Southeast Missouri State football team returns home to face UT Martin in Pink Up Game

Southeast Missouri State's Eric Williams celebrates during Homecoming against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 14 at Houck Field.

Andrew J. Whitaker

With only three games remaining in its season, the Southeast Missouri State football team still has the chance to do something it has yet to do in four years under coach Tom Matukewicz -- finish strong.

The Redhawks return home from a brief road trip and embark down the stretch of their 2017 campaign when they take on UT Martin in their annual Pink Up Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Houck Field.

"It's something we haven't been able to do as a program, and we have a chance to finish 5-3 in the conference if we do," Matukewicz said. "But you also could lose them all, so that's what I'm talking about.

"This team dies in three weeks. It will never play another game again, and so what will this team's legacy be? What will these seniors' legacy be? ... I told them, 'I'm handing the team over. There's nothing I can say that you don't already know, and so it's going to come down to whether or not you become the process. You know how we play well because of how we prepare throughout the week.'"

The Redhawks (2-6, 2-3 Ohio Valley Conference) will wear special pink and black jerseys in the third Pink Up Game under Matukewicz, a tradition that continues to transcend the game itself.

Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Zach Smith tries to break a tackle during a game Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 against Eastern Kentucky at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

Each player's jersey will be customized on the back with the name of a loved one affected by cancer. Partnering with Saint Francis Healthcare System, Southeast opened its annual Pink Up Auction in September, allowing fans to bid online for a month to help support the fight against breast cancer.

Over the last two years, the Redhawks have raised more than $45,000 for breast cancer awareness.

"It means a lot to a lot of people, so that's the biggest thing," Matukewicz said. "It's just trying to come alongside something bigger than yourself, and as a program, making a difference in the community is a cornerstone.

"Our players love it. They get to meet a lot of people, hear their stories, and that's what it's all about because when you hear some of these stories, it just changes you. It changes you from the inside out."

Southeast will have its hands full against the Skyhawks (4-4, 2-3 OVC), who defeated Eastern Illinois 27-10 last week at home to snap a three-game losing streak in league play.

Led by 12th-year coach Jason Simpson, UTM has leaned heavily this season on a defense that ranks second in the OVC in total defense (279 yards per game), scoring defense (16.1 points per game), rushing defense (97.5 ypg) and passing defense (181.5 ypg).

"They were picked No. 2 in the preseason for a reason. They've got a lot of good players," Matukewicz said. "Their record is a surprise to some, but they've beaten good teams, ranked teams. Coach Simpson's done a good job. He's 10-2 versus SEMO. He's kind of the warden of the league, and you know he's going to have them ready.

"This is a huge game. If we can beat Martin, it'll mean a lot because it hasn't happened a lot. I think their defense is a lot like Jacksonville State. Teams don't have a lot of success versus them, and so we need to really focus on that and prepare."

The Skyhawks' defense has thrived on third down, allowing opposing teams to convert at a 27.6-percent rate. That figure leads the conference and ranks sixth in the nation among Football Championship Subdivision schools.

"They've got the secondary. They've got three all-conference type of kids in the secondary, and then they have some linebackers -- some guys like we have -- that can really get to the passer," Matukewicz said. "They create a lot of mismatches in the pass rush.

"We've worked hard on that. We've got to have a great plan. We've got to stay out of third-and-longs, so we've got to be 48 percent on first and second down and get 4 or more. At least if we're in third down, it's short yardage, and we have a chance to be successful."

The Redhawks are coming off back-to-back losses, including a 23-7 defeat last week at OVC frontrunner JSU.

Facing a 13-7 deficit, Southeast drove all the way into goal-to-go territory during the fourth quarter but was unable to reach the end zone, settling for a 27-yard field goal that was blocked for the second time of the day. The Gamecocks took the ensuing possession and tacked on a 36-yard FG before a 27-yard touchdown run by Roc Thomas sealed the game and secured the 29th straight OVC win for the hosts.

"We were missing several starters, and so I didn't know how our team would react," said Matukewicz, whose team was without starting outside linebacker Chad Meredith and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson. "I appreciate how we started strong. ... Defensively, we just played lights out. We had eight sacks. We did give up a couple big plays. That was unfortunate, but I thought it was a pretty dominant performance from our defense.

