HAMMOND, La. – HBU overcame a 28-0 deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Southeastern Louisiana's last of three defensive score cemented the Lions' 62-52 victory over the Huskies in Southland Conference football Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback
Bailey Zappe completed 29-of-46 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Huskies (1-5, 0-4 SLC). Freshman Jerreth Sterns caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a 42-yard touchdown pass. Junior
Terry Tillmon caught three passes for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one from Zappe and the other from Sterns. Sophomore
LaDarius Dickens added 97 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Freshman linebacker
Brennan Young led HBU with 14 tackles and had 1.5 sacks, while sophomore linebacker
Caleb Johnson made 11 stops and returned a fumble for a touchdown and sophomore safety
Patrick Wolfe was in on 10 tackles. Junior defensive end
Andre Walker recorded 2.5 sacks, becoming the Huskies' all-time leader with 10. Senior linebacker
Kyle Bowling had seven tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
Chason Virgil completed 19-of-34 passes for 240 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for SLU (3-4, 3-2). Darren Johnson rushed 21 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Julius Maracalin rushed for 69 yards. CJ Turner caught four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Jake Ingraffia and Bransen Schwebel each had a receiving touchdown.
Tamarcus Russell had 10 tackles and an interception for the Lions, while Xavier Lewis had nine and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Zeke Walker and Tre' Spann each returned an interception for a touchdown for SLU.
HBU outgained SLU, 512-430, outpassing them, 384-246. The Lions had the edge on the ground, 184-128, and forced four turnovers to the Huskies' two.
SLU jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring first on an 11-yard touchdown run by Devonte Williams. Walker returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown, then Lorenzo Nunez completed a four-yard pass to Schwebel for a score. The Lions recorded their second pick six of the half, when Spann took a Zappe pass back 50 yards for a touchdown for a 28-0 lead early in the second.
After a strip sack Walker, HBU got on the board on a 36-yard field goal by redshirt freshman kicker
Tyler Blanchard. On SLU's ensuing drive, freshman safety
Colton Manning forced a fumble that was returned by Johnson 18 yards for a touchdown.
Virgil's 16-yard touchdown pass to Ingarffia with 4:27 to go in the half put SLU ahead, 35-10.
The Huskies got back into the game over the final two minutes, when Zappe threw a screen to Sterns, who then found Tillmon wide open for a 42-yard touchdown. When the Lions got the ball back, Virgil was picked off by Bowling, who returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to cut the Huskies' deficit to 35-23 heading into halftime.
SLU took the second half kickoff and a 49-yard run by Johnson set up his six-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 42-23 lead.
The Huskies answered with Zappe hitting Sterns for a three-yard touchdown, then a 41-yard strike to Tillmon made the score 42-37 with 4:35 to go in the third.
Dickens punched in a touchdown from one yard out, then Zappe hit redshirt freshman
Jaylon Johnson for the two-point conversion to give HBU its first lead at 45-42 with 14:55 remaining in the game.
SLU took advantage of a good kickoff return and a 15-yard penalty tacked on to set up Jonathan Tatum's 42-yard field goal to tie it with 13:38 left. The Huskies stood firm near the goal line and the Lions settled for another Tatum field, this one from 20 yards out, to lead 48-45 with exactly 8:00 left on the clock.
HBU once again answered right back as it regained the advantage, 52-48, on an eight-yard touchdown reception by Sterns with 5:16 to go. The Huskies forced a punt, but also had to punt after a three-and-out, and gave up a long return to Juan Petit-Frere. Virgil then completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Turner with 40 second left to put the Lions up, 55-52.
On the Huskies' final drive, Zappe was sacked by Jon Miller and fumbled, then Xavier Lewis scooped it up and returned it 38 yards for the final score.
The Huskies return to action when they host Stephen F. Austin for Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. at Husky Stadium.
