Southeastern Football History
1930
Recorded history of football begins at Southeastern with R. Norval Garrett as the first head coach. The Lions play five games and compile a 2-3 record with wins over Amite and Independence High Schools. Southeastern, then known as Southeastern Louisiana College, shuts out Amite, 7-0, for its first victory.
1933
Southeastern puts together its first winning season with a 7-3 record under head coach A.L. “Red” Swanson. Swanson takes over the program following the opening season and leads the Lions for seven seasons (1931-37).
1936
Under Swanson, the Lions put together its first unbeaten season with an 8-0-1 record. The only blemish on the record is a scoreless tie against Pearl River Junior College. In that season, Southeastern outscores its opponents, 182-19, including six shutouts in eight games.
1938
Lloyd Stovall takes over the reins of the Southeastern program and serves in that capacity for three seasons compiling a 14-13-3 record.
1946
After going through two coaches in two years during the 1941-42 campaigns and a three-year hiatus from football due to the advent of World War II, E.L. “Ned” McGehee takes over the program and promptly leads Southeastern to a perfect 9-0 season. Behind the play on the line of Southeastern All-American T.J. Campion along with All-Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference selections Pat Kenelly, John Mitchell, Angie Antonelli, Jerome Davis and Al Ramboli, the Lions grab their first Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference Championship. The title begins a string of successes for the Lions that includes seven conference championships over the next 15 years. Following the unbelievable regular-season, the Lions take part in the annual Burley Bowl, winning 21-13 over Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn. It remains the only Bowl Game ever played by a Southeastern football team.
1951
Following the perfect season in 1946, Southeastern goes through a bit of a lull over the next four campaigns mustering a winning record just once -- a 6-4 mark in 1950 that included a 6-0 win at Auburn. In 1951, the most well-known coach in Lions’ football history takes over, and Stanley Galloway guides the team to more success than it had ever known. Galloway, who was a member of Southeastern’s 8-0-1 squad of 1936, roams the sidelines from 1951-64. In his extended stay as head football coach at Southeastern, the Lions finish as Gulf States Conference champions or co-champions six times (1952, 53, 54, 56, 60, 61). Galloway compiles an 84-42-4 record and is 50-20-3 in the tough GSC. His success doesn't go unnoticed by his peers, as he was named the GSC's Coach of the Year four times and is the only Southeastern coach to be enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. As a player in the late 1930's, Galloway was a leader on the gridiron for Southeastern and was named to the University's Athletics Hall of Fame for 1939. He starred for the Lions from 1935-39. Galloway puts together a winning record in his first season going 7-3 and builds the foundation for the success to come.
1952
Galloway leads Lions to the first of six GSC Championships in 10 years at the helm as the team goes 6-1-2 with the only loss coming to Mississippi Southern (now Southern Miss), 20-12.
1953
The Lions win the GSC championship for the second consecutive season with a 6-3 mark and set the table for what would rival the 1946 team as the most successful in Southeastern history.
1954
Fielding an improbable bunch of players, Galloway and All-American quarterback Ray “Coon” Porta lead the Lions to their second perfect season -- 9-0 -- and arguably the finest in Southeastern history. During that miraculous season, the Lions shutout their opponents in five of nine games and allowed only one opponent, Louisiana Tech, into double figures. Overall, Southeastern tallied 379 points while allowing opponents just 43. The team surrendered just one touchdown through its first six games and the 379 points scored would be a school record for the next half century until the 2004 squad scored 425.
1955
Despite an off season for the Lions with a 5-5 record, in their 10 games the Lions set school records for both a winning streak and losing streak in the same year. Dating back to the 1954 season and including the four wins to open the ‘55 campaign, the Lions win 13 straight contests. But from that point in the season, the Lions suffer significant injuries including losing starting quarterback Win Crawford and center Mack Barlow for the season. Southeastern finishes third in the GSC standings that year but also produces its third All-American in sure-handed wideout Huey Husser. Husser is named to the NAIA All-America squad and years later becomes a member of Southeastern’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
1956
Southeastern goes 6-3 en route to winning its third GSC title in four years. The Lions open the season with three straight shutouts but struggle during the meat of the season before winning their final two games -- over McNeese and Northwestern State -- to claim the crown.
1957-58
Southeastern has two losing seasons -- the only ones under Galloway -- going 2-6-1 in 1957 and 4-5 in 1958. C.J. Alexander is named All-American in 1958.
