Southeast Missouri State football snaps winless streak with 29-10 victory over Eastern Kentucky

Southeast Missouri State running back Cameron Sanders celebrates after scoring a 77-yard touchdown during the second quarter Saturday against Eastern Kentucky at Houck Field. Southeast won 29-10.

BEN MATTHEWS

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz had been expecting a breakout performance from JUCO transfer Marquis Terry.

On Saturday night, he finally got it.

The Redhawks' featured running back ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns, as Southeast took advantage of four takeaways and secured its first victory of the season, a 29-10 decision over Eastern Kentucky on Family Weekend at Houck Field.

"First of all, his parents came up for the first time, so we need to get them on a red-eye flight to every game because it seemed different," Matukewicz said about Terry. "I just think he loves his teammates.

Southeast Missouri State running back Marquis Terry loses a shoe while running the ball during a game Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 against Eastern Kentucky at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

"We just talked about all of us just trying to dig down deeper and trying to find a little more love for your brother. I thought he did, but I thought a lot of people did also."

Southeast (1-4 overall, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) dominated the ground game on both sides of the ball, gouging out 299 yards of its own and limiting the Colonels to just 11 yards on 22 attempts.

"We take a lot of pride in trying to stop the run. That's what we focus on," Redhawks defensive lineman Ryan Ochoa said. "If you win third down, if you win red zones, you win games. I feel like we did a good job doing that. We established stopping the run and were able to get our nickel package in and get after the quarterback."

The Redhawks kept EKU (1-3, 1-1) off the scoreboard with a pair red-zone stops in the first quarter. Backed inside its own 5-yard line, Southeast kept the Colonels out of the end zone on fourth-and-goal. Later in the quarter, just past the eight-minute mark, a 33-yard field goal attempt by Colonels kicker Lucas Williams bounced off the left upright.

EKU finished 1 of 13 on third-down conversions and 0 of 3 on fourth down.

"That was everything. You come up and give up a big pass play and get defeated. All of a sudden, you get down there," Matukewicz said. "They stepped up, and that was huge. ... I'm super proud of the way our defense played."

A 37-yard field goal by Nicholas Litang gave Southeast a 3-0 lead with 11 minutes, 57 seconds to go in the first half.

Then, on the ensuing possession, Kendall Donnerson stripped the ball from Colonels QB Austin Scott, and Al Young scooped up the loose ball, positioning the Redhawks at the EKU 14. Three plays later, Terry rumbled across the goal line from 4 yards out, pushing SEMO's advantage to 10-0 with 9:38 to play before halftime.

SEMO NOTEBOOK: Dominant defense sets tone for Southeast Missouri State football success

By Josh Mlot ~ Southeast Missourian

It started from the outset. Well, maybe not the very first play of the game -- that was a 47-yard catch by Eastern Kentucky wide receiver Ryan Markush. But certainly it began on the first drive. That's when the Southeast Missouri State defense set the tone for the entire game...

With all the momentum, Southeast broke the game open on its next possession.

After the Colonels went three-and-out, running back Cameron Sanders bounced outside and broke two tackles on his way to a 77-yard touchdown run with 3:41 to play in the first half, extending SEMO's lead to 17-0.

Sanders finished with 86 yards on four rushes.

"That's my guy -- Cam just being Cam," Terry said. "He put his speed out there. He's a very determined guy."

Litang knocked through a 36-yarder to give the Redhawks a 20-0 lead with 3:41 to go in the second quarter, and EKU responded with a drive that ended on a 41-yard kick by Williams, cutting the hosts' lead to 20-3 just before halftime.

The Colonels' first two drives of the second half went three-and-out before cornerback Shabari Davis picked off EKU starting QB Tim Boyle with 4:13 left in the third.

The visitors moved the chains one time during the quarter when Boyle connected with Ryan Markush along the left sideline for a 41-yard reception inside the final minutes of the period. However, that drive stalled out after Zach Hall sacked Boyle for a 12-yard loss on the following play, forcing EKU to punt it away.

"It was pressure. I thought we got back there," Matukewicz said. "The quarterback had to move around, and he made some plays, too. But we hit him. We sacked him. We turned him over. I think the third-down success has to do with our rush."

Southeast recorded its second safety in as many weeks when Omardrick Douglas brought down Boyle in the end zone at the 8:17 mark of the fourth quarter.

Southeast Missouri State's Mike Ford celebrates after stopping Eastern Kentucky's offense during a game Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

And the defense never seemed to let up.

Mike Ford intercepted Boyle's pass deep in EKU territory, setting up a 1-yard TD run by Terry that pushed the Redhawks ahead 29-3 with 4:52 remaining.

"It's just about your intensity level, whether you're up or down. It shouldn't matter. It should feel the same. It should look the same," Matukewicz said. "Obviously when you're done, you want to outscore your opponent in the fourth quarter, whether you did it or not.

"It just felt like there was no difference, like if you just clicked on the game at some point, you wouldn't know."

An 11-yard TD pass from Boyle to Jaelin Carter sealed the final score with 3:13 to go.

The Colonels recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Scott's pass was intercepted by Omar Pierre-Louis. Two plays later, Terry broke loose for a 67-yard run before being dragged down at the 1, where the Redhawks ran out the clock in victory formation.

Boyle finished 15-of-32 passing (47 percent) with 232 yards and two interceptions, while Scott was 4-of-11 through the air with 74 yards and one interception. Markush led all receivers, finishing with four catches for 122 yards.

Southeast quarterback Jesse Hosket completed 9 of 23 passes (39 percent) for just 76 yards but didn't commit a turnover after throwing two crucial picks in last week's 19-16 loss at Eastern Illinois. Kristian Wilkerson had three catches for 80 yards to lead the Redhawks in receiving.

Demarcus Rogers paced SEMO's defense with seven tackles, while Donnerson finished with a sack and three tackles, including two for loss.

Redhawks senior defensive lineman Josh Wilson went down with an injury during the second quarter and didn't return.

Southeast has a week off before a Homecoming matchup against Tennessee Tech at 1 p.m. on Oct. 14. The Golden Eagles are the lone winless team in the OVC after falling to visiting Jacksonville State 34-7 on Saturday.