Southeast Missouri State football team's offense gains ground but struggles for consistency in loss to EKU

Southeast Missouri State's Tremane McCullough makes a catch while being defended by Eastern Kentucky's Eric Reed during the second half on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 in Richmond, Kentucky. (Nathan Hutchinson/Richmond Register)

RICHMOND, Ky. — Taking a step back wasn’t what the Southeast Missouri State football team’s offense had in mind after coming off one of the program’s biggest wins in recent memory.

But so goes the game of football, and so goes consistency.

Although they had their fair share of explosive plays, the Redhawks never found pay dirt until 3 minutes, 42 seconds were left on the game clock in Saturday’s 31-16 loss to Eastern Kentucky at Roy Kidd Stadium.

“We threw the ball well. We ran the ball well. We just couldn’t finish,” Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said. “It would be a fumble, a turnover, a penalty — some kind of thing that would end up stopping the drive — so that’s what we’ve got to work to fix.”

Southeast Missouri State's Jesse Hosket breaks out of the pocket and looks downfield against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 in Richmond, Kentucky. (Nathan Hutchinson/Richmond Register)

Caught in the middle of everything was Redhawks quarterback Jesse Hosket, who was faced with the task of finding success in a number of long-yardage situations throughout the game.

The 6-foot-4 signal caller helped lead the offense for 392 total yards but understands there’s still plenty of work to be done, particularly in the red zone, where Southeast (2-4, 2-1 Ohio Valley Conference) was forced to settle for two field goals and committed one of its two turnovers.

“It’s definitely frustrating to have big explosive plays and then not be able to finish drives, but it’s something we’ve got to keep working on,” Hosket said. “We’ve got to execute when we get down there. We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone.”

After the Redhawks’ defense got a key fourth-down stop at their own 1-yard line early in the game, Southeast sustained an impressive drive and appeared to have momentum on its side.

That all changed in one play, as senior Tremane McCullough hauled in a reception from Hosket along the sideline and turned up the field for a 42-yard gain. The ball, however, was popped loose, and the Colonels took over at their own 6.

It was the first of two fumbles for McCullough, who didn’t shy away from taking ownership for his performance.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” said McCullough, who led Southeast with 103 yards receiving on eight catches. “... We’ve got to just think about winning our next game and seeing how we can finish out.”

While a 56-yard touchdown pass by EKU quarterback Bennie Coney proved to be the longest play by either team, the Redhawks created some explosiveness as well.

Senior running back Will Young bursted through the middle and was brought down at the Colonels’ 10 for a 45-yard gain during the third quarter, but Southeast was forced to settle for its third field goal, a 22-yarder by Ryan McCrum.

“We had a heck of a run in the second half,” Hosket said. “We had some big plays in the passing game. We moved the football. You just can’t have penalties, and you can’t turn the ball over.”

The Redhawks had 80 yards negated by 10 penalties, including several holding calls that forced them into long-yardage situations on early downs. Southeast finished 7 of 17 (41 percent) on third-down conversions.

“That’s tough. First-and-20, it’s not where you want to be,” Hosket said. “Once you get a holding call, it just makes it a lot harder.”

Regardless of dropping their first OVC game of the season, the Redhawks still managed to find some bright spots.

Hosket guided the team on its only scoring drive late in the game, a five-play, 87-yard drive that was capped by a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kristian Wilkerson. He finished with a season-high 291 yards passing while completing 24 of 41 attempts (59 percent).

Young finished with a team-leading 81 yards on the ground, while wide receiver Adrian Davis (five catches for 48 yards) and tight end Marquette Murdock (three receptions for 44 yards) also played an integral part in the passing game.

McCullough believes his team needs to be more physical and said he was inspired by the play of his offensive line.

“I like how our O-line kept pushing. They kept fighting,” he said. “They believe in us, and I believe in them. So I hope they just don’t give up on us and keep moving forward.”