Menu
SEMO FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Yinger, Dayton run all over Southeast Missouri State
The Southeast Missouri State defensive line sets up against the Dayton offense during a college football game on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.
Jillian Francois Hocker
DAYTON, Ohio -- Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz believes that successfully stopping the run starts with having the mentality to do so.
On Saturday, the Redhawks were stretched thin against a Dayton rushing attack that imposed its will, producing 192 yards on the ground, 121 of which came in the second half alone.
Southeast rarely had an answer for 6-foot, 191-pound Tucker Yinger, who racked up a game-high 141 yards on 24 carries and allowed the Flyers to control the clock en route to a 25-23 win at Welcome Stadium.
"I think in the first half, we did a good job. When we wanted to stop it, we stopped it, and they got some junk runs on some third downs. But then in the second half, they were able to move the chains even though we knew they were going to run it," Matukewicz said. "We looked a little tired. ... The bottom line is we've got to just do a better job."
Dayton found a great deal of its success on the ground by spreading out the Redhawks' defense and forcing the run support off the line of scrimmage.
It hurt the visitors on several key plays in the first half.
Midway through the second quarter, Dayton kept one of its scoring drives intact by converting on third-and-20 and third-and-16, respectively, and all it took was a draw up the middle -- both times.
"We got caught in a couple plays, but it just comes down to running to the ball and tackling," said Redhawks senior outside linebacker Chad Meredith, who finished with a team-high 11 tackles. "When it's third-and-15 and third-and-21, you can't let up that big of a run."
Meredith said the team adjusted at halftime by cutting down on its nickel packages and opting instead for its base formation.
While Yinger led the way for Dayton, Sean Prophit was almost equally as effective, finishing with eight rushes for 45 yards (5.6 ypc).
"They're shifty guys," Meredith said. "They ran downhill, but I think when we stopped the run, we did a good job of getting them back and holding them. ... The whole game just comes down to the fact that we're just giving up too many big plays. The Redhawks beat the Redhawks today. We can't have big, 21-yard runs. We can't let them in the red zone, and when we do, we've got to keep them from scoring."
Emerging options
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket throws a pass against Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The host Flyers won 25-23.
Jillian Francois Hocker
The new pieces around quarterback Jesse Hosket show that SEMO's offense could be trending in the right direction.
Running back Marquis Terry had his first 100-yard effort as a Redhawk on Saturday, finishing with 111 yards on 25 carries. Terry, a junior transfer from Highland Community College (Kan.), also scored his first touchdown at the Division I level, a 3-yard run off a direct snap during the second quarter.
"I just love how 'Quis finished runs, and the offensive line opened some big holes," Matukewicz said. "We weren't behind the chains much. That was something we talked a lot about."
Meanwhile, sophomore wide receiver Trevon Billington made it two games in a row with a TD catch, scoring Saturday on a 68-yard bomb from Hosket that gave the Redhawks their only lead of the game, 17-16. However, this time, he managed to lead the Redhawks in receiving, finishing with six catches for 135 yards.
"I'm super proud of where he's at right now," Matukewicz said about Billington. "I know he's only going to get better."
Punting blunders
The Redhawks are still feeling the growing pains of life without Alex Knight, whose reliable leg earned first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors last season.
Matukewicz has turned to a pair of contributors and has implemented a new rugby-style punt, but on Saturday, the struggles were evident.
Southeast punted the ball away five times, averaging just 19.4 yards per punt. On two occasions in the third quarter, punter Evan Scales' low-line kick deflected off Dayton players who were pursuing the block. The Flyers turned the third-quarter punts into a combined 10 points.
"It was a debacle of epic proportions," Matukewicz said about the punting issues. "We've got to go back to the drawing board. What we thought is not the case, so we've got to find a way to do a way better job on our punt team."
Gallery photos
