HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team earned a key 34-31 Southland Conference victory over No. 8/10 Lamar on Homecoming Saturday in Strawberry Stadium.
Southeastern (4-3, 2-2 SLC) evened its Southland Conference record with its first win over a top 10 program since a 41-35 win over then-No. 4/7 UIW on Sept. 24, 2022. Lamar (5-2, 3-1 SLC) suffered its first league loss of 2026 and had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The win was SLU's fifth over an opponent ranked in the top 10 under ninth-year head coach
Frank Scelfo, who coached his 100
th game at the helm of the Lions Saturday, joining the legendary Stanley Galloway as the only coaches in program history to reach that milestone.
A week after a disappointing offensive performance in a 13-3 loss to UTRGV, Southeastern actually finished with fewer total yards than they accumulated in the loss to the Vaqueros. However, the Lions were able to take advantage of trips into enemy territory in Saturday's victory, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 in red zone trips.
The Lions did the majority of their damage on the ground in the win over the Cardinals, as quarterback
Kyle Lowe led SLU with 80 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Kyree Paul (60 yards, 1 TD),
Deantre Jackson (44 yards), Chad Elzy (34 yards) and
Calvin Smith Jr. (nine yards, 1 TD) all played a large part in SLU's 224 yards rushing.
Lowe also completed 8-of-13 passes for 81 yards in the Homecoming triumph.
"We didn't make the mistakes we did last week," Scelfo commented. "We knew heading into this game that we're a good football team, especially when we don't commit self-inflicted errors. We felt like we could run the ball and we were able to do so thanks to our physicality and toughness up front."
Trace Carter led the Lion defense with nine tackles, while
Richard McKneely paced SLU with two tackles for loss.
Gabe Copeland and
Evan Aubrey each had sacks, while
CJ Fraser broke up three passes for Southeastern.
Lamar quarterback Aiden McCown finished 27-for-46 for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Blake Thomas was on the receiving end of both of McCown's scoring tosses, finishing with seven catches for a team-high 109 yards.
LU opened the game with a methodical 10-play, 42-yard scoring drive that took over five minutes off the clock. Andres Sandoval netted a 42-yard field goal to put the Cardinals up, 3-0, with 9:41 left in the opening period.
After a SLU three-and-out, Lamar increased its lead with a 10-play, 66-yard march. Sandoval again capped the drive with a field goal, connecting from 28 yards out to extend the Cardinal advantage to 6-0 with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.
Southeastern answered on the next drive, as Paul ripped off a 60-yard scoring run to put the Lions up, 7-6, with 1:08 left in the first quarter.
After forcing a LU punt, SLU increased its lead with a quick four-play, 45-yard scoring march. Lowe got loose on a delayed draw and housed it from 25 yards out to put Southeastern ahead, 14-6, with 11:52 remaining in the opening half.
After the Lion defense forced a three-and-out,
Dkhai Joseph got free for a 35-yard punt return to the Lamar 31-yard line. Southeastern took advantage of the short field, as Smith Jr. bulled in from two yards out to cap a six-play drive and give SLU a 21-6 cushion with 7:30 left in the second quarter.
Lamar ended SLU's scoring run on its final drive of the second half. Jojo Uga powered in from two yards out to cap a 15-play, 75-yard scoring march and cut the Lion lead to 21-13 at the break.
Paul opened the second half with a 41-yard kickoff return, but was stripped from behind and Lamar took over at its own 23-yard line. After Southeastern forced a punt, the Lions embarked on a 10-play, 79-yard scoring drive that Lowe capped with a one-yard touchdown run to put SLU up, 28-13, with 5:54 left in the third quarter.
Lamar answered right back, moving 80 yards on just six plays. McCown found Thomas for a 26-yard touchdown reception to pull the Cardinals within, 28-20, with 2:29 left in the third quarter.
Southeastern took its ensuing drive into the final quarter and was able to extend its lead.
Drew Talley's 37-yard field goal ricocheted in off the right upright, giving SLU a 31-20 advantage with 11:28 remaining in the contest.
Lamar got the three back on its next series. Sandoval hit a 36-yard field goal to pull the Cardinals within, 31-23, with 7:29 left in the game.
Southeastern was forced to punt on its next possession, but Lamar returner Kyndon Fuselier muffed the punt and Dayshawn Magee fell on the loose ball at the 35-yard line. Five plays later, Talley connected on a 36-yard field goal to put SLU up, 34-23, with 3:17 left.
Lamar would not go away quietly, however, as McCown found Thomas from 20 yards out on a scoring toss. Thomas connected with McCown on a double-reverse pass on the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 34-31 with 56 seconds left.
Elzy Jr. pounced on the ensuing onside kick and Southeastern was able to run out the clock and celebrate its first win over a ranked since a 45-42 win over No. 18 Idaho in the first round of the 2022 NCAA FCS playoffs.
Lamar was the first of two straight nationally-ranked Southland opponents Southeastern is set to face over the next two weeks. The Lions will take on No. 3 SFA next Saturday at 5 p.m. in Nacogdoches, Texas. The matchup with the Lumberjacks 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).
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.
