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Southeast Missouri State football team shakes off slow start, falls to Memphis in season opener
Southeast Missouri State receiver Tremane McCullough tries to slip the tackle attempt by Memphis defensive back Jonathan Cook during the first half of Saturday's game in Memphis, Tennessee. The Tigers won 35-17.
Andrew Breig ~ Special to Southeast Missourian
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Southeast Missouri State football team eventually found its footing in Saturday's season opener against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The only problem was it was a quarter too late.
The Tigers jumped out to a 22-point lead over the Redhawks in the first quarter, which was all they needed to secure a 35-17 win.
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket hands the ball off to running back Will Young against Memphis on Saturday, September 3, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Andrew Breig ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian
Southeast struggled on offense in the early going but managed to find a rhythm in the second half, as the Redhawks outscored Memphis 17-13 through the final three quarters.
"They came out firing on all cylinders. We kind of took their best punch, and we were staggered there for a minute. But that's what I told them after the game. I was proud of how they ended up battling back," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said. "It tells you a lot about them character-wise and emotionally to not just freak out and turn it loose."
Behind an up-tempo, no-huddle offense, Memphis (1-0) marched downfield and scored on the opening drive of the game. Darrell Henderson capped the eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Riley Ferguson with 12 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Anthony Miller dumped a pass to Daniel Montiel for the two-point conversion to give the Tigers an 8-0 lead.
Doroland Dorceus scored on a 3-yard run with 1:45 left in the quarter before a Southeast interception allowed him to score on a 13-yard pass from Ferguson exactly one minute later, extending Memphis' lead to 22-0.
"We practiced tempo. I just think they got on us, and we wanted to do well," Matukewicz said. "We weren't doing well, and just emotionally, they got us early."
The Tigers finished with 406 yards of total offense, including 295 through the air from Ferguson, who was 26-of-40 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Henderson broke free down the sideline on a wheel route to score on a 23-yard pass from Ferguson that capped a six-play, 71-yard drive at the 7:45 mark of the second quarter, giving Memphis its largest lead of the game, 29-0.
A fumble recovery by Fletcher Evans allowed the Redhawks to take over inside Memphis territory later in the quarter, but Southeast was forced to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Ryan McCrum with 3:45 remaining in the first half.
Southeast was held to only 82 yards of total offense in the opening half and trailed 29-3 at the break.
"Obviously, tonight we came out and started really fast," said first-year Memphis coach Mike Norvell. "I liked the way we kicked off the game. We were able to move the ball offensively. Defense came out and I thought played exceptional."
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Dante Vandeven rolls out of the pocket against Memphis on Saturday, September 3, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Andrew Breig ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian
The Redhawks finally found some rhythm in the second half when junior running back Will Young broke loose down the right sideline for a 61-yard TD run that trimmed Southeast's lead to 29-10 with 10:13 remaining in the third quarter.
"Will Young's a player of the game," Matukewicz said. "He didn't play necessarily last year, so there were a lot of moving parts there.
"It started to come together toward the end of the game, and that was great to see."
Young, whose play proved to be the longest of the game by either team, racked up a game-high 114 yards rushing on 17 carries.
"At about the 20-yard line, I started running out of gas," Young said about his TD run. "Starting out the play, the O-line just did their thing. They blocked everybody they were supposed to. ... I was able to make somebody miss and was able to get in the end zone."
A Southeast Missouri State player attempts to bring down Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson on Saturday, September 3, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Andrew Breig ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian
Memphis tacked on back-to-back field goals by Jake Elliott -- a 45-yarder later in the quarter and a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter -- to increase its lead to 35-10 before Southeast put together a methodical drive to complete the scoring line.
In his first start in a Redhawks uniform, junior transfer Jesse Hosket capped the 14-play, 82-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Davis, who corralled the ball in double coverage with 7:08 remaining in the game.
Hosket finished 19-of-31 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown.
"He didn't really throw any bad balls, no interceptions, and he was calm," Matukewicz said about Hosket. "You never see him freak out. ... I think he did a nice job. He rolled out to throw a pass that wasn't there. Instead of forcing it, he scrambled and picked up 5. Those are the kind of things that we want to continue to coach him to do."
Hosket had 91 yards passing in the second half, during which he was 11-of-16 through the air. The 6-foot-4 native of French Camp, Mississippi, said the offense found more confidence as the team began to establish some consistency with its newcomers.
"There were a lot of unknowns for us," Hosket said. "We didn't have any film on Memphis. We hadn't watched them play a game, so we just kind of figured out what kind of coverages they were going to run and what they were going to do. That helped us out."
Southeast Missouri State kicker Ryan McCrum kicks a 26-yard field goal during the second quarter against Memphis on Saturday, September 3, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Andrew Breig ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian
The Redhawks finished with 253 yards of total offense, including 110 on the ground. Senior slot receiver Tremane McCullough led Southeast with 69 yards receiving.
The Redhawks converted only four of their 15 third downs, contributing to nine punts by Alex Knight, who averaged 45.7 yards per punt. Southeast won the turnover battle 3-1, as sophomore quarterback Dante Vandeven committed the team's only turnover. Senior linebacker Roper Garrett and junior cornerback Mike Ford each had an interception.
Matukewicz said he thought Memphis was the best team the Redhawks have played since he took over the program. Southeast opened its last two seasons against FBS opponents -- at Kansas in 2014 and at Missouri in 2015.
The Redhawks return to action in Week 2 against Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Illinois.
"I come out ready to coach them tomorrow. I'm excited," Matukewicz said. "I don't think we got banged up. We got a lot of good work in there, and I think ending the game that way offensively gives us a little bit of momentum going into Sunday where we were able to have a little success."
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