Game 1 | SLC Game 1 | No. 19/20 Southeastern (0-0) vs. HCU (0-0)
Aug. 27, 2026 | 6 p.m. | Strawberry Stadium (7,408) | Hammond, La.
Series History: SLU leads, 9-1
Last Meeting: SLU 38, HCU 14 (Oct. 25, 2025 | Houston, Texas)
Television: ESPN+
            Announcers: Logan Loving, Chase Gispert, Sophia Daniels
Radio: Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 97.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM
            Announcers: Mark Willoughby, Robbie Mahfouz, Allen Waddell and Robbie Rhodes
 
HAMMOND, La. – The No. 19/20 Southeastern Louisiana University football team will open the 2026 season Thursday, hosting Southland Conference foe HCU for a 6 p.m. contest in Strawberry Stadium.
 
Thursday's game between the Lions and visiting Huskies 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/WFPR 1400 AM). Thursday is a Green Out and fans are encouraged to wear green to support SLU.
 
Southeastern is opening the season at home for the first time since a 35-14 win over then-No. 6 Jacksonville State in the 2019 season opener. The Lions last opened the season with a conference game in 2015, opening the year with a 34-20 road win at Northwestern State.
 
SLU has a league-best 13-2 Southland Conference mark over the past two seasons and is coming off a 9-4 season and a trip to the NCAA FCS playoffs. Southeastern will be replacing 26 seniors from last season's team, but a combination of veterans looking to step into a bigger role and an influx of new faces has the Lions heading into 2026 with high hopes.
 
"We're pleased with where we are from a talent, speed and athleticism standpoint heading into the season," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "We're excited to see how some of our players who haven't seen a lot of playing time react to game action."
 
Kyle Lowe is slated to lead the Lion offense, making his first start after splitting time under center last fall. Lowe enters this season with weapons at all the skill positions, highlighted by the talented running back quartet of Deantre Jackson, Kyree Paul, Chad Elzy Jr. and Calvin Smith Jr.
 
SLU led the Southland in sacks a season ago and pass rushers Khalid Moore and Evan Aubrey, along with newcomer and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Jake Dalmado, hope to help Southeastern stand out in that category again in 2026. Southeastern boasts nearly a completely new secondary, as the Lions will have four new starters in the back end.
 
On special teams, Jack Hunter is back to assume punting and holding duties, while Dkhai Joseph will be looking to build on 2025 that saw him establish himself as one of the nation's top punt returners. Drew Talley is slated to handle placekicking duties for the Lions.
 
Southeastern will be facing an HCU team that returns two key pieces which missed the 2025 season on offense. Quarterback Cutter Stewart is back with the Huskies after spending the 2025 season at Cisco College, while 2024 All-SLC running back Champ Dozier is back after suffering a season-ending injury in the opener last fall.
 
Trent Zappe (81 tackles), Jayven Anderson (52 tackles) and Thio Georges (2 INT) are the top returnees for the HCU defense.
 
SLU is 9-1 all-time versus HCU with the Huskies' lone win coming in 2023 in their last visit to Hammond. Southeastern is 11-8 all-time in Southland Conference openers, including a 5-3 mark under Scelfo.
 
Following Thursday's contest, Southeastern will open its 2026 road schedule with a 6 p.m. contest at South Alabama next Saturday, Sept. 5, in Mobile, Ala. 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/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.