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After helping the No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana University football team to a 58-48 Southland Conference road win at No. 25 Nicholls, SLU senior quarterback Cole Kelley was named the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Week on Sunday.

Kelley, who has been named Southland Conference Player of the Week twice and Louisiana Player of the Week three times in 2021, earned his first national honor of the season. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was named the FBS National Performer of the Week for Week Six.

In the win over the Colonels, Kelley engineered an offense that finished with 573 total yards and 32 first downs on the way to its highest scoring output this fall. The reigning Walter Payton Award winner threw for a career-high five touchdowns, amassing 406 yards on 29-for-38 passing, while also leading SLU with 55 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.

Gifted with a vast array of weapons at the skill positions and a consistently excellent offensive line, Kelley is building a season for the ages as the leader of the prolific Lion offense. Through five games, the Lafayette, Louisiana native leads FCS in completion percentage (74.5), points responsible for (152) and total offense (440.4 ypg), having thrown for 1,999 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also rushing for a team-high seven touchdowns.

His passing and rushing touchdown totals have already matched his totals from the spring, when he won the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy. Kelley, who has started 12 games as a Lion after playing 13 games as a reserve in 2019, broke the school’s career record with 72 touchdowns responsible for (46 passing, 24 rushing, two receiving).

Southeastern will open its 2021 home schedule next Saturday, welcoming Houston Baptist for a 4 p.m. Homecoming contest in Strawberry Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN+, while also being heard in the Hammond area on Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM, as well as online at www.kajun107.net.

CFPA National Performers of the Week
Week 6: Cole Kelley, Southeastern (FCS); Matt Corral, Ole Miss (FBS)
Week 5: Fred Davis, Mercer (FCS); C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (FBS)
Week 4: Westin Elliott, Merrimack (FCS); Bryce Young, Alabama (FBS)
Week 3: Eric Barriere, Eastern Washington (FCS); Matt Corral, Ole Miss (FBS)

Week 2: Garris Schwarting, Charleston Southern (FCS); Stetson Bennett, Georgia (FBS)

Week 1: Ren Hefley, Presbyterian (FCS); Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State (FBS)

TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2021-22 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB

Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

CLEAR BAG POLICY

Southeastern Athletics instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.