Lions Win 30-29 Thriller to Advance to FCS Quarterfinals
Southeastern Athletics
HAMMOND, La. – Trailing the two-time defending national runner up 29-24 with 1:21 left on the clock, the ball on its own 15-yard line and no timeouts left, Southeastern Louisiana was on the brink of having its season end at the hands of Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State in Saturday’s NCAA Division I Football Championship second-round contest at Strawberry Stadium.
Southeastern junior quarterback Bryan Bennett and the Lions had other plans.
Bennett was a perfect 6-for-6 on an 85-yard game-winning drive that took just 49 seconds off the clock. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Smiley hauled in a 1-yard pass from the Southland Conference Player of the Year with 36 seconds remaining to give the Lions a 30-29 victory.
The win was the 10th straight for the Southland champion and No. 4 national seed Lions (11-2), who are making their debut in the FCS playoffs. To advance to the quarterfinals, Southeastern had to outlast a veteran tested Bearkats team (9-5) that had advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas, in each of the past two years.
The victory set up the Lions for another home playoff game next week. Southeastern will host New Hampshire on Saturday at 6 p.m., CT, at Strawberry Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and ESPN Game Plan.
The drive resulted in the first points of the second half for the high-powered Lions, as a 2-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Brian Bell had given Sam Houston State a five-point lead with 10:50 remaining in the game.
Southeastern’s offense continued to sputter over the next several possessions and Sam Houston had a chance to put the game away when the Lions were forced to punt with just over three minutes left.
Sam Houston managed to earn one first down, but on third and one from his 43-yard line, Bearkat freshman Jared Johnson was stuffed by Lion seniors Cqulin Hubert and Greg Triay to give Bennett and the Lion offense one more chance. The Lion defense kept Southeastern in the game by holding Sam Houston State to 0-for-11 on third-down opportunities.
Once given one last chance, Bennett, who finished the game 19-for-33 for 286 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, was a surgeon on the final drive. On the opening play, the Granada Hills, Calif. native found senior Tony McCrea (11 yards) and senior Marquis Fruge’ (12 yards) on consecutive passes to move the Lions to near midfield.
Bennett then fired a bullet to Smiley down the middle for 21 yards to move into Bearkat territory. Fruge’ then got free on a sideline route for an additional 15 yards. After the next play was wiped out by offsetting penalties, Fruge’ hauled in a 25-yard toss down the left sideline and set up the Lions with first and goal at the Sam Houston 1-yard line.
On the next play, Smiley was left wide open in the right corner of the end zone for the winning score. Sam Houston State was given one more chance in the final minute, but the Lions forced four straight incomplete passes to secure the victory.
Sam Houston State jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the opening quarter, as Torrance Williams scored on an 11-yard run, then Bennett threw an interception that De’Antrey Loche returned for a 12-yard touchdown to take a 14-0 early advantage.
The Lions answered with a nine-play, 77-yard drive to get on the board. Bennett capped the drive with a five-yard scoring run – his single-season school record 15th rushing touchdown of the year. However, after the Lions forced a three-and-out, freshman Jarrell Bennett fumbled the ensuing punt deep in his own territory. The Bearkats pounced on it and two plays later, Flanders powered in to give Sam Houston a 21-7 lead.
While the Bearkats controlled the opening quarter, the second quarter was all Lions. A 25-yard field goal by senior Seth Sebastian, a 45-yard gallop by sophomore Rasheed Harrell and a 16-yard Bennett to Fruge’ scoring pass put the Lions up, 24-21, heading into the break.
With a shootout seemingly inevitable, the defenses upped the intensity in the third quarter. The only points scored in the period were the result of a Sam Houston State safety, when Eric Fieilo sacked Bennett to cut the lead to 24-23.
Sam Houston State finally took the lead with a five-play, 73-yard drive on its first drive of the fourth quarter. A 57-yard run by Keshawn Hill set up Bell’s scoring run. On the next two drives, Southeastern would not allow Sam Houston State to run out the clock, as Triay twice led a Lion charge to stop the Bearkats on short yardage situations.
Both Smiley (eight catches, 119 yards) and Fruge’ (6-116) topped 100 yards receiving for the Lions. Bennett led the Lion ground attack with 19 carries for 83 yards, while Harrell put up 61 yards on six carries. Hubert, the Southland Defensive Player of the Year, led the Lion defense with 11 tackles, as Southeastern held Bell and Johnson to just 15 yards passing combined.