Southeast Missouri State football preps for Senior Day, Murray State in 2017 finale

The Southeast Missouri football team takes the field against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 14 at Houck Field. SEMO won 31-3 and will look to end the season with a win Saturday against Murray State.

Andrew J. Whitaker

Whether it's the sense of urgency or a yearning to punctuate a career with something positive, there's something about Senior Day that brings out the best in many student-athletes.

The Southeast Missouri State football team will attempt to channel that level of play in a farewell bid to its 16 seniors, taking on the Murray State Racers at 1 p.m. Saturday at Houck Field.

"It just brings a finality to your career, your understanding of why you play," Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz said. "You love the game -- that's why you play. You don't play to win. You play because you love playing, and so I think this game in particular just has that clarity about the game and the passion that got you playing a long time ago."

Among the seniors who will be recognized is cornerback Mike Ford, who learned a valuable lesson about the value of his college career when he broke his arm and was forced to miss the final four weeks of his junior season.

Ford returned from that setback with a renewed focus heading into his senior season, and the results have been gratifying. He remains atop the Ohio Valley Conference with 14 passes defended.

Southeast Missouri State's Logan Larson carries for 7 yards against Southern Illinois during the first quarter Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at Houck Field.

Fred Lynch

"I thought I was going to have an All-American season and that I was going to play the whole year, but that play happened," Ford said. "You never know when your last play is, so you've got to just give 100 percent every time you're out there and leave it all out there."

An upward trajectory in the win column remains to be a challenge for Southeast (2-8, 2-5 OVC), which enters Saturday's contest on a four-game skid.

But a victory against MSU (3-7, 2-4 OVC) would be a mere byproduct of what the Redhawks are truly out to accomplish in their final game of the year. Matukewicz expects to see a team determined to send its seniors out on a high note.

"I think this group's legacy is the fact that even though we haven't gotten the results we wanted, we haven't turned on each other. We're still doing the things off the field like successful teams do -- go to class, stay out of trouble, those types of things," Matukewicz said. "I appreciate their leadership in keeping the team together where you can continue to fight even though you're frustrated with the results. I think that's the biggest thing.

"You look at these guys and know they're going to have a lot of success. It's fun to see them grow, mature, decide what life's all about, figure out what they want to do for a living, all those types of things. It's been a blessing."

The Redhawks are coming off a 23-20 loss last week at Tennessee State. A blocked punt late in the fourth quarter allowed the Tigers to win the game on a 44-yard field goal by Lane Clark in the final minutes.

Southeast turned in a second-straight stellar performance on the ground against one of the top rushing defenses in the league, finishing with 148 yards rushing and an average of 5.3 yards per carry.

Junior running back Marquis Terry leads the conference with 98.4 rushing yards per game. He's carried the ball 215 times for 984 yards with five touchdowns, while junior RB Cameron Sanders has 35 rushes for 311 yards and two TDs (8.9 ypc).

As a team, Southeast ranks fourth in the OVC in rushing offense with 137.2 rushing ypg.

"I feel like we're getting Cam Sanders going also. 'Quis has done a good job all year, but now we're getting a little more combination there," Matukewicz said. "I'm telling you, I think 'Quis Terry is one of the best backs in the league. He just does a great job getting every single yard out of every run. ... We seem locked in on being able to run the football, and we've got to do that this weekend also."

The Redhawks will square off against a Racers team that ranks second-to-last in the conference in rushing defense, allowing 215.4 ypg on the ground.

MSU is giving up 30.1 points per game, which is tied with Tennessee Tech for last in the OVC, and is allowing a whopping 410.4 total ypg (eighth in OVC).

The Racers' defense has been steadied by an opportunistic defensive backfield. MSU is allowing 195 ypg through the air (fifth in OVC) but owns the best turnover margin in the conference (plus-10). The Racers' defense has combined to generate 17 interceptions this season, which also leads the league.

"If we don't take care of the football, we won't win," said Matukewicz, whose offense has turned the ball over five times in the last two games combined. "We try to build skill. We communicate. We have clarity in those skills, and people have to play well. At the end of the day, if you have the football, you hold everybody's hopes and dreams for that game."

The Racers, who snapped a three-game losing streak in last week's 31-21 win over visiting Tennessee Tech, are fourth in the OVC in scoring offense (22.2 ppg) but are ninth in total offense with 266.5 ypg. MSU has the fourth-best pass offense (193.1 ypg) and has been slowed by the league's most inept ground game, averaging only 73.4 rushing ypg.

In last year's meeting between the two teams, the Redhawks escaped with a 17-16 victory at Murray after Connor Mitchell's 38-yard field goal sailed wide right in the final seconds. Under Matukewicz, Southeast is 2-1 against MSU.

"For me, personally, [the rivalry] has grown deeper just because you run into them recruiting. They're local. You hear a lot about them, so it just becomes personal," Matukewicz said. "People talk about this game, whether you win it or you lose it, so they're going to talk about it for a whole year since it's the last game. Bragging rights are certainly on the table."

Matukewicz said there were 25 players on his injury list heading into practice this week. That list includes outside linebacker Chad Meredith (doubtful), defensive tackle Joshua Wilson (questionable), tight end Broedy Wheeler (out), left tackle Drew Forbes (out) and inside linebacker Devin Alexander (out).

"Right now, we're just really banged up," Matukewicz said. "... It's really affecting special teams because the depth just evaporates, so that's the biggest challenge we've had as a coaching staff, just trying to fill the holes."

Saturday's game is also Military Appreciation Day. Veterans, active duty and reserve military will receive free admission with valid identification.

Regardless of the outcome, Ford is already looking toward the future, but it hasn't stopped him from taking in the moment.

