NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Southeastern Louisiana University football team heads back out on the road as it opens Southland Conference play against Stephen F. Austin Saturday at Homer Bryce Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.

The game was originally scheduled for Oct. 11, but was moved up a week to help SFA make up its game against Kentucky Wesleyan, a game scheduled for Sept. 13 but was postponed due to Hurricane Ike.

Southeastern (3-2, 0-0 SLC), which will take next week off before facing Northwestern State for homecoming on Oct. 18, returns to action after posting a dramatic 38-35 win over previously unbeaten North Dakota last week at Strawberry Stadium. Southeastern staged a 24-7 lead in the second quarter and led 38-27 after three quarters before UND missed a potential game-tying field goal at the buzzer.

Brian Babin has directed the Southeastern offense, averaging 263 yards per game passing while throwing eight touchdowns in four games. The junior has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes with Chris Wilson (24 catches) and Jay Lucas (20 catches) his favorite targets.

Defensively, the Lions possess the top two tacklers in the Southland Conference in Mark Newbill (43 tackles) and Tommy Connors (41 tackles). Connors has intercepted two passes for the Lions and has recovered a pair of fumbles, including one for a touchdown.

SFA (1-3, 0-0 SLC) looks to snap a three-game losing skid, capped off by a disappointing 50-48 loss to nationally-ranked South Dakota State. The Lumberjacks led, 34-6, in the third quarter and 34-20 entering the fourth before SDSU rallied scored 30 points in the final 15 minutes, including a game-winning touchdown with 1 second remaining.

Quarterback Jeremy Moses completed 34 of 51 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns for SFA, but was picked off four times. On the season, the sophomore has thrown for 1,178 yards and 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Central Michigan transfer Duane Brooks has been Moses' favorite target with 24 receptions and a pair of touchdowns.

The Lumberjacks average 31.3 points per game while allowing 42.5. SFA has averaged 308.2 yards per game in total offense while allowing 457.8.

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time - Saturday, October 4, 2008, 6 p.m.
Location - Nacogdoches, Texas (Homer Bryce Stadium, 14,575)
Radio - KSLU-FM 90.9
Talent - Mark Willoughby (PBP), Damon Sunde (color), Robbie Rhodes (sideline)
Streaming - www.LionSports.net (Audio)
Livestats - www.sfajacks.com
The Series - Tied, 5-5-1 (SLU 3-2 at SFA)
Last Meeting - SLU, 21-3 (Oct. 6, 2007 in Hammond)
Storylines - Southeastern opens its fourth season in the Southland Conference as it faces Stephen F. Austin ... the Lions have won two of three meetings with the Lumberjacks since re-instating football in 2003 ... SLU offensive coordinator Tommy Condell spent two seasons (1999-2000) at SFA while SFA offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson spent two seasons (2003-04) in Hammond on Hal Mumme's staff.

TEAM NOTES
OFFENSIVE LINE
C Brad Bardy (Covington, La.) is the lone returning starter from the 2007 season ... LT David Ward (Sugar Hill, Ga.), who started 11 games at LG in 2006, has started every game since missing the entire 2007 season with an injury ... RT Kevin Hughes (New Orleans, La.) earned two starts last season as a redshirt freshman ... junior college transfer Willie Pritchett (Moss Point, Miss.) is the younger brother of former Lion Charles Hall (2004-05) ... LG Josh Bridges (Springfield, La.) converted to the offensive line after playing at defensive tackle in 2007 ... RG Brent Blazevich (Hammond, La.), a three-year letterwinner, did not make the trip to Louisiana Tech after suffering ankle injury against South Dakota ... true freshman Josh Penton (Splendora, Texas) earned the start at right guard at Louisiana Tech ... LG Kenny Stalling (Macon, Miss.) saw his most extensive action of the season at Louisiana Tech ... LG Jordan Powell (Hammond, La.) made his first career start against North Dakota.

