SEMO FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Play action a boon for Southeast Missouri State offense

Southeast Missouri State's Marquette Murdock hauls in a 45-yard touchdown reception against Eastern Illinois during the third quarter Saturday at Houck Stadium.

Fred Lynch

For the first four weeks of the season, the Southeast Missouri State football offense searched for both big plays and consistency. Finding a little bit of both was critical in pulling a 21-14 upset of then-No. 13 Eastern Illinois (now ranked No. 19/20 in the STATS/coaches' polls after the result) on Saturday at Houck Stadium.

It wasn't a perfect evening for the Redhawks, but a big part of their success was the play-action pass, as they were able to suck the Panther defense in with the run and then catch them with a deep ball.

Two of SEMO's touchdowns came on exactly that type of play.

For a unit that's looking for explosive, game-changing plays, it's a welcome asset.

"It's just kind of one of those things where it develops a little bit in time," Southeast offensive coordinator Jon Wiemers said. "You have to have some rhythm and timing to it. It's something we've been working on since last spring and it hit tonight.

"They had some good alignments for us to be able to do it as well. ... There were some huge, huge plays for us."

Both in yardage and momentousness.

On Southeast's second possession of the game, already leading 7-0, quarterback Jesse Hosket faked a handoff before launching a ball down the field to receiver Adrian Davis. The EIU defense bought what the Redhawks were selling, with the cornerback stepping up while Davis sprinted by him.

Whether it was because he was collapsing to stop the run or simply was slow in reading the play, the safety was slow coming over to help as well, and Davis was clear for a 62-yard touchdown and a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter.

"They always look really awesome when they happen," Wiemers said. "There was one earlier where he had the deep route open and [Hosket] just didn't have time. Those things need to develop.

Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Adrian Davis runs along the end zone after scoring a touchdown on a 62-yard run against Eastern Illinois during the first quarter Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 at Houck Stadium.

Fred Lynch

"For us to be able to do that in the offense, it backs people off. It helps our run game. When you do those things and connect a couple times, it helps everything else."

The moment checked off two boxes that Southeast has not most of the time this season: a big play early in the contest and a pass, especially down field, on first down.

"We've got to be able to throw the ball down the field and take advantage of everybody loading the box because we run the ball," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said. "We've struggled with that at times, but that was just a great job. It was a beautiful ball, in stride. It's exactly how you draw it up."

In the third quarter, SEMO dialed up another perfect play-action call.

With the Panthers having scored to tie things at 14 early in the third quarter, Southeast responded on the ensuing drive on third-and-1 near midfield. The Redhawks lined up in their jumbo package, telegraphing a short-yardage running play, but instead Hosket pulled the ball back in and found a wide open tight end, Marquette Murdock, for a 45-yard TD.

It was the game-winning play.

"A lot of it is you get so many [defensive] guys on everybody else," Wiemers said. "Actually, some of that stuff is designed to go to other people. That's why Jesse made such good reads. They forget about [Murdock]. People forget about tight ends."

That play, though, was never designed to go anywhere else, and the Eastern Illinois defense ran right into the trap. Loading every defender into the box to stop the run, there was not a single Panther who dropped into coverage.

When asked if he'd ever been that open before, Murdock just laughed for a minute before saying, "No, I haven't. I was pretty wide open."

"We go play by play and read the defense, and we look to the sideline to the coaches and say, 'They're biting, they're biting,'" Murdock said. "And when it's time to make a play, you've got to make it. We made them tonight."

Murdock's big game

If you haven't been watching -- really watching -- Southeast play this season, you might not have been aware of Murdock's presence until his big game on Saturday. The final stats -- three catches for 86 yards and a touchdown -- are more a breakthrough than a sudden breakout.

The sophomore has started every game this season and has played the majority of his team's snaps. And although he had just one catch for eight yards before Week 5, he has been targeted on a number of occasions throughout the season

"He's a weapon in the pass game," Wiemers said. "He's got great hands, has made progress in run blocking and made some huge plays [against EIU]."

Murdock has shown the ability to get his 6-foot-3, 237-pound frame open down the field, not just on short, possession-oriented routes; on Saturday he broke free of the secondary deep on a second-quarter play that left him waving his arms in the air while Hosket checked down to a shorter route. And in Week 1 he nearly completed a highlight-reel play when he got loose down the sideline only to have the pass from Hosket just overthrown. Had the two connected, it would have been an easy touchdown.

That was have been in front of Murdock's hometown Memphis crowd, and he was waiting for an opportunity to make another play. He got it against Eastern Illinois.

"I said, 'Man, I wish I had that one back,' and I knew if I got another one I was going to capitalize," Murdock said. "So when it came, I capitalized on it."

Murdock, who had just two catches for 25 yards as a freshman in 2015 and appeared mostly on special teams, has been working hard to improve both his hands and his blocking ability, and his progress can be seen in the trust his coaches have put in leaving him on the field in every situation for an offense that often looks to run first.

"I tell my coaches I'm a receiving tight end and they say, 'We don't care, you're going to block anyway,'" Murdock said, laughing. "But I do whatever my team [needs]. I don't mind blocking. I get the job done, but I know my run blocking can improve. I like catching the ball as well. Tight end is a balanced position, so I like to do both."

That's the name of the game for the position.

"Those guys are a gritty bunch," Wiemers said. "It's not a glory position. They've got to block, block, block, but they've got to keep running their routes, because eventually [the defense] will forget about him."

With games like Saturday's, Murdock won't be forgotten as easily.

No. 300

The SEMO defense put in another outstanding game -- Matukewicz said calling it good was "the understatement of the year" -- as it held a team averaging 30 points per game to just one offensive touchdown and just 93 total yards of offense in the second half.

Leading that charge was one of the senior statesman of a veteran unit, middle linebacker Roper Garrett.

Garrett entered the game needing one tackle to reach 300 for his Redhawks career, and he got that and more, finishing second on the team with eight stops, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

"It's all great," Garrett said of the mileston. "I really look for that when football's over. They're just numbers. I'm just happy for our team right now."

Garrett's total now sits at 307, which is five behind Joe Divis, a Redhawk from 1990 through 1992, for seventh all-time at Southeast.