"Offensively, I thought we did what we needed to do, and what we talked about is getting into a fourth-quarter game. The game came down to first down at the 10 in the fourth quarter. If we would've been able to punch it in, then we'd have taken the lead, 14-13. You've got a chance to shock the world, but that's not how it ended."

Southeast quarterback Jesse Hosket completed 15 of 34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks. He connected on a 37-yard TD pass in the first quarter, hitting wide receiver Zack Smith on a post route. Smith caught four passes for a career-high 81 yards, as eight different Redhawks had at least one reception for the second game in a row.

Hosket has thrown for 1,611 yards on 149-of-285 passing (52.3 percent), averaging 201.4 ypg (fourth in OVC). He leads the league with 12 TDs and has six interceptions, but he hasn't committed a turnover in the last four games.

Despite being bottled up for just 57 yards on 24 carries in last week's loss, running back Marquis Terry remains second in the OVC with 89.2 rushing ypg. Terry has carried the ball 179 times for 714 yards and five TDs, averaging 4 yards per carry.

Wilkerson has a team-high 44 receptions for 491 yards and three TDs, while WR Trevon Billington has 28 catches for 389 yards and three scores. Smith has emerged in recent weeks, with 17 receptions for 233 yards and three TDs, while tight end Eric Williams has added 129 yards on 10 catches with a pair of TDs.

Southeast is averaging 21.2 ppg, which is tied with Eastern Kentucky for fourth in the OVC. The Redhawks are sixth in the conference in rushing offense (125.4 ypg), third in passing offense (201 ypg) and fifth in total offense (326.4 ypg).

Safety Omar Pierre-Louis had 15 tackles in last week's defeat, bringing his team-leading total to 55 on the season. He also leads the team with three interceptions and has two forced fumbles. Inside linebacker Zach Hall is second on the team with 50 tackles (eight tackles for loss) to go along with a team-high six sacks, while OLB Kendall Donnerson has four sacks and a team-high 10 TFLs (tied for third in OVC).

Southeast ranks fourth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 23.9 ppg, and is sixth in total defense (349.4 ypg). The Redhawks are yielding 149.4 rushing ypg (sixth in OVC) and 200 passing ypg (seventh in OVC).

Matukewicz said his team is down six starters and will likely be without Meredith (knee) for the second game in a row.

SEMO's athletics department will recognize the school's faculty and staff during Saturday's game. Each faculty and staff member with a valid staff ID will receive a ticket.

Series history

UT Martin leads 17-15

Previous meeting

UT Martin won 24-10 on Nov. 12, 2016, in Martin, Tennessee

By the numbers

57 -- The number of passing yards needed for Hosket to reach the 4,000-yard mark in his career as a Redhawk. Hosket enters Saturday’s game with 3,943 career passing yards and can become the first 4,000-yard passer for Southeast since Matt Scheible accomplished the feat in 2011.

33 -- The all-time number of games played between Southeast and UTM. The Skyhawks have won five of the last six meetings against the Redhawks, including last year’s 24-10 win in Martin. The game between the two teams was decided by 10 points or less for eight years through 2015. SEMO’s last win against UTM came in 2014.

12 -- The number of passes defended by Redhawks senior cornerback Mike Ford. Averaging 1.5 passes defended per game, Ford leads the OVC in that category. He has 11 pass breakups and one interception on the season to go along with 24 tackles (4 1/2 TFLs), two sacks and one fumble recovery.

Stat leaders

UT Martin

Passing: Troy Cook 1,004 yards, Dresser Winn 182 yards

Rushing: Ladarius Galloway 725 yards, Ty Brown 208 yards, Marquez Grayson 81 yards

Receiving: Jaylon Moore 256 yards, Londell Lee 228 yards, Caylon Weathers 169 yards

Tackles: James Gilleylen 66, Kevin Prather 56, Kahlid Hagens 49

Southeast

Passing: Jesse Hosket 1,611 yards

Rushing: Marquis Terry 714 yards, Cameron Sanders 233 yards, Eddie Morris 79 yards

Receiving: Kristian Wilkerson 491 yards, Trevon Billington 389 yards, Zack Smith 233 yards

Tackles: Omar Pierre-Louis 55, Zach Hall 50, Kendall Donnerson 40

UT Martin coach Jason Simpson

Associated Press

Opposing coach's view:

“They’ve got a good scheme, a very sound scheme they believe in. They don’t mind playing man coverage and loading the box up, and then they can rush three and drop eight and disguise it on you. Coach does a great job with them. They’re a solid team. Don’t even look at the record. They’re a much better football team than that. They’re no different than a lot of teams at the top of this league.”