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Chris Wilson (Amory, Miss.) caught a season-high 11 passes for 101 yards against South Dakota ... junior Krishna Muhammad (Metairie, La.) caught a career-high seven passes against South Dakota and recorded his first touchdown since the 2006 finale against Sam Houston State ... his 55-yard reception against North Dakota was a career-long ... freshman Simmie Yarborough (Brookhaven, Miss.) has caught a pass in each game this season ... his first career reception was a 14-yard TD catch in the first quarter against Alcorn State ... Andre Cryer (Kentwood, La.) set career-highs at Louisiana Tech for catches (7), yards (138) and recorded a 55-yard catch in the second quarter cut the Tech led to 21-17 ... Cryer was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week after his performance at Louisiana Tech ... redshirt freshman DeMario Simmons (Marrero, La.) recorded his first career reception against Mississippi State - a 70-yard pass from Tyler Beatty that led to Jay Lucas' 1-yard TD ... redshirt freshman Brady Miles (Darrow, La.) and true freshman Broderick Albert (Lutcher, La.) each recorded their first receptions at MSU ... Miles scored his first touchdown on a double reverse against North Dakota ... redshirt freshman Kory Theodore (New Orleans, La.) posted his first career reception at Louisiana Tech.

QUARTERBACKS
Brian Babin (St. Amant, La.) posted 300-yard passing games in games against South Dakota and Louisiana Tech ... Babin passed for 322 yards and set career-highs in completions (32) and attempts (59) at Louisiana Tech ... Babin threw for a career-high 330 yards and two touchdowns against South Dakota ... Babin completed 27-of-44 passes with no interceptions against USD ... Babin missed the Mississippi State game after suffering a concussion on the final play of the first half at Alcorn State ... Babin finished the half at ASU 12-for-20 for 143 yards and three touchdowns ... Mike Neville (Vallejo, Calif.) earned his first start at Mississippi State after finishing 13-for-17 for 108 yards and a touchdown in the second half at ASU ... the 26-year-old Neville, a junior college transfer who spent two years on a Mormon mission in Brazil, finished 3-for-10 against Mississippi State ... sophomore Tyler Beatty (Pflugerville, Texas), a transfer from Baylor, made his first appearance in the MSU game, completing 4 of 10 passes for 97 yards.

RUNNING BACKS
All-America candidate Jay Lucas (Baton Rouge, La.) ran for a season-high 88 yards and scored two touchdowns against South Dakota ... has recorded eight 100-yard games in his career and needs 1,052 yards to become the school's all-time leading rusher ... against USD, Lucas became the fourth player in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards and became the fifth player - and first running back - to record 100 career catches ... Lucas, who has 108 career receptions, has caught a pass in 21 consecutive games - the longest streak among any current player ... junior college transfer Jasper Ducksworth (Mt. Olive, Miss.) carried five times for 34 yards in his Southeastern debut at Alcorn State ... Ducksworth led the Lions with 55 yards, including a 36-yard scamper, against North Dakota.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Walter Vaughn (Spalding, Ga.) started the season-opener at defensive end against Alcorn State after missing the final nine games of the 2007 season with an injury ... DE Steven Honore (New Roads, La.) missed the North Dakota game due a death in the family ... Honore was credited with four tackles and a sack at Alcorn State after playing at linebacker in 2007 ... his sack early in the third quarter against South Dakota forced a Noah Shepard fumble and led to a Southeastern field goal ... DT Devin Boutwell (Buras, La.) missed the North Dakota game with a back injury ... redshirt freshman Jordan August (Edgard, La.) earned his first career start against UND ... forced and recovered a fumble while being credited with one stop in his collegiate debut against Alcorn State ... DE Nathan Clophus (Sulphur, La.) tallied three tackles and a sack ... DE Ryan Anderson (Independence, La.) recorded five tackles, including one for a loss, against South Dakota ... true freshman Brian Rodgers (Baton Rouge, La.) made his debut against North Dakota after missing six weeks with a thumb injury ... Rodgers posted one tackle for loss and forced a fumble against the Fighting Sioux.

