Freshman tight end Toby Briggs sets a block as the Lions score another touchdown during
the game last Saturday against Houston Baptist University.  Blocking was a key to the
team’s success running the ball throughout the game. Three Lions rushed for over 50 yards
as the team would finish with 362 yards on the ground.  The Lion’s Roar / Fernanda Chagas

Last Saturday, the Lion football team left no fan dissatisfied when they played the Houston Baptist Huskies and not only won, but also set new school records.

Held at Strawberry Stadium, this was the second to last home game of the season.

The Lions drilled the Huskies into the field, making repetitive touchdowns and never ceasing with their defenses’ powers to hold the line.

“We got off to a quick start and did a nice job staying focused on the task at hand on both sides of the field,” said head coach Ron Roberts.

But the game was far from an easy win despite the score.

In the first quarter, Houston Baptist scored early on but proved unsuccessful in advancing their score any further.

Both teams suffered several injuries, flags were thrown and plays were shut down quickly with huge pileups.

The Lions star quarterback Bryan Bennett was injured and taken out of the game early during the first quarter, but that did not cripple the team. Senior Jordan Barnett stepped up to the challenge and helped the team continue to drive into the end zone with his passes meeting their intended targets.

Barnett capped off Bennett’s 126 yards with his own 233, with three touch downs. Sophomore D’Shaie Landor also threw 85 yards. The trio produced a total of 444 yards, a new season high.

“It’s about every drive and how you respond. We talked about it, that’s the whole point of the game, to score, and it takes 11 guys to focus and get it done,” said Roberts.

In the second half, the Lions continued to force their way to the end zone relentlessly and doubled their score from 14 to 28.

Southeastern’s leading running back, freshman Eugene Bethea, performed a career high of 125 yards while junior running back Kody Sutton was credited with a career high of three touchdowns and 109 yards. Rasheed Harrell rushed for 44 yards and Landor added 71 yards as well. Combined, there was a total of 362 yards for the rushing attack.

The team accomplished a new school record of 806 yards in a single game.

Early in the third quarter, Sutton was deflected by the Huskies from completing a touchdown but it was in the quarter’s remaining 2:40 minutes that Sutton executed his most memorable play of the night, when he ran up the field from 52 yards out, weaving through players and making it into the end zone.

“I’m excited about it [the 800 yards]. Anytime you get yards like that, it’s a compliment to the offense,” said Sutton.

In the fourth quarter, junior defensive back Harlan Miller executed the 32-yard punt return that put the Lions on the Huskies’ side during the first drive of the quarter. Landor finished the drive with a time of only 13:35 remaining in the game.

Beating the university’s record, the Lions ended the game with a final score of 76-7.