Box Score

          
HAMMOND – It took a little while for the Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana football team to get going, but once they did the No. 8/10 Lions clicked on all cylinders on the way to winning their first ever outright league title Thursday night in Strawberry Stadium.  
 
Southeastern (10-2, 7-0 Southland), which set a single-season school record for victories, shook off a sloppy first half and rolled to a historic 52-27 victory over Nicholls State (4-8, 1-6 Southland) in the River Bell Classic. The Lions scored 32 points in the third quarter to pull away, finishing with a single-game school record 702 total yards to close the regular season with a resounding victory.
 
Now the Lions will await their date, opponent and destination for their first-ever FCS Playoff game. Southeastern will be part of the 24-team field that will be announced on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on ESPNU. With their ninth straight victory, the Lions are one of the nation's hottest teams and are in contention to be one of the top eight national seeds that receives a first round bye. The playoffs begin with the first round games on Nov. 30, but the eight national seeds will not play until Dec. 7. All Lion playoff information will be updated as available at www.LionSports.net/playoffs2013.
 
"To go undefeated in Southland Conference play is a huge feat," Southeastern head coach Ron Roberts, an Eddie Robinson Award finalist who has taken the program to new heights in just his second season, said. "We're excited to have the opportunity to represent this great university and conference in the NCAA Playoffs. I'm so proud of our student athletes and what they were able to accomplish this season. We are very appreciative of our fans and administration for all their support."
 
In addition to the single-game school record total yardage, Southeastern also accumulated a season-high 377 rushing yards and 28 first downs. Lion junior quarterback and Walter Payton Award candidate Bryan Bennett once again led the Southeastern offense. In a little less than three quarters of play, the Granada Hills, Calif. native threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Bennett also rushed for a game-high 120 yards and his 14^th rushing touchdown of the season, tying the single-season school record set by Horace Belton in 1974.
 
Bennett was not the only Lion to etch his name in the school record books on Thursday, as senior kicker Seth Sebastian became the school's all-time leading scorer in his final regular season home game. The Lafayette native hit three field goals – including a season-long 46-yarder – and connected on all five of his extra point attempts to run his career point total to 276, surpassing the previous mark of 264 set by former Lion kicker Jeff Turner. Sebastian finished the regular season a perfect 14-for-14 on field goals and 61-of-62 on extra points with his one miss coming on a block.
 
Bennett led a Lion rushing attack that saw junior Devante Scott, sophomore Kody Sutton and sophomore Xavier Roberson all score touchdowns on the ground. Senior Marquis Fruge' led the Lions with four catches and 89 yards, while senior Tony McCrea and junior Marquis Hayes each hauled in scores from Bennett.
 
The Lion defense harassed NSU quarterbacks Tuskani Figaro and Beaux Hebert into a combined three interceptions. Sophomores Denzel Thompson, Harlan Miller and Josh Dakin all picked off passes for Southeastern, while junior Justin Church recovered a fumble. Junior Drew Misita led the Lions with eight tackles, as he sophomore Dereck Robinson and junior Isiah Corbett each had two tackles for loss.
 
A McCrea touchdown catch and two Sebastian field goals were all Southeastern could manage in the first half, as the Lions went into the halftime break down, 14-13, to the rival Colonels.
 
Southeastern ended any chance of an upset with a dominant third quarter. The Lions took the opening drive of the second half into Colonel territory and Sebastian gave Southeastern the lead for good with a 46-yard field goal, putting the Lions up, 16-14, with 12:57 left in the third quarter.
 
A 32-yard punt return by Miller set Southeastern up near midfield on its ensuing drive. On the first play, Scott took an end around and raced down the right sideline to put the Lions up, 23-14, with 9:52 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Nicholls answered on its ensuing drive, as Figaro connected on long passes to Xavier Marcus (25 yards) and Carey Fortson (36 yards) to highlight a four-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Reggie Wilson capped the march with a nine-yard run up the middle to cut the Lion lead to 23-20. However, Thompson blocked the extra point and Miller took it back for two points to put Southeastern up, 25-20, with 8:13 left in the third quarter.
 
Southeastern wasted no time adding to their point total, as a two-yard plunge by Sutton capped a quick five-play, 67-yard march and pushed the Southeastern advantage to 32-20 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
 
Thompson intercepted Figaro deep in Nicholls territory to set the Lions up with a short field. Four plays later, Bennett bulled in from a yard out to give the Lions a commanding 38-20 lead with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
 
After Church fell on a fumble by Michael Henry, Southeastern closed out the third quarter scoring. Bennett's final pass of the regular season was hauled in by Hayes for a 54-yard touchdown. The score was the third in as many weeks for the Brookhaven, Miss. native.
 
Southeastern closed out its scoring early in the fourth quarter. After a Dakin interception set the Lions up in Nicholls territory, Barnett led the Lions on a 45-yard, six-play scoring drive. Roberson powered in from three yards out to give Southeastern a 52-20 lead with 10:50 to play. Nicholls State scored a touchdown in the final minute to make the final margin more respectable.