HOUSTON – The No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana University football team outscored HCU, 24-7, in the second half on the way to a 38-14 Southland Conference road victory Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium.
 
SLU (6-2, 4-0 SLC) held the host Huskies (2-6, 1-3 SLC) to 199 total yards – just 47 in the second half – on the way to its fourth straight victory. A balanced Southeastern attack finished with 378 total yards – 195 passing and 183 rushing – and possessed the ball for over 37 minutes. The 4-0 start to league play is the Lions' first since 2021.
 
Carson Camp (12-for-15, 169 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and Kyle Lowe (3-for-10, 26 yards, 1 INT) shared time under center for SLU. Jaylon Domingeaux led Southeastern with three catches for 89 yards, while Cade Collier hauled in a touchdown pass from Camp.
 
Deantre Jackson led Southeastern with 13 carries for 64 yards and a touchdowns, while Calvin Smith Jr. found the end zone twice for the Lions on the ground.
 
KK Reno paced the SLU defense with 10 tackles. Reno, Kaleb Proctor, Ahmad Bradley, Evan Aubrey and Joshua Randall were all credited with sacks, as Southeastern limited HCU to eight first downs.
 
On special teams, Brandon Hayes returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown for the second straight week. Collier recovered a fumble on punt coverage, while D'Khai Joseph averaged 18.0 yards per punt return for the Lions.
 
HCU drove into Southeastern territory on the opening drive, but Randall stopped the Huskies short on a fourth-down try. SLU then drove 63 yards on seven plays to take the lead with Smith Jr. plunging in from a yard out to put SLU up, 7-0, with 8:41 left in the opening quarter.
 
The two teams traded punts over the next three possession with Joseph setting SLU up at the HCU 15-yard line with a 66-yard punt return. On the next play, Lowe was intercepted by Husky cornerback Tyran Chappell to end SLU's scoring threat.
 
HCU tied it up after a missed 43-yard field goal by Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez. A 73-yard run by Darryle Evans set the Huskies up goal-to-go and Xai'Shaun Edwards fell in from a yard out to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:49 left.
 
On the ensuing SLU drive, Camp was intercepted and it was returned to the Southeastern 12-yard line. However, the Lion defense stiffened and Charlie Weinrich's 27-yard field goal missed wide right to keep the scored deadlocked at 7-7.
 
The two teams traded punts over the next several possessions, but Matai Tomas muffed a Jack Hunter punt and Collier fell on the loose ball at the HCU 26-yard line. On the final play of the first half, Jackson scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal to send Southeastern into the break with a 14-7 lead.
 
For the second straight week, Hayes returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a score. The senior from Hattiesburg, Miss. housed the kickoff from 85 yards out to put the Lions up, 21-7, just 13 seconds into the second quarter.
 
After a Husky punt, HCU's defense cut into the SLU lead. Jaden King intercepted a Camp pass and brought it back 50 yards for a touchdown to cut the Lion advantage to 21-14 with 10:19 left in the third quarter.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Hayes nearly broke loose again, returning it 55 yards into HCU territory. The good field position resulted in a 22-yard field goal by Garcia Rodriguez and a 24-14 SLU lead with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter.
 
After an HCU three-and-out, SLU added to its lead. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Collier took a throw-back screen from Camp and scored from 14 yards out to give Southeastern a 31-14 advantage.
 
The Lions closed out the scoring midway through the second quarter, as Smith Jr. capped a six-play, 64-yard scoring march with a two-yard plunge to provide the final 38-14 margin.
 
Southeastern will return home to host East Texas A&M for a 6 p.m. SLC contest next Saturday in Strawberry Stadium. The Battle of the Lions will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 97.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).  
 
Saturday's game with East Texas A&M will feature Military Appreciation and Family Night at Strawberry Stadium.
 
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.