SEMO loses 31-17 to Murray State

The Racers had lost 18 straight Ohio Valley Conference games.

Southeast fell to 2-5 overall, 1-4 in Division I-AA and 0-4 in the OVC.

After a scoreless first half, Southeast Missouri State and Murray State have come out firing in the second half.

The Racers scored on five of their first six possessions in the second half, taking a 31-17 lead.

While the Redhawks had three scores of their own, Derrick Parrott intercepted a Houston Lillard pass at the Murray State 14 with 5:42 to play to deny Southeast a chance to cut within a single score again.

Murray took a 17-7 lead but Southeast climbed back to 17-10 on Doug Spada's 50-yard field goal with 11:58 remaining in the game. Murray State came back with a 54-yard scoring drive and a 24-10 lead. Quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt ran 3 yards for the touchdown.

Southeast answered immediately, set up by Elton Peterson's kick return to Murray State's 40.

After two passes from Houston Lillard to Mike Williamson, Mike Jones capped the drive with a 2-yard run.

Lillard took over quarterback duties in the fourth period, becoming the Redhawks' third quarterback in the game. He directed a drive that resulted in a field goal and a touchdown on his first two drives.

The Racers came right back with a 68-yard scoring drive that was kept alive by a third-down pass interference penalty on Eddie Calvin along the sidelines. Charlie Jordan ran 20 yards to cap the drive.

Murray State had built a 17-7 lead when Lee McGinnis grabbed a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ehrhardt with 5:18 left in the third period. That caped an 84-yard drive.

Southeast inside linebacker Adam Casper left the game during that drive and has not returned. He watched action while on the sidelines in the fourth period with ice wrapped around his left knee.

On Murray State's previous drive, Tyler Wiess hit a 37-yard field goal to give the Racers a 10-7 lead.

Murray State scored 2 minutes, 16 seconds into the second half when Jeff Ehrhardt passed 25 yards to Rod Harper on the next play following a 15-yard late hit penalty against the Redhawks.

The Redhawks answered with the help of a 59-yard run by freshman Mike Jones and a third-down pass interference penalty. Jones capped the drive with a 3-yard run with 10:35 to go in the period.

The first half of Southeast Missouri State's homecoming football game with Murray State ended in a 0-0 tie when SEMO kicker Doug Spada's 40-yard field goal attempt fluttered wide left in a swirling wind.

That capped a first half in which SEMO had more than twice as much yardage (188- 72) and more than twice as many first downs (10-3), but no points.

The Redhawks had good field position with the wind at its back for much of the second period, but failed to convert.

An exchange of punts set up a short field for Southeast at the 50 early in the second period. They drove inside Murray's 10, but after a 1-yard gain by Victor Anderson on third-and-2, Mike Jones was stopped on fourth-and-1.

Southeast also started a drive inside Murray State territory and another at its 49, but Spada had to punt both times. The Redhawks switched to Steve Callanan at quarterback on the second drive.

SEMO had one last shot after Eddie Calvin picked off a pass deflected by Vincent Anderson, but Spada missed the field goal as time expired.

Murray State missed a first period opportunity after Vincent Anderson muffed a punt return and the Racers recovered at the 2. The Racers fumbled it back on the next play, and Salim Powell recovered.