Southeastern Louisiana Football enters 2014 at number 7 in our rankings. Check out our Top 25 Season Preview for more on the top college teams to watch this fall. Can’t find your team in the Top 25? View our full rankings to see where every team stands.
Last Season: 11-3 (7-0) Southland Conference
In 2013, the Lions rolled through the regular season. Their only losses came in the first three weeks – an expected loss at TCU of the FBS, and a 12-point heartbreaker to comeback-kids South Dakota State week three. From that point on, Southeastern La. scored 30+ every time they stepped onto the field until their season ended in a 20-17 defeat at the hands of New Hampshire in the FCS quarterfinals.
Dearly Departed
-Tony McCrea WR – 40 receptions, 689 yards, 2 TDs
-Marquis Fruge WR – 39 receptions, 630 yards, 7 TDs
-Greg Triay DL – 33 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
-Cqulin Hubert LB – 90 tackles (team high), 10.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 INT
-Kevin Harmon DB – 77 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT
-Theo Alexander DB – 81 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INTs
-Seth Sebastian K – First team FCS All-American, 16-18, long of 46
What to Watch For
Experience – Quarterback Bryan Bennett transferred in from Oregon and lead the team in just about every way last year – emotionally, on the field, through the air (60.73%, 3,165 yards, 21 TDs, 11 INTs), and on the ground (team-high 183 rushing attempts for 1,173 yards and 16 TDs). He will be a senior this season, and he’ll have every one of the Lions’ top five rushers from last season back, as well as his number one wide receiver – Jeff Smiley.
Xavier Roberson – Named a second team FCS All-American as an all-purpose player, Roberson will continue to be a true x-factor for the Lions. His impressive straight-line speed and even more impressive lateral-quickness will continue help him to win accolades and football games.
Expectations
Head coach Ron Roberts has already proven himself a huge asset to the Southeastern Louisiana program. He took over a Lions team that went 3-8 in 2011 and just two later, brought them to 11-3 as the SLC coach of the year. It’s only going to get better. This year he will have a team that knows his system, his style, and what he is trying to do. Just as important – he knows these guys, he recruited them, he assembled them, he’s coached them. This team has the talent, the coach, and the experience to go all the way, and should be considered one of a handful of favorites to win it all.