LINEBACKERS
Mark Newbill (Monroe, La.) tied a season-high 13 tackles, including 10 solos, against South Dakota ... his forced fumble on an attempted two-point conversion preserved Southeastern's 31-30 victory ... Newbill posted 13 stops in the season-opener at Alcorn State ... Newbill leads the Southland Conference with 43 tackles on the season and is third in tackles for loss (7) ... Ryan Godare (Sulphur, La.) recorded a season-high 11 tackles against North Dakota ... he posted 10 tackles - all solos - at Alcorn State ... junior college transfer Quinten Pierre (New Iberia, La.) posted eight tackles with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery against South Dakota ... freshman Devin Jones (Independence, La.) recorded seven stops against South Dakota ... Keithshone Dantzler (New Orleans, La.) earned the start at middle linebacker against South Dakota ... freshman Kendrick Jackson (Haughton, La.) has posted six tackles on the season as a special teams player.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
SS Tommy Connors (Marrero, La.) scored his second career touchdown with a 12-yard fumble return that gave Southeastern a 34-21 lead at Alcorn State ... Connors added a 26-yard interception return against the Braves - his third career and second dating back to the Lions' 2007 finale against Nicholls State ... Connors posted a season-high 11 tackles against North Dakota and added 10 stops against South Dakota ... Connors was named the Southland Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week after his game against UND ... FS Trey Douglas (Hammond, La.) made a career-high 11 tackles, including eight solos against Mississippi State ... Douglas added an interception late against North Dakota ... FS Travis Williams (Ocean Springs, Miss.) posted seven tackles, one off his career high, while forcing and recovering a fumble at MSU ... CB Tony Johnson (Baton Rouge, La.) had a season-high six tackles against South Dakota ... against UND, Johnson recorded his second career sack, and first since the Texas Tech game in 2006 ... DB Marquis Powell (Madison, Fla.) returned an interception - the first of his Southeastern career - 51 yards for a touchdown at Louisiana Tech .. the return by Powell was the longest by a Lion since Duriel Adam's 64-yard return at Mississippi Valley on Nov. 19, 2005 ... the TD return was the first by a Lion since Chris DiCarlo scored on a 36-yard return on Sept. 15, 2007 against Kentucky Wesleyan.

SPECIALISTS
Jeff Turner (Houston, Texas), a Preseason Third-Team All-America by the Sports Network, made his first field goal of the season with a 46-yard effort - one yard off his career-high - against Mississippi State ... Turner set a school-record in 2007 for most field goals in a season (17) and finished second among FCS kickers in field goals made ... he set a SLC-record of 13 consecutive field goals made and is 17 for his last 18 ... P Cody Samples (Ripley, Miss.) averaged 43.8 yards per punt on six attempts at Alcorn State ... his 58-yard punt in the second quarter was his career-best ... KR Andre Cryer (Kentwood, La.) had a 100-yard kickoff return called back by a penalty against South Dakota.

LANAUX TO REDSHIRT 2008 SEASON
Head coach Mike Lucas announced after the Lions' 38-35 win over North Dakota that senior receiver Merrick Lanaux (Hammond, La.) will redshirt the 2008 season ... Lanaux, who will have one season remaining, has not played since injuring a hamstring during pre-game warm-ups against Alcorn State ... Lanaux needs 11 catches to tie former Lions Ray Mahfouz and Ray Perkins for 10th place in school history ... with one touchdown reception, Lanaux will tie Tommy Arbour for eighth-place with 10 and with 57 yards, Lanaux will tie Jeffery Howard for eighth-place in receiving yards ...

AGAINST FBS (FORMALLY I-A) INSTITUTIONS
Southeastern has kept up its tradition of taking on the Big Boys as it faced Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) opponents Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech this season ... the Lions are scheduled to face Ole Miss in 2009 and will open the 2010 season at Southern Miss ... Southeastern faced three FBS schools in 2007, falling at New Mexico State (35-14), Orange Bowl champion Kansas (62-0) and Tulane (35-27) ... Since the program's resurrection, Southeastern has played 10 games (going 0-10) against the top level of college football beginning with a 28-0 loss at Troy in 2003 ... Two years later, Southeastern tangled with Tulane (playing its 11 games in 11 different stadiums after the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina) in LSU's Tiger Stadium and lost a narrow decision, 28-21, before dropping games to NMSU (30-15), Southern Miss (45-0) and Texas Tech (62-0) in 2006.

