LAKELAND, Fla. – Fire football stuck to the game plan on Saturday night, using a clock-churning rushing attack and a pair of pick-offs for scores on the way to a 34-0 shutout of Faulkner University at Victory Field.
The Fire defense showed up all night, exerting itself from the start. After its second three-and-out in as many series, SEU quarterback Nate Mikell capped a 7-play, 49-yard drive with a 15-yard scramble for pay dirt and the game's first points. The Fire never looked back.
In fact, the SEU defense kept its edge the entire night. The Fire allowed the Eagle offense only three first down and 87 yards of total offense on the night. Joseph Bonga picked off a Faulkner pass and raced it back 56 yards with 10:36 in the second quarter for a 14-0 home lead. Leading 17-0 midway through the third frame, Jamil Jones added his own pick six for a 32-yard touchdown to make the score 24-0.
With the win, the Fire start 1-0 for the first time in two years after a tough 23-20 defeat to NCAA Division II Savannah State in last season's opener. The SEU victory also snapped a two-game losing skid against Faulkner and made up for a 16-13 overtime loss in Montgomery a year ago. The last SEU win in the series came on November 9, 2019 at Faulkner, as the Fire beat the Eagles 54-27 that day.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Fire rushing game enjoyed success throughout the night, rolling to 233 yards on 51 carries. The offense had 324 yards on the night.
Mikell completed 4 of his 5 pass attempts for 62 yards and 34-yard touchdown to go with four rushes for 34 yards and the team's opening 15-yard scoring scramble.
The balanced rushing attack had Daniel Parker lead the way with 68 yards on six carries and one reception for 11 yards. Curtis Kimmons was the workhorse with 14 totes for 49 yards, with Josiah Neos adding 48 yards on 11 carries.
Alex Reyes pulled in two of the six passes for 46 yards with a 34-yard touchdown, while Desi Lester also had two catches for 25 yards.
Bonga and Jones provided the big plays, but transfer Jomier Augustin led the entire Fire defensive unit with seven total tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. Brady Newlan added five tackles and Omarion Jones four. Ian Jolly chipped in four tackles with one for a loss, while Carlos Gerardin finished with four as well with a sack.
Faulkner's Sean Parnell completed 8 of 18 pass attempts for 70 yards with La'Derrick Bell pulling in seven of those for 61 yards.
Southeastern hosts No. 18 Reinhardt University on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day on September 14. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at Victory Field.
