Southeast Missouri State football team returns home to face Southern Illinois in regional rivalry

Southeast Missouri State running back Marquis Terry cuts through a hole against Dayton on Saturday in Dayton, Ohio.

Jillian Francois Hocker

Cornerback Mike Ford can still remember how the Southeast Missouri State football team defeated Southern Illinois on Sept. 12, 2015.

Just a sophomore at the time, Ford had a pair of interceptions, including a 21-yard pick-six, as the Redhawks forced seven turnovers and used a last-second field goal to defeat the Salukis 27-24 at Houck Field.

A lot has changed since then. Now a senior, Ford is one of just four holdovers who started for Southeast in that game, while the SIU coaching staff is almost entirely different in the second year of Nick Hill's regime.

But Ford remembers. He remembers the defense flying around, leading to the abundance of takeaways. Perhaps most importantly, he remembers the diligence and focus from his team on that night, a solidarity the Redhawks will look to attain once again when they renew their regional rivalry with the Salukis at 6 p.m. Saturday at Houck Field.

"That's what we've been focusing on all week -- doing our job. Everybody was doing their job in that game," Ford said. "Everybody was making plays.

Southeast Missouri State’s Shabari Davis, left, defends Dayton’s Jack Euritt during Saturday’s game in Dayton, Ohio.

Jillian Francois Hocker

"I mean, it's the home opener, so the energy's going to be there. We're going to be ready to bring it."

Southeast (0-2) enters the third and final game of its non-conference schedule after falling to Dayton in a 25-23 decision last week in Dayton, Ohio. A nine-play, 87-yard scoring drive pulled the Redhawks within two points inside the final minute, but an interception on the conversion attempt allowed the Flyers to seal the deal.

Against Dayton, Southeast was forced to overcome a bevy of mistakes. Senior quarterback Jesse Hosket completed 20 of 32 passes (62.5 percent) for 251 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had a pair of second-half interceptions. The Redhawks were also penalized eight times for 84 yards, while two rugby-style punts in the third quarter were poorly executed, leading to a 10-point swing.

Nevertheless, Southeast found itself within striking distance on the final drive, during which Hosket was 7-of-8 for 81 yards.

"Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, another blocked punt," Matukewicz said, "but the team still looked the same. They still tried. They still fought, which is the reason we came down to a two-minute drive and were a two-point play away from staying in it."

SIU (1-0) has played only one game so far, offering a sample size that doesn't give much away. The Salukis opened their season a week ago, dismantling Mississippi Valley State 55-3 in Carbondale, Illinois. SIU scored five TDs on the ground and three through the air, finishing with 521 yards of offense against a Delta Devils team picked to finish last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The Salukis have SEMO's attention, but the Redhawks remained fixated on correcting their own issues. Matukewicz believes it starts with shoring up a rushing defense that was gouged for 192 yards against the Flyers. After racking up 285 rushing yards of its own against MVSU, SIU figures to be at least as big a test.

"We're going to focus on us," Matukewicz said. "We have core beliefs that defending anybody, it starts with the run first. Because we didn't do a great job stopping the run versus Dayton, that's something we put some emphasis on, but obviously we've got to do a good job against the pass because they know how to throw it.

"They're not going to invent any plays. We've just got to read our keys and do our job."

After opening the season with a 38-16 loss against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Kansas, Southeast showed significant overall improvement on defense versus Dayton, slicing its total number of missed assignments from 56 to 23.

Matukewicz said one critical point of emphasis in practice this week has been revising the punting game. Against the Flyers, Southeast averaged 19.4 yards on five punts, two of which were disastrous during the third quarter -- they were officially listed as blocked punts but, in reality, were created by the combination of both disruption and low-line delivery.

Following Tuesday's practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex, both punters -- junior Evan Scales and redshirt freshman Jake Reynolds -- remained on the field to work on their craft.

"We've just shined a big ol' light on it," Matukewicz said. "The No. 1 thing we've started with is, 'Are we playing the right players?' No. 2, we went through our schemes and tried to just make sure we're asking them to do the right thing. On Monday, normally we work every special team, but we just worked the punt."

Coming into the season, there were questions surrounding a Redhawks secondary that lost three starters, but last week's performance against Dayton was encouraging. Flyers QB Kyle Kaparos threw for a pair of TDs but completed just 40 percent (8 of 20) of his passes for 100 yards, a single-game low from a Division I opponent in the Matukewicz era.

That unit will be challenged Saturday against a high-octane SIU offense.

"That's been an emphasis, so now we'll have a little better idea where they're at," Matukewicz said. "Last week, we did a great job against the pass, not so much versus the run, and hopefully we can shore up both ends."

