HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team came out on the wrong end of a 14-13 defensive struggle versus Tarleton State in its nonconference finale Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium. 

In a game that featured no scores for nearly three straight quarters, SLU (0-5) pulled within one on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Zachary Clement to Darius Lewis with just over five minutes remaining. However, the tying PAT was mishandled and the visiting Texans (4-1) were able to run out the clock from there. 

Southeastern outgained Tarleton State, 410-203, but committed three turnovers and came up empty on three red zone possessions. 

Saturday’s contest was the finest effort to date for the Lion defense, limiting a Texan offense that was averaging over 50 points a game versus FCS competition. Herman Christophe IV led SLU with 10 tackles, while Coryell Pierce contributed seven stops and a sack. Tyrone Legette recorded his second interception of the fall for the Lions, as he and Markell Linzer were each credited with two pass breakups. 

Eli Sawyer handled the majority of the work under center for the Lion offense, finishing 18-for-29 for 199 yards and two interceptions. Clement led SLU with 70 yards on 11 carries, while also completing four of five passes for 41 yards and a score. Harlan Dixon finished with 100 total yards (29 rushing, 71 receiving) for Southeastern, while Lewis and Bauer Sharp each found the end zone. 

Kayvon Britten led the Tarleton State offense with 87 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. TSU’s defensive effort was paced by Jalen Carr and Kyle Taylor with nine tackles apiece, while Blake Smith had a pick six for the Texans.   

After Southeastern forced a Texan punt to open the game, TSU scored on the Lions’ first offensive possession. Smith stepped in front of a Sawyer pass and returned the pick 23 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. 

SLU answered on its next drive. On a fourth-and-short inside the red zone, Sharp broke through the line and raced in for a 19-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 7-7 with 7:55 remaining in the opening quarter. 

A big hit on Jacob Logan by Taylor resulted in a Keldric Williams interception to end the next Southeastern drive near midfield. Five plays later, Britton streaked in to the end zone from 15 yards out to give TSU a 14-7 lead with 53 seconds left in the opening period. 

Southeastern drove deep into Texan territory on the opening drive of the second quarter. However, on fourth-and-short from the TSU 10-yard line, Sharp was stopped and the Lions were turned over on downs. 

After the two teams traded punts, SLU appeared to tie the game. KK Reno stripped TSU quarterback Victor Gabalis and returned the fumble 40 yards for the apparent tying score. After a lengthy review, the call was overturned and it was ruled an incomplete pass. Later in the drive, Legette stepped in front of a Gabalis throw to thwart the Texan drive. 

Southeastern was poised to get points on its final march of the second quarter. The drive stalled just inside the red zone, but Riley Callaghan’s 35-yard field goal try missed wide left and the Lions went into the break trailing by seven. 

The Lions again had a scoring opportunity on its first drive of the third quarter. After moving into the TSU red zone, Clement was stripped on a keeper by Steve Albert Jr., who pounced on the loose ball at the Texan 20-yard line. 

The two teams traded punts for the next seven drives before SLU finally found the end zone to cap a nine-play, 68-yard drive, but couldn’t convert on the game-tying extra-point try. The TSU pair of Britten and Derrel Kelley III grinded out three first downs to sap Southeastern of its remaining timeouts. Facing a fourth-and-one from just inside Lion territory, the Texans went for it and Britten surged forward for a four-yard gain to ice the win. 

After two straight home games, Southeastern will return to the road, traveling to No. 8/9 UIW for a 4 p.m. Southland Conference contest Oct. 7 in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard live on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).

Best Bets is back! 

Hunter McCann and Michael Shingleton are back again this week, to give you the Best Bets for College Football and the NFL!

Week 5 of College Football:

LSU -2.5

Georgia -13.5

Kansas +17.5

Week 4 of the NFL!

Jaguars -3

Dolphins +3

Cowboys -6.5

For an in-depth analysis of all these picks, tune into Hunter every Saturday on Sports Shorts Radio, 10am-Noon, on ESPN 104.5!

BATON ROUGE - LSU freshman linebacker Whit Weeks has made an early impact for the LSU Tigers since being inserted into the starting lineup.

"Last week against Mississippi State. In the first play, I couldn't feel my legs because it was my first start. So I was really nervous, of course. And then this week, here at home, I knew it was gonna be a totally different ballgame because it's a different level here than anywhere else," Weeks said of his early playing time as a Tiger.

The freshman from Watkinsville, Georgia was thrust into the starting line-up due to an injury to fellow linebacker Omar Speights, but Weeks has been making the most of his time, including an early start to his college career when he early enrolled in the Spring.

"Thank goodness I came in January because if I wouldn't have come in January, I probably still wouldn't know.  Spring ball all the meetings we got in March and April and even May really is what helped me learn and then all the extra meetings I got with all the assistants and GA really helped me learn because it's totally different than high school."

Weeks who starred on both offense and defense in high school is adjusting to life in college where there's more to know and more to do even before the ball is snapped.

"In high school, you got two coverages, here you got so many coverages. You have to know so many different assignments you got to know. So it's a totally different ballgame."

Weeks has had an early impressive showing as he led the Tigers in tackles on the road at Mississippi State and then set his own career high with nine tackles last week against Arkansas.

"Coming in, in fall camp, you know, I was running with the twos not really run with the ones but I knew that if my time came I'd, you know, make the most of it," Weeks said of his learning curve and early production.

It certainly doesn't hurt that his older brother West Weeks is also a Tiger linebacker and there to help show him the ropes, even if the two did get after one another as brothers growing up.

"Playing with my brother's awesome. I mean, back in high school my sophomore year his senior year was the most fun I've ever had playing football. And I knew whenever I made a mistake, he was right there to help clean it up. So it was really easy playing with him. And you know, growing up with him, we have good chemistry out there on the field too. I love playing with him and that's one of the main reasons why I came here."

Having a chance to hit other football players who aren't your brother but alongside your brother is something that both have been working towards all their young lives.

"As little boys, we were pretty rough. We would fight all the time. I mean, I don't know how my mom survived because she was always screaming as she was driving because you're right in the backseat, we get after it. And out on the field plan together. We'd roughhouse."

The Tigers are hoping both Weeks brothers can continue to "roughhouse" the opposition as their careers continue.

BATON ROUGE - You've got plenty of chances to watch the defending national champions this coming women’s basketball  season as the SEC announced it's broadcast schedule on Wednesday afternoon and LSU will be featured in 17 televised games on the ESPN and its networks this upcoming season.

LSU lands on the main network at least five times with the remaining games on either ESPN2 or the SEC Network.

Every one of LSU’s conference games except for one will be televised.

All of LSU’s home games will be available to watch online with SEC Network + and their two non-conference road games at Southeastern and Coppin State will have streaming options as well.

A television announcement for LSU’s season opener against Colorado at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas will be made at a later date.

LSU Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Season Television Schedule: