Southeast Missouri State football team remains in pursuit of first win against visiting Colonels

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket throws a pass against Southern Illinois during the second quarter on Sept. 16 at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz wasn't sure what kind of response he was going to get from his players as they began practice this week.

Coming off a 19-16 loss in last week's Ohio Valley Conference opener at Eastern Illinois, Matukewicz said his team appeared even more motivated than before in preparation for a matchup with Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. Saturday at Houck Field.

"It felt like if I had held a voluntary practice, they would've still been there," Matukewicz said. "There was a lot of energy. It felt like they wanted to practice, and that's a good sign."

Southeast (0-4, 0-1 OVC) remains in search of its first win on the heels of its most heartbreaking defeat of the season. Down just three points in the final minute, the Redhawks had possession inside the red zone with a chance to tie the game or win, but senior quarterback Jesse Hosket's pass was intercepted at the goal line, allowing EIU to run out the clock and hang on for the victory.

Hosket threw for 249 yards but was picked off twice, the first of which also occurred in the red zone just before halftime. Southeast turned the ball over three times, including a fumble by junior running back Marquis Terry early in the fourth quarter.

Southeast Missouri State’s Kristian Wilkerson runs with the ball against Eastern Illinois on Saturday in Charleston, Illinois.

Sandra L. King ~ EIU Athletics

"You just make sure we have clarity about why we turned it over, what happened, and then you go and build skill in those situations," Matukewicz said. "It's from the coaches to the players. I should've just kicked two field goals -- don't even put it in that situation. Jesse shouldn't have thrown the picks. Then out in practice, we've got to get our work teams doing a better job so they get exposed when we've got bad balls and stuff like that.

"It's a very layered approach to trying to get it fixed. It's not easy, but if we get it fixed, we're 2-2."

EKU (1-2, 1-0) opened conference play last week with a 24-21 win over visiting Tennessee Tech, a game in which the Colonels' defense forced five turnovers. EKU currently has a plus-three turnover margin, which is tied for tops in the league.

No program in the league has won more OVC championships than EKU, with 21. The Colonels also have the second-most playoff appearances (23) in Football Championship Subdivision history.

"They have tradition. They have resources," Matukewicz said about EKU, which was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 OVC preseason poll. "I know (coach) Mark Elder pretty well. When you talk budgets and salaries and facilities, it's at the top, so I think that's where everything starts. Coach Elder does a good job coaching his team as well."

The Colonels and Redhawks rank second and third in the league, respectively, in passing offense.

Southeast is averaging 321.8 yards of total offense per game, which ranks fifth in the OVC, but is still struggling to score points. The Redhawks were shut out in the first half of last week's contest but put together a 97-yard scoring drive in the second half. A safety and a 93-yard kick return for a touchdown by Cameron Sanders accounted for the other nine points.

Through four games, Southeast is averaging 18.0 points per game, which ranks seventh in the conference.

Matukewicz said there will be some schematic changes on offense but chose not to elaborate on the details. He said offensive coordinator Jon Wiemers will work from the sidelines against EKU instead of calling plays from the booth.

"One important thing after talking about it is that Jesse just needs to hear one voice," Matukewicz said. "Coach Wiemers is the guy talking to him all week, so I want him talking to him between plays, between series and all those things. That's one of our main adjustments and then a couple scheme things, but we're really just trying to get our players better because when you hit play or hit pause, you think, 'This play should gain 10 or 15,' And it doesn't, and a lot of times, we break down fundamentally."

Despite outscoring their opponents 26-19 in the fourth quarter, the Redhawks have been slow to start in each of their four games. Southeast has been outscored 74-24 in the first half, including 37-3 in the opening period alone.

In recognition of that problem, Matukewicz altered this week's practice schedule by moving the hardest drills to the beginning of each practice.

"We come out right after stretching and do the hardest drill of practice," Matukewicz said. "We just talk about getting your mind right. It seemed like we just felt tired Saturday, so that might've had a little bit to do with it.

"Hopefully just playing at home helps. You almost catch a whole extra day of rest with a night game and no travel. Hopefully that'll give us that energy to surge right off the bat."

SEMO's individual numbers on offense stack up well among conference opponents. Terry has three TDs and is third in the league with 356 yards rushing, while Hosket is third in the conference with 209.0 passing yards per game.

Sophomore wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson posted a career performance against EIU, finishing with seven receptions for 134 yards. He's averaging 79.0 receiving yards per game, which ranks third in the OVC, while sophomore teammate Trevon Billington is close behind, generating 76.5 receiving yards per game. Both players missed practice last week with injuries, but Wilkerson has been a full participant this week.

"I think having Kristian Wilkerson practicing all week will help," Matukewicz said. "The timing was a little off last week with those guys who didn't practice, so that hurt us a little bit there."

Billington (turf toe) remains a game-time decision, along with senior outside linebacker Chad Meredith (ankle). Senior Josh Wilson sustained an elbow injury last week but will return to his starting role on the defensive line.

Series history

EKU leads 24-3

Previous meeting

EKU won 31-16 on Oct. 8, 2016, in Richmond, Ky.

By the numbers

2 -- The number of OVC programs Southeast has yet to beat under the direction of Matukewicz. EKU is one of those schools, while the other is Jacksonville State. The Redhawks dropped a 31-16 decision last season against the host Colonels. With Matukewicz as coach, SEMO’s closest game against EKU came in 2014 in a 33-21 defeat.

9 -- The number of sacks by the Colonels through their first three games of the season. EKU ranks first in the OVC in that category and is 17th in the nation. The Colonels have allowed only two sacks, which is the ninth fewest in the country. Southeast has eight sacks through four games and has given up five.