While Ford is the most experienced player in SEMO's secondary, sophomore CBs Shabari Davis and Al Young have been forced to quickly adapt to the college level, and Ford believes they're handling it well.

"These guys are gifted beyond measure," Ford said about the Redhawks' youthful defensive backfield. "It's no question about how talented they are. They can fly around. They can run. They can jump. These guys are moving and making plays, so it's just about getting the scheme down and learning the plays. They're coming along."

And now there's another leader in the secondary.

Just before last week's game, CB Rico McWilliams was granted eligibility to play. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound McWilliams, who started 18 games in three seasons at South Carolina, got the starting nod opposite Ford, with Davis and Young utilized in nickel and dime packages. In his first start as a Redhawk, McWilliams finished with a pair of tackles.

Ford has been impressed with the energy and leadership McWilliams brings to the secondary.

"He comes out here and brings it every day," Ford said. "He comes with a good attitude, brings his passion. He just has a lot of energy behind him, so that's also a good thing because now you don't just have one DB that's an older guy that you can look up to -- you have two. Two is always better than one."

Energy shouldn't be an issue when the Redhawks take the field Saturday night against the program's most-storied rival. After all, they're just happy to be home.

"Just to be home and be able to have our energy instead of waiting and conserving our energy and being ready for game day, now it's all here, and we're all ready," Ford said. "We've got our crowd behind us, so it's an exciting thing.

"I feel like everybody's pumped up to be home. It's always a good thing to be home."

Series history

Southeast leads 40-36-8

Previous meeting

Southern Illinois won 30-22 on Sept. 10, 2016, in Carbondale, Illinois

By the numbers

84 -- The number of previous meetings between the two programs. Saturday’s game marks No. 85. Southeast has played SIU more than any opponent in its football history. The series began in 1909, and the Redhawks are 18-17-4 against the Salukis in Cape Girardeau. Saturday’s game will be a “Black Out” game, with all fans encouraged to wear black.

12 -- The Salukis’ number of consecutive road losses. SIU’s last road victory came late in the 2014 season. However, the Salukis have fared well in recent years against non-FBS, non-conference competition. Since 2003, SIU is 34-4 against such opponents. Two of those four losses are against the Redhawks.

16 -- The number of wins Southeast has in its home openers since joining the Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 1991. In contrast, the Redhawks have lost 10 of their home openers during that span. Southeast has won eight of its last 11 home openers and is 2-1 in such games under Matukewicz.

Stat leaders

Southern Illinois

Passing: Sam Straub 191 yards

Rushing: Daquan Isom 97 yards, D.J. Davis 58 yards, Cameron Walter 51 yards

Receiving: Connor Iwema 58 yards, Isom 38 yards, Jacob Varble 30 yards

Tackles: Craig James 5, James Caesar 5, Five players with 4

Southeast

Passing: Jesse Hosket 421 yards

Rushing: Marquis Terry 198 yards, Cameron Sanders 36 yards, Hosket 10 yards

Receiving: Trevon Billington 179 yards, Kristian Wilkerson 156 yards, Terry 31 yards

Tackles Chad Meredith 17, Omar Pierre-Louis 13, Kendall Donnerson 11

Southern Illinois coach Nick Hill

Saluki Athletics

Opposing coach's view

“SEMO’s coming off two tough losses and had a tough game against Dayton this past week, but they’re getting back at home. And it’s a tough place to play down there. ... Our players know what type of atmosphere we’re going down to. Two years ago, it was a tough game there where they knocked us off, and a lot of our older guys, the juniors and seniors, still remember that game pretty clearly.”

-- Nick Hill, Southern Illinois coach

Scouting the opponent

Southern Illinois wide receiver Connor Iwema had three receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown in the Salukis’ win over Missouri Valley State last week.

Saluki Athletics

Never mind last year's 4-7 record. The Salukis are on the rise, at least according to The Southern Illinoisan sports reporter Todd Hefferman, who has been impressed with the growth of SIU's offense under the offensive-minded Hill.

"Coach Nick Hill's offensive background clearly comes through with the way they run fast and throw the ball around," Hefferman said. "Not many of us expected SIU to set so many passing records last year, but the Salukis played from behind a lot and struggled to run the football when the other team knew they were going to run, so it just kind of worked out that way."

Hefferman has also been impressed with Hill's ability to recruit high-caliber talent. Against MVSU, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Anthony Knighton had two sacks to go along with four tackles, including three for loss. His immediate impact hasn't gone unnoticed.

"In his first game, he managed to evade their right tackle with a swift inside move and got the sack," Hefferman said about Knighton. "He had two solo sacks and three tackles for loss and made it tough for MVSU to run that way.