-- UT Martin coach Jason Simpson

Scouting the opponent

UT Martin running back Ladarius Galloway leads the OVC with 90.6 rushing yards per game this season.

Rogelio V. Solis ~ Associated Press

The Skyhawks have been unable to live up to the lofty expectations that came when they were chosen as the No. 2 team in the OVC Preseason Poll.

They were 3-1 to start the season, including top-25 wins over Chattanooga and Tennessee State in back-to-back weeks, before hitting a three-game skid in which they lost at Austin Peay, versus Murray State on Homecoming and at EKU.

UTM has struggled to find balance on offense, producing just 286.2 ypg (eighth in OVC). Redshirt senior QB Troy Cook entered the season as an All-OVC preseason pick but has since been replaced by freshman QB Dresser Winn, who has started the last two games.

Cook has thrown for 1,004 yards with nine TDs and six interceptions, while Winn has 182 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception. Both QBs are completing passes just above 50 percent.

"They've moved on. ... I think when it's a critical situation, they bring in Cook -- red zone, third down," Matukewicz said. "I think Coach feels like they're a little harder to defend on offense when that quarterback's back there because he's a run-option quarterback, and that gives them another dimension."

Redshirt sophomore Jaylon Moore, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout, leads the Skyhawks with 16 catches for 256 yards and four TDs, while senior WR Londell Lee (6-2, 196 pounds) has 14 receptions for 228 yards with a pair of TDs.

While UTM's passing offense ranks eighth in the OVC (151.1 ypg), the rushing attack has proven to carry the load.

The Skyhawks rank fourth in the conference in rushing offense and are led by junior RB Ladarius Galloway, who leads the league with 90.6 rushing ypg. At 5-9, 205 pounds, Galloway has 141 rushes for 725 yards with four TDs, averaging 5.1 ypc.

"He only took two official visits out of junior college. One was to SEMO, and one was to UT Martin. So I know a lot about him," Matukewicz said. "He's a tremendous kid, but the thing about him is he's sudden like [Terry] but 200 pounds. He's thicker, so he's able to break some tackles also."

Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker James Gilleylen (6-1, 243 pounds) leads the way in UTM's 3-3 stack defense with a team-high 66 tackles (6 1/2 TFLs) and a pair of forced fumbles on the season.

Kevin Prather, a 6-foot, 225-pound junior linebacker, has 56 tackles (7 1/2 TFLs) to go along with a team-leading seven QB hurries, while redshirt senior safety Tae Martin (6-foot, 192 pounds) leads the Skyhawks with four interceptions. Redshirt senior safety Kahlid Hagens (6-3, 201 pounds) has 49 tackles and three interceptions while leading the team in passes defended (eight) and forced fumbles (three).

As a team, the Skyhawks are allowing opponents to score in the red zone at a 64-percent rate (16 of 25), which leads the league.

Freshman Peyton Logan leads the OVC with 30.4 yards per kick return and has one TD on the season. UTM is second in the league in kickoff returns (27.2 yards per return) and first in punt return average (15.4).

"They've made a lot of plays there," Matukewicz said. "Special teams is always a big part of tight games, and this will be one of them. So we've got to do a great job of holding them in check, but we also need to try and do the same thing and try to score."

OVC schedule

Saturday

* Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m.

EKU and EIU will square off for the 25th time in the all-time series, with the Colonels holding a slim 13-11 lead in the series. Only one of the previous seven meetings between the two teams was decided by less than 14 points.

EKU has won back-to-back OVC games after defeating host Murray State last week in a 26-13 decision. Daryl McCleskey finished with 21 carries for a career-high 144 yards to lead the Colonels.

The Panthers dropped their second straight game with a 27-10 loss last week at UTM. QB Bud Martin threw for 155 yards, connecting with WR Alexander Hollins eight times for 114 yards.

* Murray State at #3 Jacksonville State, 1 p.m.

* UT Martin at Southeast, 1 p.m.

* Austin Peay at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m.

* Virginia University of Lynchburg at Tennessee State, 2 p.m.

OVC standings