SELA 61 LAMAR 34 FINAL

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BEAUMONT, Texas – The ninth-ranked Southeastern Louisiana Lions used a late scoring barrage to pull away from Lamar for a 61-34 victory Saturday night at Provost Umphrey Stadium. The loss dropped Lamar to 4-3 (.517) on the season and 1-2 (.333) in Southland Conference play.

“They outplayed us tonight,” said head coach Ray Woodard. “We couldn’t stop them when we needed to. Defensively, we didn’t play well in the second half. There were a couple of times where we had them stopped in the backfield and they broke loose for a big play. It’s hard to win a game when you give up nearly 500 yards on the ground.”

Sophomore Xavier Bethany picked off a Bryan Bennett pass and returned it 40 yards for the score to pull Lamar within seven points with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter. The play, which appeared to hand the momentum over to the Cardinals, only seemed to spark the Lions as the visitors scored the game’s next 27 points. SLU recorded 398 of its 651 yards of total offense in the second half.

Although the Lions scored 61 points in the contest, it was a battle for the first 43:20 of the contest which saw Lamar score first. Junior Carl Harris put the first points on the board when he scored on an 11-yard run, but LU couldn’t convert the point after attempt.

The Lions answered with a 37-yard field goal, and a Bennett touchdown run. The reigning SLC Player of the Year finished the night with 290 yards of total offense, including 125 yards on the ground and three rushing scores.

The Cardinals didn’t stay down for long as senior Caleb Berry found classmate Mark Roberts for a 38-yard scoring strike just over a minute later. The lead wouldn’t last as SLU would score the final points of the half to take a four-point lead into the locker room. The deficit could’ve been larger until sophomore Tommie Barrett stepped in front of an SLU receiver to pick off a Bennett pass on the on the Lamar 22-yard line thwarting an SLU drive before the half. 

The Lions tried to break the game open early in the third quarter scoring consecutive touchdowns. Lamar responded 5:22 later when sophomore Kade Harrington capped a six-play, 50-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run to pull the Cards back within 11 points, 31-20.

The Lions added a 23-yard field goal, and got the ball back but the LU defense recorded another big play. Bethany made a great move on the ball recording Lamar’s second interception of the game. He returned it 40 yards for the score, marking the second time this season Lamar has returned a pick for a touchdown. The pick pulled Lamar within seven points but it would be the Cards final score until 2:25 remaining in the contest as SLU scored the next 27 points. Harrington tacked on a 24-yard run for the game’s final score with less than three minutes remaining.

Berry finished the game completing 19-of-35 passes for 280 yards and two scores. He connected with junior Reggie Begelton eight times for 117 yards. Harrington added 54 yards on 17 carries.

The LU defense, which picked Bennett off twice during the game, finished the night with two players in double figures. Bethany ended the night with 15 tackles, including one for a loss and the interception. Junior Ronnie Jones added 12 tackles, including four solo stops.

The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Oct. 18th when they travel to Thibodaux, La. to face Nicholls. The game against the Colonels is slated to kick off at 3 p.m. from Guidry Stadium

 

 

 

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