HAMMOND, La. – The No. 16/21 Southeastern Louisiana University football team jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and never looked back on the way to a 59-14 Southland Conference victory over East Texas A&M Saturday evening in Strawberry Stadium.
 
Southeastern (7-2, 5-0 SLC) dominated from the start on the way to its fifth consecutive victory, as the win over the visiting Lions (2-7, 2-3 SLC) gave SLU its first 5-0 start to league play since 2021.
 
Southeastern is now 7-0 versus FCS competition, having outscored opponents in those games, 330-86. The Lions are averaging 47.1 points per game, while allowing 12.3 points per game versus FCS foes.
 
"We played really well in all three phases tonight," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "We were really pleased with the execution and the way we took care of the football. When you have the opportunity to start fast, you have to keep your foot on the gas and I thought we did a great job of that tonight."
 
The host Lions had its largest scoring output of the season behind the quarterback duo of Carson Camp (11-for-18, 226 yards, 2 TD) and Kyle Lowe (9-for-11, 85 yards, 1 TD). Camp, Lowe and Tanner Murray spread the ball around to 14 different receivers, as SLU finished with a season-high 340 yards passing.
 
Jaylon Domingeaux continues to be the top target in the passing game for SLU, finishing with four catches for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns. The Lafayette, La. native's eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the sixth-highest single-season total in program history.
 
Dkhai Joseph also hauled in his first receiving touchdown as a Lion, while also recording his second punt return touchdown of the season. On the ground, Calvin Smith Jr. rushed for two touchdowns for Southeastern, while Kyree Paul and Deantre Jackson also found the end zone.
 
The Southeastern defense recorded five sacks and nine tackles for loss in the win. KK Reno once again led SLU with 10 tackles, while Jakyri Jones finished with nine. Kaleb Proctor, Rowan Briggs, Evan Aubrey, Gabe Whittington and Peyton Anderson all were credited with sacks for the host Lions, while Ian Conerly-Goodly recorded his team-high third interception of the season.
 
Southeastern took the lead on the opening drive after forcing an East Texas A&M punt. Domingeaux ran under a deep pass from Camp for an 82-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Lion lead with 8:00 left in the opening quarter.
 
After a quick three-and-out, Joseph returned the ensuing punt 63 yards for a touchdown. The Reserve, Louisiana native's second punt return for a touchdown of the season staked SLU to a 14-0 lead with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The second quarter was more of the same, as Jackson and Smith Jr. each punctuated scoring drives with one-yard touchdown runs. In the final minute of the second quarter, Camp found Joseph on a 32-yard scoring toss to give SLU a 35-0 lead heading into the break.
 
Southeastern opened the scoring in the second half, as Domingeaux grabbed an eight-yard scoring toss from Lowe to cap a seven-play, 50-yard scoring march to open the third quarter.
 
After East Texas A&M finally got on the board to head into the fourth quarter down, 42-7. SLU scored the first 17 points of the final quarter, as Smith and Paul sandwiched touchdown runs around a season-long 43-yard field goal by Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez.
 
The visiting Lions got free for an 81-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Will Madonna to Tyler Daniels at the two-minute warning to trim the final margin to 59-14.
 
The Lions will play their next two games away from home. SLU heads to No. 14 Lamar (7-2, 4-1 SLC) next Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest. The showdown between Southeastern and the Cardinals will be televised on ESPN+ and will be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 97.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).
 
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.