Southeast Missouri State football team begins fall camp with undisputed starter at quarterback

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket throws a pass Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 during the first Redhawks football practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Fred Lynch

There's a renewed understanding as Jesse Hosket talks about the comfort of his role on the Southeast Missouri State football team.

It's an understanding that didn't exist a year ago, when Hosket, a junior college transfer, was in the midst of a quarterback battle that wasn't resolved until late August, a little less than two weeks before the 2016 season opener.

No such dispute exists this time around.

Hosket will become the first Redhawk quarterback in six years to start consecutive seasons, and as Southeast began fall camp Tuesday with its first official practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex, the presence of the team's senior signal caller provided a sense of togetherness that hasn't existed during the era of fourth-year coach Tom Matukewicz.

"I feel like there's less thinking going on," Hosket said. "I'm able to process stuff much quicker, just because I've got a better grasp of the terminology of the offense and the concepts and what we're trying to accomplish. I'm able to play more by instinct and can think less, and that makes me a better player."

Southeast Missouri State coach Tom Matukewicz blocks wide receiver Tyler McLemore Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 during the first Redhawks football practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Fred Lynch

Hosket is one of four QBs in the Ohio Valley Conference who saw significant starting time last season. He started all 11 games, completed 178 of 356 passes (50 percent) and threw for 2,332 yards, which ranked third in the conference, but big plays were few and far between for a Redhawks team that finished dead last in the OVC in scoring offense, averaging 20.8 points per game.

Southeast dropped four games by a combined 12 points and finished with a 3-8 record (3-5 in the OVC).

One of four returning starters on offense, Hosket stood out during Tuesday's practice. He didn't spend too much time surveying the field while standing in the pocket, was precise when hitting his short routes and had no trouble uncorking the deep ball.

"We're going to ask him to do a lot more things at the line of scrimmage, and I have a lot of confidence in him," Matukewicz said. "What really makes me feel good is you can't have a tough football team if you don't have a tough quarterback. That's just the way it is.

"He's our best player, and he's our hardest worker. He's our toughest player. I'm telling you, Jesse Hosket is a guy that we're going to load up because I think he can carry it. He'll have good days and bad days, good plays and bad plays, but I know this -- he'll show up every day and sign off his best."

After transferring to Southeast from East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, Hosket secured the starting job over incumbent and 2015 OVC Freshman of the Year Dante Vandeven, who eventually transferred to Division II Missouri Southern State.

Even now, with the reins to the offense solely in his hands, Hosket hasn't changed his mindset heading into fall camp.

Southeast Missouri State's Kendrick Tiller practices kicking a field goal Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 during the first Redhawks football practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Fred Lynch

"I don't feel like anybody on this team should be entitled to anything. I think that just makes you a better football player," Hosket said. "You come in each day, and you're always competing. It doesn't matter if you're at the No. 1 spot or the No. 5 spot. Every rep you get, you should be giving it your hardest. It just makes the team that much better."

Matukewicz believes Hosket has also evolved in his ability to communicate. It's a testament to the development of his maturity as a senior.

"You've got to be the voice of the team. You've got to be the leader of the team. You've got to be able to talk. You've got to be able to inspire," Matukewicz said. "If a kid's not bought in, go grab him and bring him with you. He's just more comfortable in that role.

"Even giving interviews -- now it's not like pulling teeth. He comes from a real small town in Mississippi, and they don't do a lot of talking. They do a lot of working, which doesn't bother me a bit, but we certainly want him to be able to communicate to his teammates and his coaches about what it takes to be successful because we want him to rub off on the rest of the team."

SEMO's leading receiver from a year ago was also on display Tuesday, as sophomore Kristian Wilkerson made several impressive catches and showed his ability to stretch the field. Wilkerson, who had 743 yards receiving and four touchdowns in 2016, ran plays with the first-team offense along with sophomore WR Trevon Billington and senior WR Tyler McLemore.

While working with the second-team offense in an 11-man drill, junior QB Anthony Cooper delivered a pass that was slightly behind junior WR Richie Eisenhart on a curl out route, but Eisenhart made a last-second adjustment to catch the ball in double coverage.

Southeast Missouri State running back Marquis Terry carries the ball after a handoff from quarterback Jesse Hosket Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 during the first Redhawks football practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Fred Lynch

Meanwhile, sophomore cornerback Shabari Davis stood out on defense, hauling in a pair of interceptions.

"On offense, we've got to be able to have explosive plays -- passes over 15 (yards), runs over 10. I thought Kristian Wilkerson had a great day, had some really nice catches," Matukewicz said. "... On defense, we had some nice takeaways. I think we got three takeaways. Shabari Davis -- he's a newcomer from Garden City, Kansas -- I believe he got two interceptions. That's great to see, obviously. Those big plays are what can turn a game around."

Strength & conditioning

Matukewicz praised his players for showing grit in their first practice and said it's the best shape his team has been in at the start of fall camp since he took over the program.

"The football part will come, but I need a guy that is in shape to be able to play four quarters," Matukewicz said. "... It just feels like they're really listening and have bought into the concepts that we're trying to get better at. You can tell when I'm talking to the group, the eyes are on me. People aren't looking down. They want to be coached. That's what it feels like. 'What do I need to do in order to do my part?' As a coach, that's what you want. You want a hungry, humble team, and right now, it feels like that."

Over the summer, the Redhawks have increased their averages in bench press (14 pounds), clean lifting (20 pounds) and squat lifting (60 pounds), as players are trusting in the weight-room philosophy of new strength and conditioning coach Ryan Napoli.

Southeast Missouri State's Justin Swift gets a drink Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 during the first Redhawks football practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

Fred Lynch

A former assistant strength coach at North Dakota State, Napoli came to Cape Girardeau in January to provide oversight for the football program and assist with all other facets of SEMO's strength and conditioning program. He was a part of all five of the Bison's Football Championship Subdivision national championships while also coaching the track and field and wrestling teams at NDSU.

Hosket believes better conditioning will pay off when the season begins in early September.

"The best element we'll be able to have is finding a way to stay focused in the fourth quarter when we're tired and be able to do our job and complete assignments well while we're tired," Hosket said. "I think the drills we've been doing all summer long -- the conditioning, the way that we've done it -- it's kept us locked in mentally while we're fatigued and out there running."

Early offense

While the team hasn't gone over many situational drills, Matukewicz said the primary focus at the start of camp has been on first and second down.

It's a deviation from his previous routine, as he intends to spend five full days solely working on execution of the downs.

"We just want them to understand that if we handle our business on first and second down, the critical situations take care of themselves, like third down and red zone," Matukewicz said.

Matukewicz said he feels good about the skill-position players he has on offense but wants to see more from his offensive line.

The Redhawks return junior left tackle Drew Forbes and senior right tackle Alex Snyder but will feature new starters at center and both guard positions.

"We've still got a lot of competition at center. We need to get better at right tackle," Matukewicz said. "We graduated a lot of senior offensive linemen. We have good players there, but that doesn't really mean much. They've got to be able to perform. They've got to be able to work with each other.

"I think if we're able to give Jesse time and are able to open holes up for (running back) Marquis Terry, I think we're going to be able to score some points, so that's really where our focus is."