4 -- The number of third-down conversions by the Redhawks in last week’s loss at EIU. Southeast ranks last in the conference in that category, converting third downs at a 29-percent rate (18 of 62). On the flip side, the Redhawks are allowing opponents to convert third downs at a 39-percent rate (25 of 64).

Stat leaders

Eastern Kentucky

Passing: Tim Boyle 707 yards

Rushing: LJ Scott 119 yards, Jason Lewis 59 yards, Daryl McCleskey 26 yards

Receiving: Ryan Markush 262 yards, Neiko Creamer 210 yards, Dan Paul 103 yards

Tackles: Jeffrey Canady 28, Kobie Grace 27, Ben Bascom 18

Southeast

Passing: Jesse Hosket 836 yards

Rushing: Marquis Terry 356 yards, Eddie Morris 51 yards, Cameron Sanders 42 yards

Receiving: Kristian Wilkerson 316 yards, Trevon Billington 306 yards, Zack Smith 75 yards

Tackles: Kendall Donnerson 25, Omar Pierre-Louis 24, Chad Meredith 23

Eastern Kentucky coach Mark Elder

EKU Athletics

Opposing coach's view:

“I think that SEMO is a very good football team. They are 0-4 right now and haven’t quite gotten a win yet, but I think that can be a little bit deceiving if you just look at their games and how close they were and how competitive they were. ... We’re going to be tested in all three phases. We’re going to need a good week of preparation. We’re going to need to bring our A-game in order to have an opportunity to win this game.”

-- Eastern Kentucky coach Mark Elder

Scouting the opponent

Eastern Kentucky safety Kobie Grace had seven tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in last week’s win over Tennessee Tech, earning him honors as STATS National Defensive Player of the Week.

EKU Athletics

A 3-8 record in 2016 hasn't hampered fan support for EKU's football program in the second year under coach Mark Elder, according to Richmond Register sports reporter Nathan Hutchinson.

The Colonels opened the 2017 season with back-to-back road losses against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents but were competitive in both contests. They began the season with a 31-17 defeat at Western Kentucky and followed it up with a 27-16 loss at Kentucky.

"The administration has faith in [Elder] and expects him to be here long-term," Hutchinson said. "Elder has put together back-to-back top 25 recruiting classes, and players have seemed to embrace a staff that features a lot of young, energetic coaches."

Defense has been the key for EKU through its first three games, especially last week against the visiting Golden Eagles. Colonels safety Kobie Grace had seven tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, earning him honors as STATS National Defensive Player of the Week.

The 5-foot-9, 191-pound senior doesn't have imposing size, but his instincts are what sets him apart, according to Hutchinson.

"He always seems to be around the ball," Hutchinson said about Grace, who's second on the team with 27 tackles. "However, Elder was quick to mention after the game that ... Grace also missed some assignments late that led to big plays."

Senior linebacker Jeffrey Cannady leads the Colonels with 28 tackles, while senior defensive lineman Luder Jean Louis has 5 1/2 tackles for loss and is second in the OVC with four sacks.

EKU's defense, which features a four-man front, ranks last in the conference in total defense, allowing 405.3 yards per game. The Colonels are giving up 26.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league.

Redshirt senior QB Tim Boyle leads EKU's passing attack with 707 passing yards. He's completed 67.9 percent of his passes (74 of 109) and has four TDs and one interception.

Senior Ryan Markush has been Boyle's top target. The 6-2, 189-pound wideout has 21 catches for 262 yards and has accounted for all four of Boyle's passing TDs.

As a whole, the offense hasn't impressed Hutchinson, but there have been positive signs. The rushing attack is off to a slow start, averaging a league-low 56.7 yards per game. Redshirt junior LJ Scott is EKU's featured tailback with 119 yards and three scores on 27 rushes.

"Against Tennessee Tech, the Colonels had a 17-point lead and weren't able to build on that and allowed the Golden Eagles back in the game," Hutchinson said. "... Boyle has been solid, though. He's a fifth-year senior. He played at the FBS level against big-time schools. He's been up to the challenge."

More than half of the Colonels' roster is made up of players who were not on the team a year ago, so depth is an apparent weakness. Hutchinson said there were no major injuries after two hard-fought losses to start the season, while a feeling of excitement is emerging from the program.

"Last week's win over TTU was really crucial from a mental standpoint going forward," Hutchinson said. "There's lots of excitement around the program with new facilities opening up on campus, but the fan base won't be pleased with another sub-.500 season.

"If the Colonels can stay healthy, they have the talent to be a factor in the OVC, but EKU has already had its bye week and will have to finish the season by playing eight straight weeks."

OVC schedule

Saturday

* Murray State at Louisville, 2:30 p.m.

* Eastern Kentucky at Southeast, 6 p.m.

* #5 Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech, 6 p.m.

* Eastern Illinois at #24 Tennessee State, 6 p.m.

* #18 UT Martin at Austin Peay, 6 p.m.

Both teams enter this game 1-0 in OVC play. The game is part of the Sgt. York Trophy series, which is contested between the league’s four football-playing schools in the state of Tennessee. UTM leads the all-time series with APSU 38-25-2 and has won the past nine meetings, dating back to 2008.

The Skyhawks are coming off their second straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent with last week’s 31-16 victory over No. 20 Tennessee State. Junior running back Ladarius Galloway rushed for 90 yards and two TDs to lead UTM to victory. Galloway currently ranks second in the country in total rushing yards (514) and is sixth in rushing yards per game (128.5).

The Governors snapped a 21-game losing streak in OVC play with last week’s 27-7 win at Murray State. APSU was stout on defense, limiting the Racers to just 88 yards of total offense. It was the fewest yards allowed by the Govs since 2012. APSU ranks sixth in the country in total defense, allowing 241.5 yards per game.