THIBODAUX, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University's Riley Callaghan connected on a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lion football team a 19-16 victory over Nicholls in the 35^th edition of the River Bell Classic Thursday night in John L. Guidry Stadium.
 
The victory improved Southeastern to 7-5 overall and 6-1 in Southland Conference play and bolstered the Lions' opportunity to advance to the FCS playoffs for the sixth time in program history and fourth time in the past six seasons.
 
With the win over the Colonels, SLU finished the season winning six of its last seven contests with its lone loss a 34-31 defeat to No. 6 UIW. Southeastern posted a 7-3 record versus FCS teams with its three losses coming to three ranked teams with a combined 26-7 overall record (25-5 in FCS games).
 
Two of the Lions' losses versus FCS opponents were by three points. SLU, which played 11 straight games before last week's bye, also finished 3-1 in FCS road contests and has won its first-round game in each of the last three postseason appearances. The 24-team FCS playoff field will be announced Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU.
 
With the score tied at 16, Nicholls drove into Southeastern territory. After the Colonels converted a fourth-and-one, KK Reno picked off a pass by Nicholls quarterback Pat McQuaide to give SLU the ball back at its own 34-yard line with 4:51 remaining.
 
The Lions methodically marched the ball 51 yards on 14 plays. The Lions converted three first downs and a 10-yard run by Harlan Dixon set up Callaghan for the game-winner with two seconds left.
 
The Ashburn, Virginia native's 2024 season was a personification of the entire team's resilience. After starting the season 3-for-7 on field goals during nonconference play. Since then, Callaghan made 14-of-15 field goals versus SLC competition. With his career-high tying four field goals on Thursday, he finished the regular season tied with former Lion Jeff Turner for the single-season school record with 17 field goals.
 
Reno led the Lion defense with nine tackles and the key interception. Nicholls quarterback McQuaide passed for 298 yards on 19-of-32 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
 
Antonio Martin Jr. (16 carries, 64 yards) and Dixon (12-59) shared the time in the backfield with Martin Jr. closing out the regular season with 1,228 yards – the second-highest single-season total in program history.
 
Eli Sawyer finished 21-for-31 for 157 yards and a touchdown to lead the SLU offense. Darius Lewis was his top target with nine catches for 95 yards and a score. The New Orleans native's 82 receptions are good for second-most in school history.
 
Brandon Hayes broke off a 50-yard kickoff return to open the game for the Lions. Southeastern marched down into the Nicholls red zone and Callaghan knocked in a 27-yard field goal to give SLU a 3-0 lead with 9:59 left in the opening quarter.
 
After forcing a Colonel three-and-out, the Lions added to their lead. Lewis caught a quick screen from Sawyer and slipped in from a yard out to put Southeastern ahead, 10-0 with 6:22 left in the first period.
 
Nicholls answered on the ensuing drive. A 52-yard pass from McQuaide to Terry Matthews set up a nine-yard scoring run by McQuaide to cut the lead to 10-7 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
 
SLU moved into Colonel territory on the next drive, but were stopped short in the red zone. Callaghan connected on a 32-yard field goal to put the Lions up, 13-7, with 12:50 remaining in the first half.
 
After the two teams traded punts, Nicholls mounted another scoring drive. The Colonels moved into the red zone, but had to settle for a 33-yard Ray Vallee field goal to cut the lead to 13-10 with 1:49 left in the second quarter.
 
Southeastern moved deep into Colonel territory on its final possession of the second quarter, but again could not find the end zone. Callaghan connected on a 26-yard field goal to send the Lions into the break with a 16-10 lead.
 
SLU forced a three-and-out on the first Nicholls possession of the third quarter and Lewis broke free for a 42-yard punt return down to the Colonel 33-yard line. Southeastern moved the red zone, but Martin Jr. was stoned on a fourth-and-one to give Nicholls the ball back at its 11-yard line with 11:22 left in the third quarter.
 
The teams traded punts for the remainder of the third quarter, as the top two defenses in the SLC took over the game.
 
Nicholls tied the game on its first drive of the fourth quarter. After Mahler pinned the Colonels back at their one-yard line, Scrappy Osby got free for an 84-yard touchdown pass from McQuaide. The extra point was missed, however, to leave the game tied, 16-16, with 10:44 left in the contest.
 
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.