1959
The Lions begin the return to prominence going 5-4 including wins over Southwestern Louisiana, Northeast Louisiana and Northwestern State. Alexander is again named All-America and becomes the second two-time selection in Southeastern football history and was also named the GSC’s Most Valuable Player. Oscar Lofton, who would later serve as Lions’ head coach from 1980-85, along with Alexander, both sign professional contracts following the season. Lofton, who is voted the 1959 team captain, becomes a member of the Boston Patriots while Alexander, nicknamed “The Black Knight”, becomes a halfback with the Edmonton Eskimos in Canada.
1960
Mediocrity would never do for Galloway and the Lions are back on top of the GSC following the 1960 season. Southeastern rolls to its fifth title under the legendary coach going 9-1 with the only loss coming against Louisiana Tech as the Bulldogs win 17-14 to take away the third perfect season in Lions’ history. In the run, Southeastern records five shutouts and pulls off four major upsets. The team reaches as high as second in one poll and finishes fourth in the NAIA rankings. The Lions are awarded a bid to play in the Tangerine Bowl but the players decline the offer. Quarterback Elbert Harris is named a NAIA First Team All-American.
1961
Southeastern again nearly pulls off the perfect season but a loss to McNeese State in the second to last game of the year ends the Lions’ chances at perfection. Ranked in the top 10 of both the AP and UPI polls, the Lions reach as high as third in each and claim their sixth and final championship under Galloway. All-American halfback Billy Ladner is voted the top back in the GSC and breaks the single-season scoring record with 66 points. “Mr. Everywhere” Elbert Harris is drafted by both leagues and signs a professional contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Bill Johnson also is drafted and signs with the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League.
1962-64
The final three years of Galloway’s tenure as head coach are predictably solid as the team compiles a 16-10-1 record, but none of the remaining campaigns match the previous successes the Lions experience. In the span Southeastern garners 10 All-Conference selections. In 1964, Galloway’s final season, the Lions are 6-3 and close out the year with two straight wins. In 1964, Ellis Johnson is drafted in the third round by the Boston Patriots and is Southeastern’s highest selection at that time.
1965-75
It is a time of struggle for Southeastern football which manages only two winning seasons among 11 tries. Legendary baseball coach and former football All-American Pat Kenelly guides the team from 1965-71 and manages just one winning campaign - 5-4 in 1965 - but puts together some memorable moments. In 1966 Southeastern great Billy Andrews wraps up his career and is drafted in the 11th round by the Cleveland Browns. In 1967 the Lions struggle to a 4-5 record, but take down two future NFL Hall of Famers and Super Bowl quarterbacks as they knock off Roger Staubach’s Pensacola Navy squad and down Terry Bradshaw’s Louisiana Tech team in back-to-back weeks. Following an 0-11 season in 1971, Roland Dale is brought in as the new gridiron guru and holds the position for two seasons compiling a 7-14 record in the span. It was under Dale in 1970 that the Lions produce their first All-American since 1961 as linebacker Ronnie Hornsby blossomed as a senior. Hornsby is a first team Kodak and Associated Press All-American and following his final campaign is named permanent team captain and became the first person in Southeastern history to have his jersey - No. 35 -retired. He caps his stellar career by playing in the Senior Bowl where he serves as defensive co-captain and scores the South’s only touchdown on an interception return. It is also in 1970 that halfback Ted Glaser becomes the first Lion to surpass 1,000 rushing yards with 1,038 on 162 carries. In 1973 and 74, guard Alan Klein becomes the second of only three, two-time All-America selections for Southeastern. Billy Brewer takes over the program from Dale for the 1974 season and continues Southeastern on the road to championship caliber football with a 6-4 record his first season.
1976
Following a sub-.500 season in 1975 (4-7), Brewer guides the Lions to their finest campaign since the 1961 season with a 9-1-1 mark led by All-GSC senior quarterback and team captain, Don Griffin. Don was awarded Offensive Player of the Year by the GSC completing 65 of 150 passes for 1,159 yards and rushing for 339 yards. Don finished his two-year career at SLU ranked second in school history in total offense – 2,761 yards and second in passing yardage, 2,193 yards. In addition, senior running back Horace Belton, who played little in the last six games of his senior campaign due to injury, finishes his brilliant career as the state of Louisiana’s all-time leading rusher with 3,222 yards. Belton breaks a record which had stood for nearly 30 years and that was set by Tulane’s Eddie Price (3,095) as he led the Green Wave from 1946-49. Belton breaks the record with 163 yards and two scores in an upset win over eventual conference champion Troy State. Belton, who is ranked second in school history and 13th in the state in career rushing, scores 202 points in his career. He also set then-Southeastern records for single-season yardage (1,168, 1975), rushing touchdowns(14, 1974) and points scored in a single-season with 90 (1974). Following his final campaign, Belton’s jersey - No. 37 - becomes the second Lion football jersey, along with Ronnie Hornsby’s, to be retired.
