Southeastern Louisiana University Lions
HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team will help the university celebrate Homecoming 2016 when it welcomes Houston Baptist for a4 p.m. Southland Conference contest Saturday in Strawberry Stadium.
The game between the Lions (3-3, 3-1 Southland) and the visiting Huskies (2-4, 1-3 Southland) can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9 FM, Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, WFPR 1400 AM). The Southeastern Channel will air the game on a tape delay and will provide a live stream that will be accessible at LionSports.net.
The first 300 SLU students in attendance will receive free t-shirts courtesy of Southeastern Athletics Marketing and Promotions. The 2016 Homecoming King and Queen will be announced at halftime of the SLU-HBU contest.
The Homecoming parade is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will make its way through Friendship Circle as part of the parade route. There will be no parking in Friendship Circle on Saturday and Friendship Circle will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday. Friendship Circle parking passes will be honored at Lot B. For more information, contact Southeastern Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Development Tom Dawsey at (985) 549-5226 ortd*****@se**.edu.
Southeastern will be looking to extend its winning streak to three games on Saturday. The Lions are riding the momentum of last Saturday’s 58-34 victory at league foe Stephen F. Austin. Return touchdowns by junior Courtney Rutledge (72-yard blocked kick return) and freshman Jacorey Fuller (41-yard interception return) keyed a 21-point fourth quarter for SLU.
“We have played probably our best two games thus far the past two weeks,” Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts said. “But we still think our best football is ahead of us. We have to continue to grow as a team and be ready to play our best when it matters most.”
Southeastern will be facing an HBU team hoping to snap a three-game losing streak. The toughest loss of the skid occurred last Saturday when the Huskies dropped a 33-30 double-overtime decision versus Nicholls.
“Houston Baptist is impressive on film,” Roberts commented. “They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and have some losses that could’ve easily gone the other way. We have to be prepared to face a very good team on Saturday.”
Southeastern racked up 446 total yards in the win at SFA. Senior Justin Alo threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game late in the third quarter with an injury. Senior D’Shaie Landor, who is expected to make his second start of the season under center on Saturday, connected with true freshman Jacq’co Price for the Crowley, Louisiana native’s first collegiate touchdown.
Junior Juwan Dickey hauled in five passes for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns versus the ‘Jacks. Senior Brandon Acker (21 catches, 518 yards, 5 TD) and Dickey (18-398-4 TD) have proven to be a dynamic pass-catching duo, as they rank 1st and 4th, respectively, in FCS in terms of yards per catch.
Senior Rasheed Harrell (273 yards, 2 TD) leads the Lions on the ground. Southeastern has primarily used three different running backs, as Harrell is joined in the trio by senior Kaelyn Henderson (228-2 TD) and sophomore Julius Maracalin (174-2 TD).
The Lion offense will be facing a HBU defense that is yielding 39.2 points and 452.5 yards per contest. Garrett Dolan leads the Southland Conference with 72 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss
The Southeastern defense is coming off forcing a season-high four turnovers, as Fuller, junior Torrance Mosley and sophomore Sean Clavelle each recorded the first interceptions of their Lion careers. Mosley also recovered a fumble that was forced by freshman Kijuan Lee.
SLU comes into Saturday’s game allowing 34.8 points and 408.0 yards per contest. Junior Javon Tillman leads the Lions with 48 tackles, followed by junior Max Lyons (45), Mosley (40), junior Lee Spight (39) and junior Ryan Sigers (38).
Southeastern will be facing a HBU offense that is averaging 18.8 points and 366.7 yards per game. Tony Dawson (941 yards, 3 TD) and Max Staver (116 yards, 1 TD) have split time under center for the Huskies. Isaiah Hall (22 catches, 168 yards) and Wesley Lewis (18-280-1 TD) are the top pass catches, while Terrance Peters (424 yards, 4 TD) and Dawson (353 yards, 2 TD) are the most effective rushers.
The Lions are 2-0 all-time versus one of the newest members of the Southland Conference. Last season, in a driving rain in Houston, SLU grinded out a 22-7 victory over the Huskies.
Saturday’s game is the first of two straight at home for the Lions. On Oct. 29, the Lions welcome league foe Central Arkansas to town for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, while also being heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU 90.9 FM, Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and WFPR 1400 AM).
Saturday’s game with the Bears will also be the Hall of Fame game. The 2016 Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame class of Kenny Lehrmann (baseball), Jacques Chevallier (golf) and Calvin Favron (football) will be inducted in a private pregame ceremony and will be honored at halftime of the SLU-UCA game.
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