SAN ANTONIO – Khalid Moore got just enough of a piece of Will Faris' potential game-tying 38-yard field goal to force it to deflect off the cross bar and allow the No. 21/23 Southeastern Louisiana University football team to earn a hard-fought 10-7 victory over UIW Saturday afternoon at Benson Stadium.
 
Southeastern (8-3, 6-1 SLC) held the Cardinals (4-7, 2-5 SLC) scoreless for the first 55-plus minutes of the game, before UIW finally had some success on the final two drives. Faris rushed the final kick and Moore tipped it to allow SLU to leave San Antonio with a road win over the Cardinals for the first time since 2016.
 
"It's hard to win in the Southland Conference," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "Sometimes you don't play perfect, but at the end of the day our team's resiliency and perseverance won out and we were able to win the game, which is what it's all about."
 
The Cardinals took over with just over two minutes remaining and Southeastern had them pinned with a third-and-long deep in their own territory. Jalen Walthall ran under a EJ Colson heave for a 57-yard catch to set up Faris' ultimately errant field goal try. After UIW ran a quick play, the special teams rushed out on the field and Faris' kick was deflected by Moore, closing out the win.
 
For the second straight game, SLU's KK Reno set a new career-high for tackles, posting 17 stops. The Lion defense, which held UIW to six first downs over the first three quarters, also posted four sacks, as Joshua Randall, Ahmad Bradley, Evan Aubrey and Max Elkman all were credited with sacks.
 
Carson Camp went the distance at quarterback for the Lions, completing 19-of-32 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Jaylon Domingeaux (five catches for 61 yards) and Brandon Hayes (5-39) were the top targets in the passing game, while Deantre Jackson scored his team-high 10^th touchdown of the season off a Camp screen pass, while finishing with a team-high 79 total yards (53 receiving, 26 rushing).
 
Southeastern was able to control the field position behind the efforts of Jack Hunter, as the Lion punter downed the Cardinals inside the 20-yard line on five of his punts.
 
On the game's opening drive, UIW marched into the Lion red zone, but the Southeastern defense held firm and forced a 29-yard field goal attempt that Faris missed wide right.
 
SLU appeared to be stopped on three-and-out on its first possession, but Adyn Wilkinson took the direct snap on the punt and raced 21 yards for a first down. Southeastern moved into UIW territory, but Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez's 41-yard field goal missed wide left.
 
After the two teams traded punts, Southeastern finally broke the deadlock. A 22-yard field goal by Garcia Rodriguez capped an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive that put the Lions up, 3-0, with 7:04 left in the second quarter and provided the only points of the opening half, as SLU held the host Cardinals to 22 yards and one first down in the second quarter.
 
Southeastern added to its lead on the first drive of the third quarter. Jackson took a screen pass from Camp and weaved his way down the UIW sideline for a 37-yard touchdown and a 10-0 Lion lead just two minutes into the third quarter.
 
UIW drove into SLU territory on the ensuing drive, but Elkman sacked Colson on fourth-and-short to give the Lions the ball back near midfield. Southeastern quickly moved into Cardinal territory, but the drive stalled and Garcia Rodriguez's 39-yard field goal missed wide left to keep the deficit at 10-0 with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter.
 
The two teams traded empty possessions in the third quarter, as the Lions held the Cardinals to 33 yards and two first downs in the period.
 
UIW finally got on the board on its third drive of the fourth quarter. A one-yard run by Timothy Carter closed out a 10-play, 99-yard scoring drive and cut the Lion lead to 10-7 with 4:21 remaining in the game. Southeastern milked just under two minutes off the clock before punting it away and setting up the Cardinals' last minute drive.
 
Southeastern will close out the 2025 regular season at home Thursday at 6 p.m. The Lions welcome Nicholls (4-7, 4-3 SLC) for the annual River Bell Classic. Thursday's 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 97.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).
 
Approximately 40 minutes prior to the game, Southeastern will recognize the senior class of Garcia Rodriguez, Reno, Hayes, Randall, Kaleb Proctor, Khamron Ford, Blayne Delahoussaye, Rodeo Graham Jr., Rowan Briggs, Tyler Mansfield, Jordyn Williams, Luke Besh, Corey Lorio, Jaedon Henry, Ian Conerly-Goodly, Justin Dumas, Noah Devlin, Javin Turner, Dalton Allen, Holden Kareokowsky, Da'shun Hugley, Jett Booker, Cade Collier, Ahmad Bradley and head equipment manager Cade Genovese in a Senior Day ceremony.
 
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.