Southeast Missouri State football team unable to finish in 16-14 defeat versus UT Martin

Southeast Missouri State kicker Nicholas Litang reacts to his field-goal attempt that was blocked by UT Martin's Mike Turner, who celebrates the reversal of fortune, during the fourth quarter Saturday at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

Whether it was offense or special teams, the Southeast Missouri State football team lacked the execution it needed in the most crucial moments of Saturday's Pink Up Game at Houck Field.

The Redhawks had plenty of chances to solidify their fourth-quarter lead but were unable to do it, and the UT Martin Skyhawks took advantage.

Mitch Mersman knocked through a 22-yard field goal in the final seconds to lift UTM to a 16-14 win, as Southeast dropped a heartbreaker for its third loss in a row.

In the fourth quarter, the Redhawks (2-7 overall, 2-4 Ohio Valley Conference) had two opportunities in the red zone with a chance to distance themselves but were left empty-handed on both occasions. Kicker Nicholas Litang missed a 31-yard field goal with 9 minutes, 22 seconds remaining before his 22-yard kick was blocked with 6:11 left on the clock.

Despite committing three turnovers, Southeast was kept alive by the performance from its defense, but it only lasted so long. With 1:52 left on the clock, the Skyhawks (5-4, 3-3) took over at their own 44-yard line and went 51 yards in six plays to set up the game-winning kick.

Southeast Missouri State's Zach Hall deflects a pass by UT Martin quarterback Winn Dresser during the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

"They're all tough, but when a game goes like that, it's really tough," Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz said. "Obviously, it's the three turnovers by our offense and the red-zone debacle by our offense. If our defense didn't play good in the red zone, we wouldn't have been in the game, but again, [the defense] played really well. They got it to where we had a chance to win the game, and it just came down to a lack of execution in the red zone.

"Obviously, the field goal team's a joke. We worked on it. Obviously, we didn't get it fixed, and we've got a week to figure it out."

Southeast was led by running back Marquis Terry, who finished with 20 carries for 154 yards against a Skyhawks team that entered the game allowing just 97.5 rushing yards per game.

Clinging to a 14-13 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Redhawks produced the longest play of the game, with Terry breaking free down the right sideline for a 68-yard rush to the UTM 14. However, Southeast was unable to find pay dirt, and Litang's kick missed wide right.

On the ensuing possession, the snap sailed over the head of Skyhawks quarterback Dresser Winn, and outside linebacker Justin Swift was there to pounce on the loose ball at the UTM 10.

After the Redhawks stalled out at the 5, Litang's field goal try was blocked by Mike Turner and snatched out of the air by Justin Jackson, who returned the ball back to the UTM 27.

"We had them in first-and-goal, so it was all just red-zone offense. We got it down there," Matukewicz said. "The defense turned them over one time, but we got it there. We've got to punch it in. They're a good defense, so we weren't able to run it in there. And then on passing situations, we weren't able to make those plays.

UT Martin players celebrate their field goal for the go-ahead score of 16-14 against Southeast Missouri State in the final seconds of the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

"At the end of the day, if you kick those field goals, you're going to win the ball game, and that's why it's tough to swallow."

With less than six minutes left in the game, a 44-yard run by Winn positioned the Skyhawks just outside the red zone. They were unable to move the chains again and settled for a 35-yard field goal attempt by Mersman that missed wide left, and Southeast regained possession at its own 20 with 2:59 to play.

The Redhawks turned to the run game to force the Skyhawks to burn their remaining two timeouts, but on third-and-4, Terry was forced to corral a high direct snap and was met by a host of defenders for a 4-yard loss. The ensuing punt by Jake Reynolds was fair caught at the UTM 44, where the Skyhawks began their game-winning drive.

"They're really, really good, but we should be able to finish, at least get two first downs or at least one in a four-minute drill," Matukewicz said. "We kind of had an errant snap there on third down, but I'm just disappointed in how we finished on offense."

Southeast got on the board in the first quarter after Cameron Sanders recovered a muffed punt at the Redhawks' 44. Southeast quarterback Jesse Hosket completed a 25-yard pass over the middle to Eric Williams before Terry added 19 more yards on a rush to the right. The three-play scoring drive ended on the following play when Hosket scampered into the end zone from 12 yards out, giving the hosts a 7-0 lead with 4:55 remaining in the quarter.

"That's what we need to do. We've got to find a way to finish in the red zone," Matukewicz said. "That's basically what the game came down to."

UTM's lone scoring drive of the first half came during the second quarter after Winn kept the drive alive on third-and-13 with a 24-yard completion to Londell Lee. Mersman knocked a 35-yard kick through the uprights with 2:33 left before halftime, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

The Skyhawks finished 6 of 15 on third down, converting 5 of 10 in the first half alone.

"They did a good job of finding ways to run the ball with the quarterback, and it got them in some manageable third downs," Matukewicz said. "They were able to pick those up, and I thought our defense stiffened up in the second half and played much better."

Hosket's four-game run without a turnover came to an end in the third quarter when he was stripped of the ball by Chase Joy on second-and-10 at the UTM 39.

The Skyhawks went three-and-out, and after a 12-yard punt and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Southeast began its next drive near midfield. On second-and-14, Hosket scrambled and uncorked a pass along the right sideline that was picked off by Joseph Este at the UTM 40. The Skyhawks drove 60 yards in four plays, as Winn connected with Lee on a 10-yard TD pass to give the visitors their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 5:46 left in the third.

"It just felt a lot worse after the two field goals. You certainly don't want to turn the ball over, but it felt like our defense still came out and responded," Matukewicz said. "They only got seven points off three turnovers, so defensively, we still responded. I think it was certainly disappointing on the field goals, but I thought our kids still played hard the whole game."

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Jesse Hosket attempts a touchdown pass that was incomplete to Eric Williams as UT Martin's Kevin Prather defends during the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

A 29-yard field goal by Mersman allowed UTM to build a 13-7 lead with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter, but the Redhawks answered on their next possession, putting together the longest scoring drive by either side.

Southeast went 75 yards in eight plays, a drive that ended when Hosket connected with Logan Larson in the left flat for a 5-yard TD pass with 14:54 remaining in the game. Litang's extra point moved Southeast ahead again, 14-13.

Sanders finished with 50 yards rushing, including 45 on three rushes during the go-ahead drive. He also hauled in a 14-yard pass from Hosket that moved the chains on third-and-10 to keep the series alive.

"That was a huge drive. ... We had a lot of guys blocking," Matukewicz said. "I thought Jesse did a good job on that drive."

The Redhawks racked up 221 yards on 31 rushes (7.1 yards per rush) but were unable to effectively balance their offense with the passing game.

Hosket threw for 90 yards on 9-of-19 passing (47 percent). His top target was Eric Williams, who finished with four receptions for 47 yards.

The freshman Winn completed 12 of 23 passes (52 percent) for 224 yards and also had 20 rushes for 61 yards.

"I think they're a lot harder to defend with him," said Matukewicz, who pursued Winn's services coming out of high school. "They're out of the OVC race, so now they're going to play a freshman quarterback for the future."

Galloway had 15 carries for 66 yards to go along with three receptions for a game-high 80 yards.

As a team, the Skyhawks racked up 196 yards on 47 rushes (4.2 yards per rush). They out-gained the Redhawks 420-307 but finished 4 of 7 in the red zone.

Swift and Zach Hall each had a game-high nine tackles and one sack to lead SEMO's defense. Five different Redhawks recorded a sack.

Southeast returns to action at 2 p.m. Saturday on the road at Tennessee State.