Game 5 | Southeastern (1-3) at No. 16 Tarleton State (3-1)
Sept. 28, 2024 | 6 p.m. | Memorial Stadium (24,000) | Stephenvillle, Texas
Series History: TSU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Tarleton State 14, Southeastern 14 (Sept. 30, 2023 | Hammond, La.)
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers: John Liddle and LaDarrin McLane
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 close out the nonconference portion of its 2024 schedule Saturday, traveling to No. 16 Tarleton State for a 6 p.m. contest at Memorial Stadium on the TSU campus.
 
Southeastern (1-3) will be facing its second straight nationally-ranked opponent in the host Texans (3-1). The game 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/1400 AM).
 
Southeastern will be closing nonconference play against its second straight ranked opponent. The Lions will be looking to bounce back from a 41-0 home loss to No. 1 South Dakota State last Saturday.
 
Damon Stewart completed nine-of-20 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions in his first start under center as a Lion. Eli Sawyer leads SLU for the season, having thrown for 335 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Darius Lewis has been the top target in the passing game for SLU, leading the team with 23 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. Antonio Martin Jr. tops the Lions with 346 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Harlan Dixon has contributed 172 yards and two scores on the ground.
 
Defensively, Coryell Pierce and KK Reno share the team lead for Southeastern with 26 tackles each. Donte' Daniels (22), Khamron Ford (17) and Kaleb Proctor (16) round out the top five tacklers for SLU.
 
Tarleton State opened the season with wins over SLU's Southland Conference foes McNeese and HCU sandwiched around a 45-3 loss at FBS foe Baylor.
 
This past week, the Texans earned a 28-14 road win at North Alabama. Kayvon Britten led TSU with 273 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries on the way to being named Stats Perform FCS Offensive Player of the Week in Saturday's victory.
 
Britten enters Saturday's game with an FCS-leading 660 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Victor Gabalis (17-for-31, 190 yards, 1 TD) and Daniel Greek (22-for-35, 256 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) have split time under center with Darius Cooper (16 catches, 234 yards, 1 TD) serving as the most productive pass catcher.
 
Brandon Tolvert is Tarleton State's leading tackler with 23 stops, while Caimyn Layne paces the squad with five tackles for loss and two sacks. Kasyus Kurns leads TSU with three fumble recoveries and is one of six Texans with an interception.
 
Saturday's game will close out a home-and-home series between the Lions and the Texans. Last season in Hammond, TSU edged Southeastern, 14-13, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
 
After the contest with the Texans, SLU will return home to host Texas A&M-Commerce next Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. The game 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/1400 AM).
 
The Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office will be collecting nonperishable food items for the Southeastern Food Pantry. Fans can dedicate 2-3 food items at the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office prior to Saturday's game versus visiting A&M-Commerce 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.