1977-79
Brewer coaches the Lions for three more seasons compiling winning records in each. Following a 6-4 mark in 1977, the Lions produce a 7-3-1 record the following year and field one of the top defensive units in the nation. The Southeastern defense ranks first nationally in scoring defense (7.8 ppg) and sets four new Gulf South Conference records. The Lions finish the season as the Division II leader in scoring defense allowing just 78 points. The team is second in total defense, fifth in rushing defense and 10th in pass defense, the only school in the nation to be listed in all four categories. En route to a second place finish in the conference, the Lions set four new GSC records: points allowed, scoring defense average, fewest rushing yards allowed and defensive rushing average. Following the season, Donald Dykes is drafted in the second round by the Jets while Calvin Favron goes in the third round to St. Louis. In 1979, near-misses erase the promise of what could be another unbelievable season in the Lion annals. In Brewer’s final season (he would take over the head coaching job at Louisiana Tech and would later coach at Ole Miss), Southeastern starts slowly out of the gate with a 1-4 record. Following that point, the Lions re-dedicate themselves and as a symbol of this dedication, members of the team shave their heads. Suddenly bald heads begin showing up all over campus and the team goes on to win five of its last six games to finish at 6-5. Offensive lineman Lyle Walker inks a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
1980
Oscar Lofton, a former Lion All-Conference selection, three-sport letterwinner and professional player, takes over the program from Brewer and posts an 8-2 record in his first campaign. It is a successful jump for Southeastern which made the move to Division IAA for the 1980 season. The Lions open the year with a win at Boise State. Homecoming week is special as Southeastern roars to a 47-6 win over Texas Southern and ties a national record as three Lions -- Mack Boatner, Kendall Denmark, and Charlie Thomas -- each rush for over 100 yards. Five different players score touchdowns in the game for the Lions. In a 59-13 victory over Delta State, Boatner sets a new single-game school-record as he gallops for 275 yards in the Lions’ home finale.
1981
Lofton is named the Louisiana Coach of the Year after leading his squad to an 8-3 record. The Lions open the season with wins over Texas Southern and Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette), before losing two of their next three games. After escaping with close wins over Troy State and Tennessee-Martin, the Lions stage one of the most dramatic comebacks in school history with a 50-47 win over in-state rival Northeast Louisiana. In that game, played at Strawberry Stadium, the Lions trail 40-21 with 11:34 remaining in the game before rallying behind the arm of quarterback Robbie Mahfouz. Mahfouz, who set single-season passing records with 1,707 yards and 12 touchdown passes, throws touchdown passes of 28 and 17 yards to David Patterson and hits Todd Jones from 29 yards in a 29-point fourth quarter. Mack Boatner, who rushes for 114 yards with Jerry Butler adding 106 on the ground, scores the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard plunge with 1:32 left. Mahfouz finishes the game completing 16 of 28 passes for 298 yards and five touchdowns. Mack Boatner is drafted in the ninth round of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Tight end Leslie Jackson signs with the Miami Dolphins, defensive back Ormando Whitlock signs with the Denver Broncos and defensive end Glenn Ferrill signs with the Dallas Cowboys.
1982
After a solid 2-0 start which saw Southeastern ranked in the opening Division I-AA polls, consecutive losses to Stephen F. Austin and Southwest Texas starts a roller-coaster ride for the remainder of the season. Southeastern manages to string together two more wins but a team made up mostly of underclassmen, drops their last five games to finish with a 4-7 record.
1983
Southeastern starts 0-and-2 out of the gate but rights the ship to win five straight during the middle of the season to finish with a 6-5 record. Punter Bret Wright is named a first team Kodak All-American and a second team Associated Press All-American and still holds the state record for punting average in a single game going for a 53.6 average in a 54-28 win over Central Florida. He is also listed third in the state records with a career average of 42.2 per punt. The Lions upset nationally-ranked Jackson State, 9-7, after narrowly missing an upset against Northeast Louisiana the week before, losing 16-13. Wright is selected in the eighth round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
1984
In its first season of membership in the Gulf Star Conference, Southeastern manages only a 2-8-1 record as turnovers plague the team. The record can’t, however, overshadow the individual performance of running back Jerry Butler who become just the third Lion to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season with 1,092. He also eclipses Horace Belton’s career yardage mark compiling 3,232, a mere 10 yards more than Belton. Also that year, noseguard Willie Shepherd earns Associated Press Second Team All-America notice.
