HAMMOND - The Southeastern Lions closed out the regular season by beating Nicholls 38-26 to win the River Bell Classic.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half with the game tied three times. Southeastern took the lead and never let it go late in the second quarter when quarterback Kyle Lowe rushed 22-yards for a go-ahead touchdown. That put the Lions ahead 28-21.

They went into halftime with a 31-21 lead, but the second half was rather quiet offensively for both teams.

Nicholls started the second half with a safety to make the deficit 31-23. The Colonels added to that score with a successful 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. They trailed 31-26.

Southeastern put the game away with less than two minutes left in the game. Jaedon Henry rushed 14 yards to the endzone for the score. The Lions sealed the win with a 38-26 lead.

This is the second year in a row that the Lions have won the River Bell Classic. They finish the regular season 9-3 and 7-1 in Southland Conference play. 

The Lions are hoping their record in the regular season was enough to earn a playoff spot for the first time since 2022. They'll find out their post season fate during the FCS Selection Show.

Southeastern is currently No. 20 in the FCS. The Selection Show will be televised on ESPNU on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. 

The playoffs are made up by a 24-team bracket with 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections.