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NOTEBOOK: Southeast Missouri State football's ground struggles hamper offense in loss to Gamecocks
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket attempts a pass that was incomplete as Jacksonville State's Monty Young covers him during the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 at Houck Stadium.
Fred Lynch
The Southeast Missouri State football team was up against the Ohio Valley Conference's most physical team in Saturday's homecoming game at Houck Stadium.
But the Redhawks knew that all along.
Southeast established nothing on the ground against No. 2 Jacksonville State. Literally nothing.
Miscommunication on two bad snaps that resulted in minus-27 yards ultimately skewed the numbers -- the Redhawks finished with 28 rushes for zero yards -- but when the running game went futile, the passing game was disrupted by a Gamecocks defensive line hell-bent on hurrying the quarterback.
The result was a 17-10 loss.
Southeast Missouri State coach Tom Matukewicz encourages his players during the first quarter against Jacksonville State Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 at Houck Stadium.
Fred Lynch
"We had our plays where we were doing all right and then had our plays where we weren't. It all just comes down to execution," Southeast senior guard Garret Baker said. "It has nothing to do with the play-calling. We had a great plan going in -- run the ball and stop the run. We were running the ball for the most part, but it all just comes down to execution up front."
Senior running back Will Young gained 36 yards on 11 carries, but his 3.3 yards per carry still wasn't enough for the SEMO's offense to function. With backup RB Chase Abbington out with a concussion, Cameron Sanders added 6 yards on four rushes, while Tremane McCullough was held to minus-6 yards on six totes.
The Redhawks' zero rushing yards was the lowest single-game amount allowed in program history for JSU, which entered the game with the seventh-ranked rushing defense in the country.
"They're a really good defensive team," Baker said. "We just knew we had to swing first and keep swinging. We knew we had to stay ahead of the chains. They're at their best when you're at third-and-long."
With the run game out of the equation, junior quarterback Jesse Hosket was forced to drop back and pass more than the Redhawks' coaching staff had planned.
Hosket was hurried nine times, including twice by Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Darius Jackson. He threw for a game-high 206 yards but completed only 35 percent of his passes.
"They stopped the run, and then they have guys that will be playing on Sunday at defensive end. We don't have guys playing on Sunday to block them," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said. "They were just really, really good. They got you in those situations. That's unfortunate we weren't able to establish the run game more and get our play-action pass going a bit because that's who we are.
"If we're just going to drop back there and throw it like that, that's just not who we are."
Hosket was sacked twice but not by Jackson, who entered the game as the league leader. After the game, Baker wasn't all too impressed with the 6-foot-3, 237-pound redshirt junior.
"I went up against him. He was pretty soft," Baker said. "He did his thing. He's a good pass-rusher. ... They run a complex defense. That's hard to block every single time."
Redshirt junior safety Siran Neal led the Gamecocks' defense with nine tackles, including two for loss. He also hauled in one of JSU's two interceptions on Hosket. As a team, the Gamecocks racked up eight TFLs.
"At the end, we've got to have some guys make plays, and we've got to execute. But we shouldn't be ashamed of ourselves at all," Baker said. "We went out there and played our balls off. I'm really proud of this team.
"What I told the younger guys is, 'Don't be complacent with a 17-10 loss to the [No. 2] team in the country. If you want to build a winning culture, you've got to go out there and win that next time. In the fourth quarter, you know you've got to go out there and win that.'"
Stout on defense again
Southeast brought in the OVC's second-ranked scoring defense behind JSU and once again played its part in holding a high-powered offense in check.
The Gamecocks found the end zone twice in the first half but were held scoreless in the second half.
Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins is brought down by Southeast Missouri State's Kendall Donnerson during the first quarter Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 at Houck Stadium.
Fred Lynch
Matukewicz credited his players' resiliency for not giving up when the Redhawks headed into halftime facing a 17-0 deficit.
"We're down 17-0 to the No. 2 team in the country and thinking, 'Are we going to respond or not?' And they did," Matukewicz said. "They really did come out and did a nice job."
Southeast gave its most noticeable effort against a JSU rushing offense that entered the game eighth in the nation averaging 257.9 rushing yards per game.
Led by 14 carries each from pair of Football Bowl Subdivision transfers in Josh Clemons (Kentucky) and Roc Thomas (Auburn), the Gamecocks mustered 151 rushing yards on 43 attempts, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Thomas finished with 52 yards, while Clemons had 46 yards.
"Those two tailbacks are SEC starters. ... Our defense responded," Matukewicz said. "Our defensive front didn't get pushed back, and I think our linebackers did a good job of tackling."
Senior Eli Jenkins was the OVC's top rushing heading into the contest but was slowed by an ankle injury. He threw for 144 yards on 10-of-19 passing but was held to only five yards on the ground, rushing the ball nine times.
Freshman inside linebacker Zach Hall led SEMO's defense with 10 tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss.
"I was very proud of our front line, our linebacking corps," said Redhawks junior outside linebacker Chad Meredith, who finished with eight tackles and a team-high two TFLs. "Everybody was fitting where they needed to be, and it showed up. We were stopping the run."