1985
Southeastern’s final year of football prior to the program being discontinued. The Lions struggle to a 2-9 mark. As a highlight, the Lions manage to win their first-ever Gulf Star Conference game with a 20-14 victory over Northwestern State in the second to last game of the year. In what was to become the Lion’s final game for the next 18 years, Kervin Fontenette returns an interception 100 yards for a touchdown to give Southeastern the lead but Nicholls State roars back in the final minutes to steal a 21-17 win. Willie Shepherd earns All-America status for the second year, and is named to the Kodak All-America First Team and also garners honorable mention AP honors along with defensive back Tim Whaley.
2001
Southeastern President Sally Clausen announces an extension to the already successful Campaign for Excellence which will focus on athletics. Involved in the plan to raise $5 million, is the re-instatement of a football program at Southeastern.
2002
Southeastern President, Randy Moffett, who served as provost under Clausen, and athletics director Frank Pergolizzi announce on May 21 the success of the campaign and that the Lions will resume playing football as a Division I-AA Independent for the 2003 season after a hiatus of nearly 18 years.
2003
Lion football restarts at Southeastern with Hal Mumme, formally at Kentucky, as the head coach. Mumme names Woody Widenhofer, one of the architects of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s, as defensive coordinator. The team finishes with a 5-7 record: the sixth-best record among start-up Division I programs since 1980. Forty-six school and/or national records are broken with freshman quarterback Martin Hankins setting 21 new standards. Before a packed house on a rainy night, Southeastern opens its first season in 18 years rallying to defeat Arkansas-Monticello, 22-17, as Hankins hits Choni Francis with a 22-yard scoring pass with 6:49 remaining in the game. Brett Beard, who finishes his career at Southeastern after playing three years at Vanderbilt under Widenhofer, is selected to play in the Hula Bowl.
2004
Southeastern notches its first winning season since returning football with a 7-4 record. The Lions lead the nation in total offense. Hankins, wide receiver Felton Huggins and tackle Kenard White each earn all-America honors. The Lions stun sixth-ranked McNeese State in Lake Charles, 51-17, before a regionally-televised audience and briefly earn their first top-25 national ranking since their return. Hankins, who threw for a school-record 4,240 yards with 35 touchdowns, finishes seventh overall in voting for the Walter Payton Award, awarded to the top offensive player in I-AA. In late December, Mumme accepts the head coaching position at Division I-A New Mexico State.
2005
On January 18, Southeastern announces that Dennis Roland, a former assistant under Mumme in 2003, will take over as the 14th head football coach in school history. The Lions have their season shortened to 10 games after the season-opener against Jacksonville was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina. The Alcorn State game, scheduled for Sept. 8, is pushed back two days later and the Lions eventually get underway with a 48-21 victory. Southeastern finishes its first season as a member of the Southland Conference with a 4-6 overall record and are 2-4 in league play.
2006
Playing a rugged non-conference schedule that includes I-A bowl participants Southern Miss and Texas Tech, the Lions finish with a 2-9 record. After the season opener at New Mexico State, head coach Dennis Roland misses the next three games with an infection and eventually takes a leave of absence on Oct. 24. Mike Lucas is named interim coach for the remaining three games before being named the Lions 15th head coach on Dec. 14. Nine players earn All-Southland Conference honors, including first-team center Donald Usry.
2007
Southeastern, which finishes with a 3-8 mark in Mike Lucas’ first full season, starts the year 0-2 with games at FBS opponents New Mexico State and eventual Orange Bowl champion Kansas, who would finish No. 2 in the final national polls. The Lions open their home schedule scoring a school-record 79 points against Division II Kentucky Wesleyan. Jay Lucas sets the single-season rushing record with 1,239 yards and is a first-team All-Southland Conference selection. Jeff Turner is named honorable mention All-America by the Sports Network after making 28 of 29 extra point attempts and 17 of 20 field goals. Turner sets a school, and Southland Conference single-game record with six field goals against Texas State. Freshman Mark Newbill finishes third in the Southland Conference in tackles. Southeastern closes out the season with a 17-13 win over arch-rival Nicholls State, defeating the Colonels for the first time since 1980 and claiming the River Bell in the process.
