Southeast Missouri State football team rallies past Murray State in dramatic OVC opener

Southeast Missouri's Mike Ford (4) and Clarence Thornton (50) celebrate after the Redhawks defeated Murray State 17-16 Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray.

RYAN HERMENS | The Sun

MURRAY, Ky. -- Behind a stagnant offense that had produced only one touchdown, the Southeast Missouri State football team looked like it was about to let another close game fall from its grasp.

But with one final chance, the Redhawks did just enough to get the job done.

Southeast Missouri's Ternance McCullough (8) is tackled by Murray State's Dylan Boone (22) in the first quarter of Saturday's game at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murrayt. The Redhawks defeated Murray State 17-16.

RYAN HERMENS | The Sun

Junior quarterback Jesse Hosket delivered a 20-yard pass to the front-right corner of the end zone, where junior wide receiver Adrian Davis bobbled the ball but corralled it for a TD with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining in the game. Senior kicker Ryan McCrum tacked on the PAT, and Southeast held on for a 17-16 win over Murray State to open Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium.

“People have no idea just how much we put into this and how bad these seniors want it,” Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz said. “They’re hard to get, and so we’re going to really enjoy it for 24 hours.”

Southeast (1-3, 1-0 OVC) was reeling on the following drive, as redshirt senior QB KD Humphries marched MSU (0-4, 0-1 OVC) into Redhawks territory with two straight passes to senior tight end Jesse Blackburn. A defensive pass interference call on Southeast moved the Racers to the Redhawks’ 19 before MSU was forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal by redshirt kicker Connor Mitchell.

Without big plays, Southeast Missouri State football offense scrapes by

As time expired, Mitchell’s kick sailed wide right, and the Southeast players swarmed the field in celebration of their first victory of the year.

“It’s great because these past three games, we haven’t been able to finish,” Davis said. "... I’m glad we were able to get together in the fourth quarter, score and finally finish like Coach Tuke’s been preaching to us.”

The Redhawks scored on their opening drive when senior Tremane McCullough hauled in an out route from Hosket on third-and-6 and used a spin move to shed a defender, lunging his way into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown reception that gave the Redhawks a 7-0 lead with 8:35 remaining in the first quarter.

McCullough led Southeast in receiving with nine catches for 94 yards but also had six carries for 33 yards. He finished the game averaging 8.5 yards per touch.

“We talk to those guys about being able to break tackles and make plays,” Matukewicz said. “He did that and found the end zone.”

Southeast Missouri's Cameron Sanders (15) runs past Murray State's Toby Omli during the first half of Saturday's game at Roy Stewart in Murray. Southeast Missouri won 17-16.

RYAN HERMENS | The Sun

The Racers didn’t take long to answer on the next drive, as Humphries rolled left and found running back Demetric Johnson wide open downfield for a 67-yard TD reception, pulling the two teams even at 7-all with 6:57 left in the period.

Both teams traded punts until Southeast opted to go for a touchdown on the final play of the half. Hosket lobbed a pass to the left corner of the end zone intended for senior wideout CJ Curry, but the pass was broken up as time expired, leaving both teams tied heading into halftime.

The drive was extended by a fake field goal on fourth-and-7 when holder Tyler Manne tossed a 9-yard pass to McCrum. Inside goal territory, Matukewicz appeared ready to attempt the field goal but instead sent out his offense.

“There was 4.8 [seconds] and it was third down, so we felt like we could throw a fade incomplete and have 0.8 [seconds] left,” Matukewicz said. “We’ll watch the film. I thought we should’ve had time, but that’s certainly a clock-management issue. So we’ll learn from it. ... The past has told us we’ve been able to do that. I think Jesse did hitch it a little bit, so we’ll just see. But that’s certainly on Coach Tuke.”

The Redhawks had momentum on their first drive of the second half before junior running back Chase Abbington coughed up the ball at the MSU 12. The Racers responded with an 81-yard pass from Humphries to Blackburn, who broke a tackle and dashed along the right sideline all the way to the Redhawks’ 1. Freshman Tyre Gray buried into the end zone on a direct snap on the following play, giving MSU its first lead of the game, but after a failed 2-point conversion, the Racers had a six-point advantage with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter.

“It was huge,” Matukewicz said about the fumble that led to the Racers’ second-half score. “That was tough going, and you can’t turn the ball over like that and expect to win. But I know we’ll bounce back.”

Southeast Missouri's quarterback Jesse Hosket (4) throws a pass during the first half of Saturday's game at Roy Stewart in Murray. The Redhawks won 17-16.

RYAN HERMENS | The Sun

After a missed 33-yard field goal by Mitchell, Southeast drove into opposing territory before settling for a 44-yard kick by McCrum, pulling the Redhawks within 13-10 with 39 seconds left in the quarter.

In the final quarter, Hosket threw his first interception of the season on a deflected pass at the line of scrimmage. The Racers gained 9 yards before settling for a 39-yard field goal by Mitchell, extending their lead to 16-10 with 11:50 left in the game.

McCrum missed a 53-yarder when the Southeast offense stalled out at the MSU 36, and both teams traded punts until the Redhawks scored the game-winning touchdown.

Despite allowing three big plays that combined for 215 yards, Southeast held the Racers to 4 of 15 (27 percent) on third down.

“I think that was the bottom line. I mean, we still gave up the three big plays. That was disappointing,” Matukewicz said. “We’ve got to try to work on that, but I think they played unbelievable considering the kind of positions our offense put them in.”

Senior inside linebacker Roper Garrett led the Redhawks on defense with nine tackles, including a game-high 2 1/2 for loss. Junior outside linebacker Kendall Donnerson added six tackles — two for loss — while JJ Flye and Zach Hall added five tackles each.

Southeast Missouri's Clarence Thornton (50) celebrates with teammates after the Redhawks defeated Murray State 17-16 Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray.

RYAN HERMENS | The Sun

“Especially when it was sudden change and stuff like that, we came out with the mindset that we can bend but can’t break. ... Our guys were really resilient today,” Garrett said. “I was proud of the whole defense, especially the front seven. They did a good job up front and made it easier for us linebackers to do our jobs and made it easier for the DBs to do their jobs.”

Humphries finished with 341 yards on 22-of-33 (67 percent) passing, but the Racers struggled to move the ball on the ground, finishing with 11 yards on 23 combined rushes. Blackburn finished with three catches for a game-high 112 yards.

Hosket was 19-of-44 (43 percent) through the air with 257 yards, two TDs and one interception. He faced constant pressure throughout the game, resulting in five sacks.

“We started slow, and then mistakes just bit us in our behind,” Davis said. “We just kept persevering through it for the whole game. Me, I had a couple dropped balls. I just had to get my head up and fight.”

Southeast amassed 119 yards rushing on 46 carries, led by 38 yards from senior running back Will Young. Davis finished with three catches for 52 yards, while junior WR Tyler McLemore added 56 yards receiving on two receptions, including a key 31-yard catch that moved Southeast to the MSU 20 on its final scoring drive.

The Redhawks return to action in Week 5 with a 6 p.m. game against No. 18 Eastern Illinois at Houck Stadium. The Panthers escaped with a 56-35 win over Austin Peay on Saturday.

“This was exciting. We needed this one,” Garrett said. “This one’s huge, and now hopefully we can get things rolling going into conference 1-0 and feeling good.”