COLUMN: Matukewicz follows through on promise

Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz talks to a game official Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 at Houck Stadium. (Fred Lynch)

Of all the things there has been to like about Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz in his first season as the Redhawks coach, the most endearing and important may be the accountability he demands not only of his players but of himself.

"I think as a head coach I made some mistakes last week -- it's the first time I've done some things and I had to get some stuff fixed from a leadership standpoint," Matukewicz said following Southeast's dramatic victory over No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night. "The coaches really had a good game plan this week -- and every week -- and the players did a much better job execution-wise and that showed today."

After the Redhawks turned in an undisciplined performance for the second week in a row in a lopsided loss to nationally-ranked SIU last Saturday, Matukewicz vowed it was up to him to fix the problems. And then he fixed them.

"Lack of leadership on my end," he said matter of factly when asked what needed to be corrected. "I think that the standard has to be set by me and that was something that I failed last week."

He's said many times that he hopes to build a player-led program and there are multiple Redhawks who have relished the chance to lead, but last week's display called for the coaches to demand more.

They turned up the intensity in practices, something Matukewicz has been hesitant to due because the talent on his roster is not deep. They increased punishments for missed assignments and penalties in practice and got physical with quarterback Kyle Snyder after he fumbled three times against SIU.

He let the players get testy with each other, he let them be a little angry and he and his assistants let more than one player have it when necessary. He figured it was a healthy kind of rebellion against the mediocrity the Redhawks have become all too known for.

"I'm just filled with joy," Matukewicz said Saturday night. "And if you've never been in a locker room like that you can't even explain it because that's something you can't even buy because it takes all this effort and sacrifices over years and years and years to have a program win like that. I'm just so proud of the seniors, so proud of the team."

In reality it took Matukewicz just four games -- not years -- to get his signature win at Southeast and one of the greatest wins in the history of the program.

He pointed out that the previous coaching staff left behind good players and of course his own career has been years in the making.

I'm not easy to impress by nature, but I've found little to dislike or question about Matukewicz since he's been at Southeast. So much so that I've drawn ire and even had to ask myself if I've been slipped some Redhawk Kool-Aid. But even I didn't envision this kind of win for Southeast at this point in the season.

Looking out over the field at Houck Stadium as I write this, I'm still not sure how it all came to be. Southeastern Louisiana was, no doubt, an accomplice in Southeast's victory. The Lions 11 penalties, two turnovers and questionable decisions -- why kick a PAT to go up six points with 2 minutes, 18 seconds to go when a two-point try could keep a touchdown and PAT from giving the Redhawks the win? -- helped to give the Redhawks the opportunity to win, but Southeast returned the favor and gave SLU a chance to win as well with a late turnover. That Southeast was ultimately the team with the needed execution and poise to earn the win is remarkable.

"The concepts that you teach -- they buy into them more and now they get reinforced because they were doing the things even though the victories weren't coming, they were doing them," Matukewicz said of the importance of the win. "They've been doing them since I've been here. Eventually you just keep laying bricks and eventually that wall gets built. You don't know when it's going to happen, and it doesn't matter. We go out and lose next week and it doesn't matter then. ... It's a process that you've got to be able to handle. We've got to be able to handle success now because this is something that these kids haven't had, so it's a different kind of challenge."

Accountability with Matukewicz isn't limited to on-the-field mistakes. It's about off-the-field responsibilities like being on time for team functions and attending classes. He once told me he doesn't yell or get mad when rules are broken, he just implements his yellow-shirt program which requires players to complete extra work and give money to charity before they can stop wearing a yellow T-shirt that says "I let my teammates down" on the back.

Accountability is also about winning the right way and building on success, something the Southeast players already seem to understand.

"Not only did we beat a nationally-ranked team, we're going into OVC play next week and that's huge for us building momentum going into that," quarterback Kyle Snyder said, already thinking of next week just minutes after the win. "Just overall it's a great win for us."