2008
The Lions finish 5-7 overall - their best record since 2004. Junior defensive back Tommy Connors is named All-America by both the Associated Press and the Sports Network. Southeastern places 10 players on the All-Southland Conference team with Simmie Yarborough selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year. Head coach Mike Lucas is forced on Oct. 15 to miss the final six games of the season for a heart valve procedure and offensive coordinator Tommy Condell is named acting head coach. The Lions defeat Northwestern State, 26-21, in Condell’s first game as acting coach and rallies for a 30-27 overtime win at Sam Houston State - its first SLC road win since 2005.
2009
Southeastern posts a 6-5 record, marking its first winning season since 2004. The Lions turn in their best performance in Southland Conference play, finishing 4-3 overall and competing for the league championship until the final two weeks of the season. Southeastern rallies from a 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and defeat Texas State, 51-50. The Lions open league play with a 4-1 record with their lone blemish a 36-35 last second setback at McNeese State. Southeastern posts a 27-0 victory at Northwestern State - the Lions’ first win in Natchitoches since 1976 and their first shutout since a 28-0 win over Western Kentucky in 1984. Playing without quarterback Brian Babin and receiver Simmie Yarborough, Southeastern rallies behind backup quarterback Tyler Beatty and edges No. 12 Central Arkansas, 25-21. Mark Newbill and Re’Keem Wilson are named first-team All-Southland Conference. Mike Lucas is named the Coach-of-the-Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
2010-11
With a veteran team returning and picked by many to finish in the upper half of the Southland Conference, Southeastern stumbles out of the gate and finishes with a disappointing 2-9 record in 2010 that includes six losses by a combined 20 points. The Lions defeat UT Martin in their home opener, 24-10, and post an impressive 49-24 win over No. 15 Texas State in Strawberry Stadium. Eight players are named to the All-Southland Conference team. Mark Newbill concludes his career as the first player to record 400 tackles and Tommy Connors finishes third in school history with 355. Simmie Yarborough catches three touchdown passes against Texas State to pass Felton Huggins as the school’s all-time leader in TD receptions and later in the season passes Huggins as the Lions’ all-time leader in receptions. The Lions field a youthful team in 2011 and finish with a 3-8 record. Yarborough finishes a brilliant four-year career as the all-time leading receiver in Southland Conference history with 229 receptions. Yarborough, Brandon Collins and Kory Theodore all finish with at least 60 receptions for the Lions with Yarborough named first-team All-Southland Conference. Redshirt freshman Jordan Wells sets a school and Southland Conference single-season record with 1,383 yards in kickoff returns and is named the league’s Freshman of the Year while finishing 10th overall for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman at the FCS level by The Sports Network. The Lions end the season on Nov. 17 with a 31-14 win over Nicholls State to claim the River Bell for the first time in four years, but head coach Mike Lucas is relieved of his coaching duties four days later. Ron Roberts, who posted a 47-16 record in five seasons at Division II Delta State, is named the 16th head coach in Southeastern history on Dec. 19.
2012
Southeastern opens the first season under new coach Ron Roberts with losses to Missouri, South Dakota State and UT Martin before a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback at home against No. 17 McNeese State sets the tone for the rest of the season. Trailing 24-17 late in the fourth quarter, Southeastern converts on a pair of third-and-long situations and twice on fourth down to cap an 11-play drive and earn a 25-24 victory over the Cowboys. The Lions reel off three straight Southland Conference victories before ending the season with league wins over Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls State to finish 5-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play. The five league wins are the most by the Lions since going 5-1-1 in 1978. The Lions earn their first-ever season sweep of their in-state conference rivals - McNeese State, Northwestern State and Nicholls State. Defensive back Robert Alford caps a storied career as he earns All-America honors from the Sports Network and Associated Press and is named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Year by Collegiate Sports Journal. Alford becomes the second Southeastern player to compete in the Senior Bowl and is drafted in the second round (No. 60 overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 NFL Draft. Quarterback Nathan Stanley (Casino del Sol, East-West Shrine Game) and linebacker Devan Walker (Texas vs. Nation All-Star Game) compete in collegiate all-star games.
