NOTEBOOK: Hosket shows growth, room for improvement as Southeast Missouri State quarterback

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket looks to pass during practice Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Trent Singer

With two weeks in the books, Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz has been pleased with the growth he's seen from starting quarterback Jesse Hosket.

The Redhawks' offense looked exceptional in 7-on-7s during Tuesday's practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex, and as the team prepares for its home opener at 6 p.m. Saturday against Indiana State, Matukewicz is fully confident in the person he has under center.

"I think there's been good progress. ... I'm very pleased," Matukewicz said. "I think when you look at his numbers, you're maybe disappointed, but we had nine drops [against Southern Illinois]. And he threw some balls away because of pressure.

"Our goal is to throw the ball better, but it's not just on Jesse. We've got to get him better protection, and then we've got to catch the football when they're in our hands."

While his statistics appear rather ordinary, Hosket has accomplished much of what he's been asked to do by feeding his playmakers, both out wide and in the backfield.

Through two games, the 6-foot-4 transfer from East Central Community College has 382 yards passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions but has shown an ability to generate offense when the play breaks down.

Southeast Missouri State coach Tom Matukewicz directs his team during practice Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Trent Singer

In Southeast's 30-22 loss last week at SIU, Hosket stayed composed on fourth-and-16 late in the fourth quarter when he was forced out of the pocket and found wide receiver Darrius Darden-Box over the middle for a 29-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Redhawks within one possession.

"I think it goes to his personality. He doesn't freak out. He's calm," Matukewicz said. "He's big, so if he gets hit or whatever, he can hold up. So far, he's just been really good with his decisions."

That calm demeanor is perhaps what stood out most to Matukewicz when he made the decision to go with Hosket at QB over reigning Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Dante Vandeven. The two engaged in a beneficial quarterback battle throughout training camp before Hosket was named the starter in the week leading up to the season opener.

While he knows there's still plenty of room for improvement, Hosket is aware of what needs to be done in order for the Redhawks to improve on their 0-2 start.

"There's been some high moments, but the main thing is just consistency," Hosket said. "You want to be good on every play. You want to make the right read. Of course, mistakes are going to happen, but you want to be consistent throughout the whole game. You don't want to be up and down."

Southeast stumbled out of the gate in the first half of a 35-17 loss against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Memphis in the season opener, but Hosket was able to find a rhythm with his receivers in the second half, orchestrating a 14-play, 82-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. The drive was capped by an 8-yard TD pass on an out route to wide receiver Adrian Davis, a well-placed ball in double coverage, as Hosket finished 19-of-31 passing for 143 yards.

Southeast Missouri State running back Will Young breaks free from a defender during practice Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Trent Singer

Against the Salukis, Hosket threw for 239 yards and had a pair of touchdown passes. Ultimately, the Redhawks' downfall was predicated by their own self-infliction.

"We beat ourselves. We didn't play smart football," Hosket said. "When you play against a good team and get that many penalties, it's hard to move the chains. If you're not moving the chains, you don't score touchdowns."

In terms of numbers, perhaps the most glaring cause for concern is in Hosket's completion percentage -- he's connected on 36 of his 73 attempts (49 percent) thus far.

Matukewicz believes those numbers are a multi-faceted result. One part is attributed to dropped passes and pressure -- SIU finished with 11 hurries on Hosket -- while the other part comes down to timing. Matukewicz trusts his quarterback's ability to make every throw but knows there were several deep passes against the Salukis that can be fixed.

"He's trying to take a little bit off or whatever because he's trying to get the timing down, and that's the deal," Matukewicz said. "We've just got to rep it and rep it and rep it, and all of a sudden, their guy holds our guy a little bit. So he's not quite down the field, and now it's overthrown a little bit.

"At the end of the day, he's got to get better there, so that's what we've told him. He knows that. We're working out here to get that done."

Hosket threw two TDs against SIU in the second half, during which he finished 12-of-27 for 190 yards.

"I missed a couple shots in that game," he said. "It's frustrating. I'm in this position because I'm here to make those throws, and I can make those throws. We've just got to keep working on it."

Cleaning up the defense

Southeast Missouri State defensive coordinator Bryce Saia works with his players during practice Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Trent Singer

For the Redhawks' defense, there wasn't much to be said about missed opportunities in the loss at SIU.

"It's not something you can talk about," Southeast defensive coordinator Bryce Saia said. "You've got to be about it."

The Redhawks' defense held the Salukis to 138 yards rushing on 39 attempts, an average of 3.5 yards per rush. Against the pass, Southeast allowed 265 yards (7.8 yards per attempt), as SIU finished with only an 8-yard edge in total yardage.

However, beyond those numbers, the Salukis were able to grind out a 13-play, 60-yard scoring drive during the final 1 minute, 31 seconds of the first half. It was a drive that was assisted by a number of missed tackles, allowing SIU to take the lead for good as time expired on a 1-yard TD run by Jonathan Mixon.

On their first possession of the second half, the Salukis extended their lead when a blown coverage allowed QB Josh Straughan to connect with Connor Iwema on a post route over the middle for a 44-yard TD pass.

Despite several letdowns, Saia thought the defense looked "really good at times" after watching the film.

"We had a couple letdowns, gave up a couple big plays, which will happen against a good team. ... The score before half really hurt, I thought," Saia said. "Besides a couple letdowns, it wasn't bad, but at the end of the day, you didn't win."

Senior middle linebacker Roper Garrett finished with nine tackles to lead Southeast's defense, while senior free safety Ryan Moore paced the defensive backs with eight stops. Up front, junior outside linebacker Kendall Donnerson led the Redhawks with 1 1/2 sacks.

The defense also proved itself worthy of slowing down SIU's explosive duo in the backfield of Mixon and Daquan Isom, who combined for 113 yards on 30 carries (3.8 ypc).

It doesn't get any easier for the Redhawks, who will go against another dual threat this weekend in the Sycamores' Roland Genesy (6-1, 225 pounds) and Dimitri Taylor (5-10, 190 pounds).

Saia knows it'll be another tough challenge for his players but has faith in their ability to learn from last week's mistakes.

"I think we're a good team," Saia said. "I know we're 0-2, which is frustrating, but there's been just enough good football as bad football. So I still believe in the coaches and players.

"We've just got to go out there and get a win."