TURNER EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA NOTICE
After recording a record-breaking year in 2007, placekicker Jeff Turner (Houston, Texas) was selected as a Preseason Third-Team All-America among Football Championship Subdivision schools by the Sports Network ... Turner, a 5-foor-10, 190-pound junior, was one of three players selected from Southland Conference schools joining Nicholls State's Lardarius Webb, who was a first-team selection at free safety, and quarterback Nathan Brown of Central Arkansas, a third-team pick ... As a sophomore, Turner converted on 17 of 20 field goals and was 28-for-29 in extra point attempts. He led the Southland Conference in points per game and was fourth scoring while finishing second among FCS kickers in field goals per game ... Turner, who was a Preseason First-Team All-Southland Conference selection, tied a SLC record with 13 consecutive field goals made, which included a league single-game record with six field goals at Texas State. Turner's extra point against Mississippi State passed Ray Perkins for eighth-place in school history with 121 points.

LIONS "IN THE ZONE"
Southeastern were very successful in the red zone in 2007, and have had modest success in 2008 ... after converting on 27 of 30 attempts (90%) in the zone in 2007, Southeastern is 11-for-12 (92%) in five games this season with nine scores coming on touchdowns ... defensively, the Lions have had some success holding opponents to 15-for-18 (83%), including two stops against Alcorn State ... the Lions' held on fourth-down against Alcorn State in the season-opener after the Braves drove to the Southeastern 8.

OWEN "WALKING ON DEAD FISH"
Sophomore Johnny Owen (LaPlace, La.) plays one of the feature roles in the soon-to-be-released "Walking on Dead Fish," a documentary narrated by Terry Bradshaw (who was also an Executive Producer). Owen was a prep standout at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina forced Owen and family (and nearly 20,000 New Orleanians) to move to nearby LaPlace. Owen finished his senior year at East St. John High School, where he was the Wildcats' starting running back ... the movie opened last weekend in New Orleans with a pair of showings.

LUCAS AND THE CENTURY MARK
After finishing second in the Southland Conference in rushing last season, Jay Lucas took his game to the level most thought of after a blue-chip career at Baton Rouge's Redemptorist High School. In 2007, Lucas rushed for a school-record 1,239 yards with 12 TDs. Lucas averaged 7.2 yards per carry and posted six 100-yard games. Lucas' eight 100-yard games in his career is tied with Ray Perkins for fourth in school history.

Top 10 Leaders in 100-yard rushing games
1. Jerry Butler 13
2. Mack Boatner 11
3. Horace Belton 11
4. Ray Perkins 8
4. Jay Lucas 8
6. Ted Glaser 6
7. C.J. Alexander 5
8. Charlie Thomas 4
8. Robert Hicks 4
10. Gino Marino 3

ON OPENERS
Southeastern has a 36-21-3 record in season-opening games dating back to 1930 ... The Lions dropped their last two openers (both against New Mexico State and former coach Hal Mumme) before defeating Alcorn State, 34-28, last week in Lorman ... the Lions won their first three after reviving the program in 2003 ... in road openers dating back to 1946, Southeastern has posted an 12-9-1 record ... prior to its win in Lorman, the Lions' last victory to open the season on the road came at McNeese State (17-7) in 1982.

LIONS PERFECT IN HOME OPENERS SINCE RETURN
Since returning football to campus in the 2003 season, Southeastern has been perfect in season-opening games going 6-0 ... the Lions, who defeated South Dakota on Sept. 13, earned wins over Division II Arkansas-Monticello in 2003 (22-17) and 2004 (46-32) before picking up a win over Alcorn State (48-21) in the 2005 debut ... in 2006, Southeastern defeated Jacksonville (Fla.), 41-13, and blasted Division II Kentucky Wesleyan, 79-7, in last season's home opener ... since its 2003 win over UAM, Southeastern has averaged 49.0 points per game as it has outscored its opponents, 245-103.

