(Special to The Leader) —-

(BEAUMONT) — Joining Lamar’s game at Baylor, the Southland Conference announced on Wednesday the football Cardinals will play at least two more games, three-straight, on television that include league matchups against Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston State.
LU announced in early June that the Cardinals are slated to play Baylor, at 6:30 on Sept. 12, on FOX Sports Net (FSN). In the weeks following, the Cardinals will open SLC play at Sam Houston State and Southeastern La. on television, both to be played the American Sports Network at 6 o’clock on their respective dates.
The American Sports Network is a new partner with the Southland Conference, and was formed in July 2014. It is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group and produces broadcast from mostly college sports, especially several from the FCS level.
The game versus Sam Houston State is to be played on Sept. 19, and the SLU contest will be after a bye week for the Cardinals on Oct. 1. That game is the first Thursday night game for Big Red since bringing the program back for the start of the 2010 season.
For games Oct. 3, and beyond, the conference will reveal most television choices 12 days prior to kickoff to allow for the best matchups to be selected each week for various partners. In previous years, the conference announced all television selections prior to the season, except for wild card choices in the final weeks of the season.
Lamar played in three televised games last season, posting a 1-1 record against FCS opponents and a loss to Texas A&M on the then newly formed SEC Network. LU is 7-15 in televised games since bring back the program.
LU opens its 2015 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Bacone College, slated for 7 o’clock at Provost Umphrey Stadium. It, along with the Baylor game, are the only non-conference contests for LU this season. The Cards enter the season looking to build from a record-setting 2014 season that saw them tie the school record for wins in a season.