"He's a strong 6-2, 246 pounds and can get off blocks pretty well."

Knighton is a defensive end in the Salukis' 4-3 base alignment. He's one of three redshirt freshmen on a defensive line that held the Delta Devils' ground game in check last week, limiting them to minus-8 yards rushing.

Altogether, SIU has six returning starters on defense, and with such a small sample size, Hefferman said it's hard to get a gauge on the rest of the unit.

"The other playmakers to watch Saturday night are middle linebacker Kyron Watson, strongside linebacker Airan Reed, who is a former safety that plays some coverages, and free safety Jeremy Chinn," Hefferman said.

On the offensive side, the Salukis return seven starters and are led by 6-foot, 208-pound senior wide receiver Connor Iwema, who hauled in three catches for 58 yards and a TD in last week's victory.

"Iwema is a tough kid that can catch everything in his radius and is a great possession-type receiver for SIU's quarterbacks," Hefferman said. "He has good speed, not great speed, but good speed and is a pivotal blocker on SIU's wide receiver screens."

Junior running back Daquan Isom (5-8, 186 pounds) led SIU's potent rushing attack in Week 1, finishing with 97 yards on 14 carries (6.9 yards per carry). Other key contributors in the backfield are sophomore D.J. Davis (5-8, 160 pounds), senior Cameron Walter (5-10, 200 pounds) and junior Jonathan Mixon (5-11, 227 pounds).

Sam Straub, a 6-4, 240-pound junior, helms the Salukis' offense and has an NFL arm, according to Hefferman. He was 12-of-20 passing (60 percent) against MVSU, finishing with 191 yards and a pair of TDs. Third-year sophomore Tanner Hearn is the backup QB and saw limited action in last week's blowout victory.

SIU's offensive line is led by senior tackles DeVondre Seymour and Austin Olsen. Hefferman believes this year's offensive front is the deepest and most talented SIU has had in the last six years

Although the defense is inexperienced, Hefferman believes there's enough athleticism and talent across the board to carry the load.

"SIU's inexperience didn't show up much against MVSU but will show up eventually," Hefferman said. "The Salukis are talented, but they start three freshmen in their front four and have four sophomores in their back seven. The Delta Devils didn't score but three points but got into SIU's red zone a few times before penalties and incompletions turned them away, so they are susceptible to big plays."

The Salukis were picked to finish eighth in the highly-competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference, but another year under Hill is beginning to show roots of synergy within the program, according to Hefferman.

As of now, there doesn't appear to be too much excitement in the program, but Hefferman said that's to be expected at SIU.

"Fans have always been fairweather for football at SIU, even when the Salukis were in the playoffs every year, and the opening-night crowd of less than 9,000 was disappointing because Hill does everything he can to get people excited," Hefferman said. "He gets out in the community. He gets his team out in the community, and opens every practice to the media and the public.

"After going 4-7 last year, expectations are that SIU may be able to climb into the middle of the Missouri Valley Football Conference this year. The Salukis dropped six of their seven losses by eight points or less, so you'd think they'd be able to turn half of those around, at least. And their schedule lines up where they could go 2-1 before opening conference play. Even though SIU will play five, maybe six, top-25 teams during MVFC play, it gets three of the four best at home, so the Salukis could make some noise this year."

OVC schedule

Saturday

* Tennessee Tech at Ball State, 2 p.m.

* #14 Illinois State at Eastern Illinois, 2 p.m.

* Murray State at Missouri State, 2 p.m.

* #22 Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M (Tampa, Fla.), 5 p.m.

* UT Martin at #15 Chattanooga, 5 p.m.

* Southern Illinois at Southeast, 6 p.m.

* Morehead State at Austin Peay, 6 p.m.

APSU and MSU will meet for the first time since 2006 when both programs were members of the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. The two teams played all but one season from 1962 to 2006, as the Governors won the last meeting in a 23-21 decision to bring an end to a 10-game losing streak in the all-time series.

APSU is aiming to snap a 29-game losing streak overall, dating back to October 2014. It’s the longest losing streak in OVC history. The Govs are coming off back-to-back losses against FBS opponents, including a 31-10 defeat last week at Miami (Ohio). APSU racked up 160 yards rushing, marking the 11th game in a row that the team has rushed for 100 yards in a game.

MSU, which competes in the PFL but is in the OVC in all other sports, dropped a 58-17 decision against No. 20 Liberty last week. The Eagles were led by junior QB Lawson Paige, who was 18-of-31 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown. Through two games, Paige has completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 471 yards and five TDs.