ON SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE OPENERS
Southeastern's 21-3 win over Stephen F. Austin in last year's SLC opener marked the first time the Lions opened conference play with a victory ... Southeastern opened its first SLC slate in 2005 dropping a 30-15 decision to 14th-ranked Texas State at Strawberry Stadium before falling at Nicholls State, 14-10, in last year's SLC opener in Thibodaux ... the win by the Lions also marked the first time since 1976 (a 28-12 win over Tennessee-Martin in the Gulf South Conference opener) that Southeastern won its opening conference game.

LIONS OVERCOME ADVERSITY
In terms of adversity in the past three years, Southeastern been a seasoned veteran ... since the end of the 2004 season, Southeastern has dealt with 1.) former head coach Hal Mumme's departure for New Mexico State; 2.) record-setting quarterback Martin Hankin's transfer to Memphis, 3.) Hurricane Katrina which forced the Lions to cancel one game and reschedule another with the homes of over a dozen players' families affected by storm surge, 4.) former coach Dennis Roland's bout with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma through much of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and 5.) Hurricane Gustav.

LIONS WORK OUT IN OXFORD
The latest bout of adversity forced Southeastern to move its operations north in preparation for the Lions' Sept. 6 game at Mississippi State ... the Lions bussed to Oxford, Miss., (normally a five-hour commute but took 10 hours) on Aug. 31 and set up at Camp Lake Stephens - a Methodist camp located minutes from the Ole Miss campus ... with classes cancelled in Hammond, Southeastern worked around the Ole Miss schedule, using the Rebels' football facilities, including the indoor facility and weight room.

WELCOME TO DIVISION I FOOTBALL
A total of 22 players saw their first taste of Division I football in Southeastern's season-opener last week at Alcorn State with three newcomers (Craig Duronslet, Quinten Pierre and Chris Wilson) each earning starts. The latest to see his first action in the Green and Gold was freshman Brian Rodgers (Baton Rouge, La.), who saw action against North Dakota. The defensive lineman recorded a tackle for loss and forced a fumble in his debut.

AT HOME SINCE THE RETURN
The Lions have been solid at home in Strawberry Stadium since returning football in 2003 ... The Lions are 19-10 in the friendly confines with a 5-1 mark in 2003 and another solid 5-2 slate in 2004. Southeastern was 3-2 last season with wins over Kentucky Wesleyan, Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls State. The Lions were 2-2 in 2005 and went 2-3 in 2006.

THE ROAD HAS NOT BEEN KIND
Since returning football for the 2003 season, the Lions are 5-26 when playing outside of Strawberry Stadium, including an 0-6 record in the past two seasons ... Southeastern snapped its 12-game skid Aug. 30 with a 34-28 win at Alcorn State ... two of the five road wins came in 2004 as the Lions knocked off nationally-ranked McNeese State in Lake Charles and Jacksonville ... Southeastern picked up its first-ever road win as a member of the Southland Conference with a 45-23 win at Stephen F. Austin in 2005 (the only SLC road win by the Lions) and closed the year with a 38-21 win at Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 19, 2005 - its last road win until the ASU contest.

BAYOU BOWL LIONS
Southeastern and "Defensive MVP" have been common when describing the Bayou Bowl - the high school football all-star game pitting teams from Louisiana and Texas. The last four defensive MVPs, dating back to the 2004 event with Keithshone Dantzler, have signed with Southeastern. Following Dantzler in earning Defensive MVP honors have been Tommy Connors (2005), Ryan Godare (2006) and Devin Jones (2007).

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Southeastern is 2-7 against FCS (formally I-AA) ranked opponents since 2003 ... The biggest win to date for the Lions since returning football came in 2004 as they knocked off then sixth-ranked McNeese State, 51-17, in Lake Charles ... In 2003, top-ranked McNeese State defeated the Lions 52-21 at home while No. 24-ranked Sam Houston State handed the Lions a 45-17 defeat in 2004 ... Also in 2003, No. 20 Northwestern State slapped an 87-27 defeat on the Lions in Natchitoches ... In the 2005 season, the Lions dropped a decision at home to No. 14 Texas State followed by a loss at 23rd-ranked Northwestern_State and a 37-13 win over No. 20 McNeese_State ... The most recent was a loss to fifth-ranked McNeese State (45-17) on Oct. 27 in Lake Charles.