COLUMN: Caruthersville grad, Southeast WR Peter Lloyd has career night in victory

Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Peter Lloyd catches a 65-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Snyder against UT Martin during the first quarter Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 in Martin, Tenn. (FRED LYNCH)

The farther away from Cape Girardeau the Southeast Missouri State football team traveled on Saturday afternoon, the more Peter Lloyd started to feel at home.

Lloyd, a Caruthersville High School graduate and Southeast wide receiver, relished the feeling of heading south.

"I feel like I'm real close to home," he said following Southeast's 31-27 win over OVC foe University of Tennessee at Martin. "I feel comfortable down here being a little more in the South. When we rode down and I knew we were a little bit farther than Caruthersville, I just felt at home -- seeing more corn fields and seeing more field and more country stuff."

Lloyd looked right at home as the Redhawks' leading receiver once the game started. He caught 10 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 9 minutes, 4 seconds remaining.

"I'm feeling so excited," Lloyd said. "I'm so excited for the seniors, for the team. We're finally learning how to win, and it's just a great environment to be in. Everybody's bought in, loving the new coaches, so I've got a great feeling right now."

Lloyd starred in part because one of his best friends, fellow wide receiver Paul McRoberts, missed the first of several games with a fractured foot he suffered a week earlier.

"He kept my head on straight," Lloyd said of McRoberts. "He was just like, 'Carry the team, do what you can do and have fun.' Paul's all about positivity and having fun, and he'll share the spotlight whenever he can. But he just happens to be that good. He likes to share."

McRoberts didn't attend Saturday night's game because the swelling and discomfort related to his injury made standing on the sideline an unwise choice, but Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz was sure the good friends would speak soon after the game.

"Him and Paul McRoberts are best friends, so that'll be fun to hear them on the phone," Matukewicz said. "That'll be like a bunch of junior high girls on the bus."

Lloyd has played extensively in each game this season, but his 10 catches on Saturday surpassed his season total of nine entering the game and his 179 yards was a high among all OVC receivers this season.

"He's been doing it -- just more balls came his way because of the situation that we're in," Matukewicz said of the performance. "But if you come out to practice, he's doing the same thing."

It was in spring practices that Lloyd caught Matukewicz's eye for the wrong reasons.

"He'll tell you he was in Coach Tuke's doghouse in the spring because of his emotions. He's such a great kid, but he couldn't control his emotions. He'd let a dropped ball or something really affect him emotionally. He was able to control himself and have that 'next play' mentality, which really paid off tonight."

Lloyd acknowledged the obvious -- that McRoberts' injury negatively impacted the team -- but he also talked about the opportunities it created for him and others, something Matukewicz and his staff stressed.

"It opened a lot of opportunities, and the players see that we can win with what we've got," Lloyd said of the team, which is also without injured starting running back DeMichael Jackson. "No matter where we're hurt at or what happens to us, we persevere. We always persevere. This is a great team.

"Every receiver is really good, so we all know that we can make plays," he added. "We can make the big play. It just so happened to be me tonight."

Matukewicz said he asked the receiver corps where the extra receptions were going to come from in McRoberts' absence.

"No one knows," Matukewicz said. "But this is what happens is preparation meets opportunity. Someone will, and I can't wait to see it. It couldn't happen to a better kid."