Game Day: No. 15 Southeastern vs. Warner

#15 Southeastern University Fire (3-1) vs. Warner University Royals (1-3)
7 p.m. Eastern—Victory Field
Lakeland, Fla.
 
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Game Coverage
Live Video    Live Stats
Game Notes    SEU         
Two-Deeps        SEU       WU
 
The 2017 season started with Southeastern playing four teams it had never faced on the football field. With a 3-1 record in out-of-division games, the Fire will now face five familiar faces to conclude the regular season.
 
Mid-South Conference Sun Division play starts with Southeastern hosting Warner. For two programs that have relatively brief histories, the series has a number of memorable moments.
 
Back in 2014, Southeastern hosted the Royals in the first game at Victory Field, with the hosts scoring the first win in program history by the count of 31-7.
 
The defense posted four takeaways, helping the Fire score 42 unanswered points in a 45-9 win over the Royals in 2015, after both teams waited out a lightning delay.
 
However, the most recent installment of the rivalry may have been the most memorable.
 
With lightning postponing the start until nearly 10 p.m., the Fire had to overcome a 10-point deficit, the largest SEU has ever overcome in a victory, along with five turnovers, the Fire ended up with a 52-44 triple overtime win. Tyson Kee's interception in the end zone at 1:29 a.m. concluded the contest.
 
In all three contests, Jarrell Reynolds has rushed for at least 140 yards. The redshirt senior will look to become the first player in program history to rush for 4,000 yards in his career.
 
Warner enters the 2017 matchup with a 1-3 record, ranking last in the Mid-South Conference in scoring per game.
 
However, quarterback D.J. Davis is sixth in the league in total offense per game at 214.8. The senior leads the Royals in rushing with 306 yards, and has passed for another 553.
 
Defensively, the Royals are giving up 22.5 points per game; good for sixth in the Mid-South, and the second-best among Sun Division teams. Junior William Bethel is fourth in the MSC in tackles for loss with 7.5 in four games.
 
For Southeastern, Tyson Kee has been named his conference's defensive player of the week after each Warner game he's played in. The redshirt junior from Pace, Fla. has an interception in the 2014 and 2016 games at Victory Field against the Royals.
 
On offense, Kansas transfer LaQuvionte Gonzalez has been a welcome addition to the passing game, having caught 23 passes for 385 yards with four touchdowns in three games. Gonzalez is fifth in the NAIA in receiving yards per game at 128.3, and has yet to be held under seven catches and under 115 yards in a game.