SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word football team returns home on Saturday for the first time in nearly a month when they host Southland Conference rival No. 11 Southeastern Louisiana at Benson Stadium.
The matchup is the "Fight for Food" game that is presented by Whataburger. Fans who bring in canned goods or make a monetary donation to the San Antonio Food Bank will receive a free Whataburger koozie and coupon, while supplies last.
The Cardinals (0-4, 0-1) will be looking to snap their current losing streak against one of the best teams in the country. The Lions (2-2) lost a last-second game on the road last week to Southeast Missouri and will want to get back to their winning ways. They were the Southland Conference champions in 2013 and were picked to repeat this year.
The Cardinals will attempt to get their offense moving this week. Coming into the game they are averaging 63.8 yards rushing and 137.8 yards passing per game. The most dangerous offensive player has been senior wide receiver
Casey Jennings (Fremont, CA/Washington HS) who has 16 catches for 214 yards. UIW has been held scoreless in their last nine quarters and they have struggled in the Red Zone scoring just once in five trips inside the 20-yard line this year.
The UIW defense showed nice improvement last week at Abilene Christian. After giving up two long plays for touchdowns in the first quarter, they held the Wildcats to 234 yards on 58 plays in the final three quarters. Junior linebacker
Padyn Giebler (Ivan/Stephenville HS) leads the team with 29 tackles while
Corey Lee (Humble/LaPorte HS) has 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. Ramon Coto (Houston/Westfield HS) is averaging 39.3 yards per punt and has yet to have a touchback.
The Lions possess one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in Bryan Bennett. He was the SLC Player of the Year in 2013 and has over 1,000 yards of total offense on the season. He is 55-of-104 for 948 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions through the air while rushing for a team-high 171 yards and four scores. Devante Scott is the team's top receiver with 14 receptions for 293 yards.
Tyler Stoddard leads the SLU defense with 35 tackles and an interception. Isiah Corbett has made 31 stops, including 4.5 for a loss and picked off two passes. They are allowing 327.8 yards per game. Tim Callian is averaging 38.4 yards per punt and Ryan Adams has converted 6-of-7 field goal attempts.
The game will be broadcast on CBS SportsRadio 860 AM with Gabe Farias and Shawn Morris on the call. It can also be heard online at
www.uiwlive.com. Live stats and live video are available through
www.uiwcardinals.com.
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