White team nips Red team at Southeast Missouri State Football Spring Game

White team members cheer on Kendall Donnerson after scoring a touchdown during the Southeast Missouri Spring game Thursday, April 13, 2017 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

Andrew J. Whitaker

Neither offense during the Southeast Missouri State Football Spring Game appeared to be in sync on Thursday, but with one final shot, the White team executed a two-minute drill to near perfection.

Starting quarterback Jesse Hosket completed 4 of 5 passes for 72 yards on the final drive, as tight end Marquette Murdock hauled in a 14-yard touchdown catch in the right corner of the end zone with 29.9 seconds remaining to give the White team a 14-6 win over the Red team at Houck Field.

With a free tailgate for the first 400 fans sponsored by Kohlfield Distributing and Wings Etc., the live intrasquad scrimmage gave fans the opportunity to come see what's in store for the 2017 season, while players got the chance to see the fruits of their labor.

For the Southeast coaching staff, it was all about keeping the team intact.

Mike Ford of the red team cheers during the Southeast Missouri Spring game Thursday, April 13, 2017 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

Andrew J. Whitaker

"Everybody stayed healthy, and so the Redhawks win," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said.

Defense shined on Thursday, with the Red team cashing in on the first turnover of the game during the second quarter.

After Nick Thompson recovered an Eddie Morris fumble inside goal territory, Anthony Cooper engineered an 11-play, 97-yard drive that ended when he scampered into the end zone from 7 yards out with 8 minutes, 18 seconds left in the first half. His 2-point conversion pass sailed incomplete, as the Red team held a 6-0 lead.

During the drive, running back Marquis Terry carried the ball five times for 35 yards. He finished the game with 71 yards on 16 totes but turned the ball over once.

Terry is among a group of newcomers after signing with the program in February. He was a first-team NJCAA All-American, scoring 17 times in 2016 and leading the nation with 1,319 rushing yards at Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas.

Anthony Cooper of the red team dives into the end zone for a touchdown guarded by Omar Pierre-Louis of the white team during the Southeast Missouri Spring game Thursday, April 13, 2017 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

Andrew J. Whitaker

"He just makes plays," Matukewicz said about Terry. "On a couple of those runs, it looked like he was going to lose 2 or 3 yards, and then he ends up gaining 4 or 5. That's a mark of a really good tailback."

Cameron Sanders led the White team on the ground with 10 rushes for 29 yards, while Morris carried the ball four times for 20 yards.

Traionn Jones chipped in 24 yards on seven carries for the Red team. He also had three catches for 15 yards.

"I think our running backs are pretty deep," Matukewicz said. "I think Cam Sanders is a guy who kind of made his name on kickoff returns, and he's done a nice job. He's a big back. ... [Jones] kind of showed up today and had some nice runs. He did a really good job."

The White team cashed in on the final play of the first half when Terry's fumble was scooped up by outside linebacker Kendall Donnerson and returned 63 yards for a touchdown that tied the game at 6-6.

Donnerson also had a sack, while defensive lineman Devin Hebert and OLB Chad Meredith each had a sack for the Red team.

Tyler McLemore of the red team catches the ball while guarded by K.T. McCollin of the white team during the Southeast Missouri Spring game Thursday, April 13, 2017 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

Andrew J. Whitaker

Matukewicz expects his defense to rely heavily on the experience of Donnerson and Meredith, who have received interest from NFL scouts ahead of their final college season.

"Those two guys have played a lot of football for us," Matukewicz said. "My challenge to them is they make a lot of plays, but they've got to do a good job when the game's on the line. We've got to get pressure on the quarterback.

"Last year a lot of teams were able to make plays in the passing game, and we certainly have got to get better in the secondary. But the best pass defense is the pass rush. So we're really challenging those guys, and we've got to have depth so that they're fresh in those two-minute situations and can go get after that quarterback."

Hosket faced constant pressure from the defensive front but finished 8-of-23 passing for 128 yards with one TD and two interceptions.

On the other side, Cooper threw for 107 yards on 10-of-17 passing. He also ran seven times for 49 yards.

"I think we know what we've got with Jesse, and he's had a really good spring. So we feel great," Matukewicz said. "I think he could be one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

"We're trying to figure out who our No. 2 is, and Coop had to miss last fall because he had elbow surgery. He's been around a long time but hasn't been able to play, so it was really good for him to make some plays. You can tell we don't hit the guy because he had a couple fumbles that normally he doesn't have, so I know he'll want a couple of those plays back. But I really like him. He's different than Jesse, but he's able to make plays, which is what you want your quarterback to do."

Wide receiver Trevon Billington was Hosket's top target and finished with a game-high 73 yards on four catches, three of which came on the final drive.

Wideout Tyler McLemore made two highlight-reel catches, finishing with 68 yards on three grabs for the Red team, while tight end Bud Hilburn added one catch for 25 yards on the White team.

"We've got to do a great job catching the football. That was definitely an issue last year, and for the most part, we've done a pretty good job," Matukewicz said. "Tyler really showed up, and Tre Billington there in that last drive had some really nice catches. It was great to see. We've still got to get better there. All summer long, Jesse and those guys have got to play catch and do a great job."

Defensive backs Mike Ford (Red) and Dontavius Powell (Red) each had an interception, while linebacker Isaac Diabagate (White) had a pick on the final play of the game.

Inside linebacker Zach Hall finished with 10 tackles for the White team.

Offensive lineman Junior Pierre went down with an injury on the White team's first play from scrimmage but walked off the field under his own power.