Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois renew longstanding football rivalry

Southeast Missouri State coach Tom Matukewicz talks to his team at the end of practice Tuesday at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Trent Singer ~ Southeast Missourian

It's been longer than a decade since the Southeast Missouri State football team was able to string together back-to-back wins over its regional rival from across the Mississippi River.

At the end of Wednesday's practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex, Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz challenged his players to reflect on that span while understanding that history is in their hands.

The two teams -- Southeast and Southern Illinois -- renew their longstanding duel at 6 p.m. Saturday from Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

"It's big for both regions with the proximity, the makeup of the schools and the students -- where they get their students from and where we get our students from," Matukewicz said. "It's what makes college football so good is a heated rival."

The Redhawks are 22-17-4 all-time against the Salukis in Carbondale and have played the program 10 times since joining the Division-I ranks in 1991. Southeast edged out a 27-24 victory over SIU last season when Ryan McCrum, who had missed three straight field goals earlier in the game, booted a 42-yard game-winner through the uprights with 5 seconds remaining. The Redhawks' defense scored two touchdowns.

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket delivers a pass against Memphis on Saturday, September 3, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Andrew Breig)

But that was then, and this is now.

The Salukis (0-1), who are led by first-year coach Nick Hill, are coming off a 38-30 loss against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Florida Atlantic in last week's season opener. SIU posted 530 yards of total offense and led at halftime, 24-21.

"They're hitting on all cylinders to throw it that much, and to have that much yardage versus an FBS program will tell you where they're at," Matukewicz said.

Josh Straughan, a 6-foot-2 senior who finished 36-of-51 (71 percent) passing with one touchdown and no interceptions, put together a performance that was good enough to earn him honors for conference newcomer of the week.

"He's a fifth-year senior quarterback, so he's played a lot of football," Matukewicz said about Straughan, who transferred to SIU from Division-II Stillman College. "He's surprisingly ahead of the game just for the fact that he's been there, I guess, for a year now. Coach Hill's done a really good job with his staff. They've got him going. We've got to be ready for him."

A slow start for the Redhawks (0-1) last week resulted in a 35-17 loss on the road against FBS opponent Memphis, which led by as many as 29 points in the second quarter. Southeast responded by outscoring the Tigers 17-13 in the final three quarters. The Redhawks finished with a plus-2 turnover margin, forcing three turnovers and giving the ball up only once.

Southeast allowed Memphis to rack up 406 yards of total offense and will be faced with a similar challenge against another up-tempo offense in SIU.

"Very similar styles, both of their tempos," Matukewicz said. "I think that really helps us, and so a lot of the same run game and those types of things. We'll have our work cut out for us."

Redhawks junior cornerback Mike Ford believes last week's game at Memphis allowed the defensive backs to gain more confidence.

"Some guys stepped up," said Ford, who hauled in an interception last week and returned one 21 yards for a touchdown in last year's win over SIU. "We had JJ Flye, who really stepped up that game and made some plays. Getting his confidence going and getting the other guys going, I feel like we're ready to step up this week. ... Lining up against some good receivers prepared us for this week, and I think we'll do very well."

Under Hill, the Salukis have switched their base defensive scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3.

"They're an even-man front right now," Matukewicz said. "... Coverage-wise, pretty similar to what they did a year ago, but the front's completely different. So we've been trying to get all that adjusted."

Junior Jesse Hosket made his first career start in a Redhawks uniform against the Tigers. The 6-4 transfer from East Central Community College finished 19-of-31 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown. He connected with six different receivers, including an 8-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Adrian Davis in the fourth quarter. Senior Tremane McCullough led Southeast with nine catches for 69 yards.

Senior running back Will Young finished with 17 carries for a game-high 114 yards rushing, including a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Junior outside linebacker Chad Meredith had eight tackles, including a sack, to pace the Redhawks on defense, while Flye, a junior CB, led the team with two pass breakups.

The matchup also pits a pair of familiar faces against each other on the sidelines. Hill was a quarterback for the Salukis from 2005-07 when Matukewicz was an assistant on former coach Jerry Kill's staff. All three of those teams qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs, including the 2007 squad, which came one win away from reaching the FCS National Championship.

"We've just got to make sure we do our assignments and make sure we play with good eyes," Ford said. "I see they have some guys who like to go up and get the ball. They have an experienced quarterback, so that's always a good thing. We just have to prepare for those guys. We've got to watch the film and learn their tendencies. That's the big thing."

Series history

Southeast leads 40-35-8

Last meeting

Southeast won 27-24 on Sept. 12, 2015, in Cape Girardeau

By the numbers

367 -- The total number of passing yards by senior quarterback Josh Straughan in the Salukis’ 38-30 loss last week at Florida Atlantic. SIU, which scored 24 first-half points,moved the chains 26 times. Junior Connor Iwema was Straughan’s top target, finishing with 103 yards receiving. His longest catch went for 54 yards.

2 -- The number of games Southeast has this season against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents — Saturday at SIU and Sept. 17 in the home opener against Indiana State. The Redhawks have 44 all-time victories against both of those teams combined. Five schools from the MVFC are currently ranked in this week’s FCS top-25 polls.

84 -- The number of all-time meetings between the two programs. The Redhawks have played the Salukies more than any opponent in their football history. They have five more wins than SIU in the all-time series. Last year’s 27-24 victory ended a four-game losing streak for Southeast in the series.

