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Southeast Missouri State football team falters in second half, succumbs to Southern Illinois
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket holds off Southern Illinois' Khari Waithe-Alexander and TJ Beelen during a football game Saturday night at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. The hosts defeated the Redhawks 30-22.
Byron Hetzler ~ Southern Illinoisan
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Even after all the mistakes and miscues that Southern Illinois had taken advantage of, the Southeast Missouri State football team still managed to give itself a chance in the final minutes of Saturday’s game at Saluki Stadium.
The Redhawks, who trailed by as many as 18 late in the third quarter, were staring at fourth-and-3 with less than a minute remaining in the game following a 17-yard completion from Jesse Hosket to junior wide receiver Adrian Davis.
SIU outside linebacker Withney Simon applied pressure, forcing Hosket to throw incomplete, and the Salukis ran out the clock to seal a 30-22 victory in their home opener.
Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz, who was a former defensive assistant coach at SIU under Jerry Kill, was happy with his team’s effort but was frustrated with numerous blunders.
Southeast Missouri State running back Will Young is brought down by Southern Illinois defenders Jefferson Vea and Craig James. Young rushed for 100 yards but the Redhawks fell 30-22 on Saturday night in Carbondale, Illinois.
Byron Hetzler ~ Southern Illinoisan
“I appreciate that about our team,” Matukewicz said about the comeback. “We’ve just got to play smarter.”
Southeast (0-2) took its largest lead with 3 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter when senior kicker Ryan McCrum knocked through a 36-yard field goal, the last of his three, to give the Redhawks a 9-3 advantage.
But SIU (1-1) came back and secured the lead for good on the final drive of the half. Senior QB Josh Straughan guided the Salukis 60 yards in 13 plays, as Jonathan Mixon buried his way into the end zone from 1 yard out as time expired in the first half. The extra point by Matt Sotiropoulos gave SIU a 10-9 lead at halftime.
Miscues and self-inflicted mental errors were a continuous problem for Southeast.
The Redhawks stalled out at the Salukis’ 6-yard line and were forced to settle for a McCrum field goal midway through the first quarter, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on sophomore tight end Marquette Murdock forced another field goal inside the final minutes of the second quarter.
In all, Southeast was penalized 14 times for 94 yards.
“The No. 1 thing we’ve got to try to fix for next week is the penalties, and that’s on me. And we’ll start that tomorrow,” Matukewicz said. “We didn’t win at situations. You get a first-and-goal from the 7 and you don’t punch it in. And then you get a 15-yard penalty the next red-zone series you’re in.
“I think we’ve just got to eliminate the lack-of-discipline stuff.”
After Southeast was unable to move the chains on the opening drive of the second half, Straughan settled in and extended the Salukis lead with a 44-yard TD strike to Connor Iwema, extending SIU’s lead to 17-9 with 7:50 left in the third quarter.
“I think we came out flat in the second half,” said senior safety Ryan Moore, who led all Southeast defensive backs with eight tackles. “We dominated the first half, and I think we came out flat. They made a couple adjustments, but we fell asleep on a couple of plays.”
Standout inside linebacker Chase Allen gave the Salukis even more cushion on the next drive when he stripped the ball from senior running back Will Young, allowing James Ceasar to scoop up the loose ball and dash to the end zone for a 47-yard fumble return.
Later in the quarter, Straughan, who finished 14-of-28 passing for 246 yards with a touchdown, connected with Jimmy Jones on a 76-yard pass, but the Redhawks’ defense held, forcing an 18-yard field goal that allowed SIU to build its largest lead at 27-9 with 1:05 to go in the third quarter.
Southeast Missouri State linebacker Chad Meredith chases Southern Illinois running back Jonathan Mixon. Mixon scored the go-ahead touchdown for the Salukis in a 30-22 win over the Redhawks on Saturday in Carbondale, Illinois.
Byron Hatzler ~ Southern Illinoisan
“It was the big plays,” Matukewicz said about the third quarter. “We turned it over, and they scooped-and-scored for a touchdown. Then they throw a ball over our head.”
Jones finished with 81 yards and was one of three Salukis who finished with three catches.
“They definitely ran a hurry-up offense and subbed a lot of receivers in and out,” Moore said. “We played a lot of different coverages. They made some plays, and we didn’t make the plays tonight.”
Hosket, who completed only 33 percent of his first-half passes for 49 yards, connected with redshirt freshman wideout Kristian Wilkerson for a 22-yard TD catch on the first play of the fourth quarter. After a fumble led to a failed 2-point conversion, Southeast trailed 27-15 with 14:53 left in the game.
SIU drove down to the Southeast 10 on the next possession but stalled out, as Sotiropoulos kicked a 27-yard field goal, his third of the game, to extend the Salukis’ lead to 30-15 with 9:44 remaining.
Both teams exchanged possessions before the Redhawks put together an eight-play, 52-yard drive that was capped by a 29-yard pass from Hosket to senior WR Darrius Darden-Box on fourth-and-16 with 5:08 to go, pulling Southeast within 30-22.
It was the first catch of the season for Darden-Box and provided some life for the Redhawks.
“I give credit to Jesse and the offensive line,” Darden-Box said. “The O-line gave Jesse a lot of time, and I just tried to find a way to get open and make plays.
Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz shakes hands with first-year Southern Illinois coach Nick Hill on Saturday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. Hill played quarterback for the Salukis when Matukewicz served on Jerry Kill's SIU coaching staff.
Byron Hatzler ~ Southern Illinoisan
“You’ve got to capitalize on your opportunities. I was limited on opportunities, and when I got it, I just took advantage of it.”
Hosket completed 17 of his 42 attempts (40 percent) for 239 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was under duress for most of the game, as SIU racked up 11 hurries.
“I thought he had some dropped balls and some pressure. He didn’t turn it over,” Matukewicz said about Hosket. “It’s hard when it’s third-and-5 and you jump offsides to make third-and-10. I mean, I don’t know who’s going to be a good quarterback.”
Davis led all receivers with 103 yards on six catches, while Wilkerson added 85 yards on four catches for Southeast.
Senior ILB Roper Garrett recorded nine tackles to pace the Redhawks on defense, while defensive backs Jefferson Vea and Ryan Neal notched 12 and 11 tackles, respectively, for the Salukis.
Despite the fumble, Young racked up a game-high 100 yards on 22 totes, while his counterpart, Daquan Isom, had 18 carries for 70 yards.
Matukewicz was impressed with the 5-foot-8 sophomore tailback, who provided key rushes in high-leverage situations.
“He was probably the difference,” Matukewicz said about Isom. “Several third downs that they converted, he was the guy. He ran well. We had him wrapped up. He’s a great player.”
The Redhawks will be in search of their first win of the year at 6 p.m. Saturday against Indiana State.
“I think as a unit, we were made for this,” Moore said. “It’s brick by brick. It’s just another stepping stone. It’s just another brick that we’ve got to get over.”
It will be Southeast’s first home game of the season, and Matukewicz is hopeful his team will respond to playing on its home field.
“It feels like we’ve been on the road forever. I know we played Indiana State in a really, really tight ball game a year ago, so we really want this. At the end of the day, we’ve got to try to fix what we’re in control of, and a lot of those are the discipline-penalty type things.”