce, Lewis, Calligan, Peeples, Khamron Ford, Errol Rogers Jr., Ivan Drobocky, Shemar Pearl, Brockhim Wicks, Javin Turner, Jhy Orgeron and Austin Kent in a special Senior Day ceremony.
 
The contest versus the Demons will also be Military Appreciation Night. All military personnel with valid ID can present their ID at gate 2 to receive a free general admission ticket.
 
The Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office will be collecting nonperishable food items for the Southeastern Food Pantry. Fans can donate 2-3 food items at the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office prior to Saturday's game versus visiting NSU in exchange for a general admission ticket to the contest. No exchanges will be made on game day. The SLU Ticket Office is located on the west side of Strawberry Stadium and is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. – noon.

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.