Stat leaders

SIU

Passing: Josh Straughan 367 yards

Receiving: Connor Iwema 103 yards, Billy Reed 69 yards, Aaron Stanton 62 yards

Rushing: Daquan Isom 80 yards, Stanton 24 yards, D.J. Davis 23 yards

Tackles: Chase Allen 11, Markese Jackson 6, Ryan Neal 6

Southeast

Passing: Jesse Hosket 143 yards

Receiving: Tremane McCullough 69 yards, Kristian Wilkerson 48 yards, CJ Curry 12 yards

Rushing: Will Young 114 yards, McCullough 0 yards, Chase Abbington -1 yards

Tackles: Chad Meredith 8, Joshua Wilson 7, Jarmarl Holloway 6

Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill

Tom Weber ~ Saluki Athletics

Opposing coach's view

“Coach Tuke is a guy that I’ve looked up to for a long time. I played for Coach Tuke, and he’s a good friend of mine. They got us last year down in SEMO, and so it’s a big game for us. Obviously it’s the next game, so we’re looking forward to it. ... We’ve got to have a good week of practice because Coach Tuke’s teams are always well-prepared and play with a ton of passion and a lot of energy, so we’ll have to match that.”

-- Nick Hill, Southern Illinois coach

Scouting the opponent

Southern Illinois senior quarterback Josh Straughan threw for 367 yards in last week’s 38-30 loss at Florida Atlantic.

Tom Weber ~ Saluki Athletics

There's a reinvigorated level of excitement surrounding the program at SIU under the direction of Hill, who takes over after Dale Lennon led the Salukis to a 51-42 record in eight seasons. Hill retained only three assistant coaches from last season and has hired a relatively young staff, according to The Southern Illinoisan sports reporter Todd Hefferman.

"He's gone out of his way to reach communities in the surrounding area by speaking at lodge meetings, rotary clubs and such to try to connect with the region a lot more than Lennon did," Hefferman said about Hill. "His coaching style is a lot like his predecessor, Jerry Kill, who he played for, as far as effort first and take care of your business as an adult."

Hefferman believes Straughan has shown "great escapability" at the QB position and has benefited from SIU's three-headed monster in the backfield, featuring senior Daquan Isom, senior Aaron Stanton and sophomore Jonathan Mixon. The 5-8, 178-pound Isom led the group with 80 yards and a touchdown on five carries last week, while Stanton had the most rushes, finishing with 12 for 24 yards.

In the passing game, Hefferman said the Salukis have "a legit seven-player receiving corps that could start for a lot of teams." That unit is led by Connor Iwema, a 6-foot, 199-pound junior who had eight catches for 103 yards last week, including a 54-yard reception. Junior Billy Reed had SIU's lone receving TD, finishing with eight catches for 69 yards.

"What stands out with SIU is its ability to stretch defenses horizontally as much as vertically," Hefferman said. "The Salukis will try to use their size at receiver on some wide receiver screen passes to each sideline and also have some deep threats. Tight end Jacob Varble became a nice check-down option against Florida Atlantic."

SIU's offense is up-tempo and features some read-option with the quarterback, and Hefferman believes the Salukis are "probably at their best with a one-back set."

Defensively, SIU is running its base out of a standard 4-3 scheme, and is led by senior middle linebacker Chase Allen, who was a preseason All-MVFC selection. Allen had a team-high 11 tackles against FAU and is a someone who "can cover sideline-to-sideline," according to Hefferman.

"Cornerbacks CJ Jennings, Roman Tatum (who is expected to play with a broken hand) and Craig James are all transfers but automatically upgraded SIU's smarts and athleticism at that position," Hefferman said. "Defensive ends Deondre Barnett and Khari Waithe-Alexander had good camps and are quicker than most at their position, and defensive tackles T.J. Beelen and Devonte Lee both had some tackles against FAU."

The Salukis are strong at their offensive skill positions and feature a solid defensive line and secondary but have a weakness on the offensive line, according to Hefferman, as Straughan was sacked three times against FAU.

While Hill has generated some excitement in the program, Hefferman believes the team still needs to produce on the field in order to gain support from the fanbase.

"If the team struggles early, they won't show up in late October or November," Hefferman said. "I don't quite give Hill a pass this year because he inherited a nice roster, and he has high expectations. But winning five games -- two more than last season -- is a fair expectation, in my opinion.

"The Salukis get six home games, avoid five-time defending national champion North Dakota State and have two quarterbacks that may be able to lead them to victories as starters. Not a lot of teams, especially in the [FCS], can say that."

OVC schedule

Saturday

* Eastern Illinois at Miami (Ohio), 2:30 p.m.

* Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay, 6 p.m.

* Missouri State at Murray State, 6 p.m.

* Jackson State at Tennessee State, 6 p.m.

* #5 Jacksonville State at LSU, 6:30 p.m.

Despite falling two spots to No. 5 in both the STATS FCS Top 25 and FCS Coaches Poll, JSU has its sights set on knocking off a Power 5 team when they head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the Tigers.

The Gamecocks, who are coming off a 31-12 win over North Alabama in last week’s season opener, took the national spotlight a year ago when they dropped an overtime game on the road at then-No. 6 Auburn.

LSU fell to No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll after a 16-14 loss against Wisconsin last week.

* UT Martin at Hawaii, 11 p.m.