2013
In Roberts’ second year, the Lions storm on to the national scene. Southeastern finishes No. 6 in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches’ final polls after setting a new single-season school record for victories, finishing 11-3 overall and winning its first conference championship since 1961 with a 7-0 league mark. The Lions roll off a 10-game winning streak and earn the No. 4 national seed in the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Football Subdivision playoffs. Roberts is named Coach of the Year by the Southland Conference, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and AFCA Region 5. In his first year after transferring from Oregon, junior quarterback Bryan Bennett is named the Southland Conference Player of the Year, as well as the Louisiana Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year. The Granada Hills, Calif. native throws for 3,165 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also leading the team with 1,046 rushing yards and a single-season school record 16 rushing touchdowns. The Lions leads the Southland in scoring defense behind league Defensive Player of the Year Cqulin Hubert and first team All-Southland defensive back Harlan Miller. On special teams, senior place-kicker Seth Sebastian becomes the school’s single-season and career record holder in points scored, earning multiple All-America nods and College Football Performance Awards Place-Kicker of the Year. Sophomore Xavier Roberson leads the nation with 35.2 yards per kickoff return and three kickoff return touchdowns, setting new single-season school and conference records. The Atlanta product is a consensus All-America choice and named the CFPA Kick Returner of the Year. After a 1-2 start, Southeastern builds momentum heading into Southland Conference play. The Lions make their first splash on the national stage with a dominant 41-7 victory on Nov. 2 at then-No. 4 McNeese State and follow the next week with a 58-31 triumph at No. 24 Central Arkansas. Southeastern then clinches a share of the league title with a 34-21 victory over two-time defending national runner up and No. 4 Sam Houston State. In the River Bell Classic, Southeastern closes out a perfect run through league play with a 52-27 victory over Nicholls State. After a first-round bye, Southeastern welcomes SHSU to Strawberry Stadium for a rematch in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Lions bounce back from an early 14-0 deficit to take a halftime lead. However, the Bearkats rally and hold a 29-24 lead when Southeastern takes over at its own 15-yard line with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts left. Bennett is a perfect 6-for-6 on what is dubbed, “The Drive to Stay Alive”. The Lion signal caller finds sophomore Jeff Smiley to cap the six-play, 85-yard march that took 49 seconds off the clock and gives SLU a dramatic 30-29 victory in its first-ever playoff contest. Southeastern hosts its second playoff game the following week as New Hampshire makes the trek to Hammond, America. The Lions fall just short, as UNH scores a touchdown in the final minute to earn a 20-17 victory and a berth in the FCS semifinals. Bennett provides fans with one last unforgettable moment in the season finale, as he scrambles away from the New Hampshire rush and finds Marquis Fruge’ in the back corner of the end zone. The Bennett play is selected as the No. 1 play on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top Plays of the Day.
2014-17
The Lions repeated as Southland Conference champions, sharing the title with Sam Houston State. Behind Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year Bryan Bennett, as well as All-Americans Isiah Corbett, Harlan Miller and Xavier Roberson, SLU finished 9-4 overall and 7-1 in Southland Conference play. Southeastern started 4-0 in league play, extending its Southland win streak to 14 games before Stephen F. Austin defeated the Lions, 27-17, on Oct. 25. One win streak that the Lions were able to extend was their one against in-state Southland opponents. For the third straight year, Southeastern swept through McNeese, Northwestern State and Nicholls. The Lions finished the 2014 season having won its last 10 games versus Southland Conference schools from Louisiana. Southeastern advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the second straight season. The Lions lost, 21-17, in the first round versus Sam Houston State on Nov. 29 in Huntsville, Texas. In 2015, injuries ruined the Lions’ chances for a three-peat, as SLU finished 4-7 overall and 3-6 in league play. Senior defensive back Harlan Miller was an All-America selection by Associated Press and STATS, earned an invite to the Senior Bowl and was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The 2016 Lions bounced back, winning six of their last seven games on the way to a 7-4 overall record and a 7-2 mark in Southland Conference play. SLU continued its dominance versus in-state league foes, sweeping McNeese, Nicholls and Northwestern State for the fourth time in five years. The 31-24 victory over McNeese provided the highlight of the season, as quarterback Justin Alo and wide receiver Brandon Acker connected on an 82-yard game-winning touchdown with eight seconds remaining. Taylor Gadbois represented SLU on the AP All-America team. In 2017, Southeastern posts another winning season, finishing with a 6-5 overall mark and a 6-3 record in Southland Conference play. Senior linebacker Sione Teuhema and sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Juwan Petit-Frere were both named All-America by several different organizations. Sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez was named Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year.
2018
After Ron Roberts resigned to take over as defensive coordinator at UL Lafayette, Frank Scelfo was named the 16th head football coach in program history on January 30.
