LAKELAND, Fla. -- No. 10 Southeastern fell 28-23 to Florida Memorial on Saturday night at Victory Field, as a last-minute touchdown drive by the Lions handed the Fire their first loss of the season in a back-and-forth Sun Conference battle.
The Fire came out strong, taking an early 10-0 lead behind a 48-yard field goal from
Joel McGrath and a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback
Nate Mikell. After FMU answered with a pair of second-quarter scores, SEU reclaimed momentum before halftime when
Curtis Kimmons powered into the end zone from three yards out to make it 17-14.
Kimmons led the Fire with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while Mikell added 43 rushing yards and a score along with 142 yards through the air. McGrath connected on field goals from 48, 36, and 46 yards, keeping Southeastern in front deep into the fourth quarter.
Defensively,
Thomas Ibrahim anchored the effort with six tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two sacks, while
Cole Highsmith added a forced fumble and recovery.
Ian Jolly made a key interception in the fourth quarter that momentarily preserved the Fire lead, but FMU capitalized on their final possession to take the win with 20 seconds left.
Southeastern finished with 306 yards of total offense, including 164 on the ground, compared to Florida Memorial's 387. The Fire defense forced four turnovers and recorded three sacks in a physical conference clash that came down to the final drive.
Southeastern (3-2, 0-1 Sun Conference) will look to bounce back next Saturday when they host Thomas University (Ga.) at 4 p.m. at Victory Field.
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