"I hope that I left a great legacy, and I hope that during my time here, I've taught these young guys a lot," Ford said. "It feels so different. Every day, it's like, 'Man, this is the last time I'll be out here on a Monday night. This is the last time I'll be here on a Tuesday night.' Every day is the last of everything, so it's surreal. It's an honor to be out here. I can't believe it's happened so fast.

"I tell the young guys all the time, 'Man, this happens so fast, so cherish every moment that you have.'"

Series history

Murray State leads 39-11-1

Previous meeting

Southeast won 17-16 on Sept. 24, 2016, in Cape Girardeau

By the numbers

9 -- The number of years since Southeast has closed its season with a victory. The Redhawks finished last season with a 32-31 defeat against TSU at Houck Field. SEMO’s last win in a season finale was a 33-30 decision versus Austin Peay on Nov. 11, 2008. Southeast will end its season at home for a fourth straight year on Saturday.

17 -- The number of combined points the Redhawks have lost in five one-possession defeats during the 2017 campaign. Southeast has dropped its last two games by a combined five points. SEMO’s one-possession losses have been to Dayton, Eastern Illinois, Austin Peay, UT Martin and Tennessee State.

18 -- The number of sacks the Redhawks have racked up in the last three weeks. Southeast leads the OVC with 31 sacks for a loss of 186 yards. The Redhawks are generating 3.1 sacks per game. Inside linebacker Zach Hall leads Southeast with nine sacks, which ranks 14th in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Stat leaders

Murray State

Passing: Shuler Bentley 1,663 yards

Rushing: D.J. Penick 399 yards, Nolan Nichols 163 yards, Corey Newble 128 yards

Receiving: Jordon Gandy 822 yards, Rodney Castille 173 yards, Jensen Feggins 166 yards

Tackles: Marico Paige 76, Sean Rodriguez 61, Bishop Woods 53

Southeast

Passing: Jesse Hosket 1,784 yards

Rushing: Marquis Terry 984 yards, Cameron Sanders 311 yards, Eddie Morris 79 yards

Receiving: Kristian Wilkerson 546 yards, Trevon Billington 394 yards, Zack Smith 253 yards

Tackles: Zach Hall 69, Omar Pierre-Louis 63, Bydarrius Knighten 47

Murray State coach Mitch Stewart

MSU Athletics

Opposing coach's view:

“This is a big week for us, a chance to go 2-0 in the last two weeks, leading into the offseason and leading into recruiting, and what a win would do for the psyche of this program going into the offseason and what a difference it would make just in the standpoint of recruiting, it’s huge for us. It’s a huge week. ... I’m very excited to get up there. We’ll leave the day of, the morning of. It’s right across the street. I’m just very excited to get going.”

-- Murray State coach Mitch Stewart

Scouting the opponent

Murray State defensive back D’Montre Wade has 29 tackles and leads the OVC with six interceptions.

MSU Athletics

In the third year under coach Mitch Stewart, the Racers have yet to meet the expectations of their fan base.

MSU opened the season with a 67-7 win over Kentucky Wesleyan before dropping four games in a row. A 13-10 win at UT Martin brought an end to MSU's skid, but three more losses left the program staring at a 2-7 record before last week's win over TTU.

With Stewart entering the final year of his contract in 2018, a transition period could be on the horizon, but Paducah Sun sports reporter Ed Marlowe sees a bigger issue as the Racers attempt to maintain footing in a conference on the rise.

"The biggest concerns seem to be coming from recruitment, where schools like Austin Peay, UT Martin, Jacksonville State and Tennessee State seem to regularly pluck Racer targets in pipeline states like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida -- making things a bit difficult from a foundation standpoint to keep the building going," Marlowe said. "But the Racers have only had one winning season since the 2002 championship, so it's becoming more apparent that football's woes in Murray aren't about management. It's about money. If the school will come forth with an investment (and maybe an endorsement or two), things could change quickly in west Kentucky."

The Racers' ballhawking defense is led by redshirt senior D'Montre Wade, a 6-foot, 200-pound defensive back from Columbia, Tennessee. Wade has 29 tackles and leads the OVC with six interceptions. He sits atop the Football Championship Subdivision as one of only two players averaging 0.7 interceptions per game.

"Wade has had an incredible season. Good enough, in fact, to garner a Senior Bowl invite before the NFL Combine and Draft," Marlowe said. "There is talk that he could wind up on a roster by next August, contributing in the NFL as a physical man-to-man corner who could also switch to safety."

Marico Paige, a 6-1, 220-pound senior linebacker, leads MSU with 76 tackles, including six for loss, while junior defensive lineman Kenney Wooten (6-1, 235 pounds) has nine sacks and 30 tackles and a team-leading nine sacks.

The Racers have 23 sacks this season, which ranks second in the OVC behind only Southeast (31).

Despite losing one of the most prolific passers in the history of the program with the graduation of KD Humphries, Stewart has proven the Racers' system to be formulated for success through the air.

MSU's offense is helmed by redshirt junior quarterback Shuler Bentley, who transferred to the program in the offseason from Old Dominion. Bentley has thrown for 1,663 yards with 13 TDs and four interceptions on 170-of-296 passing (57.4 percent). He leads the OVC with 207.9 passing ypg.

"He won't scare you with a throw downfield, but he's very accurate in short to intermediate throws and always makes the safe play," Marlowe said about Bentley, whose older brother, Jake, is the starting QB at South Carolina. "He also has a penchant to get out of the pocket, but it's hard to tell where the development is coming from because the run game has been so stymied. And when the run isn't going, it's so easy to play the pass."

Jordon Gandy, a 6-4, 210-pound senior wide receiver, is Bentley's top target. He has 54 receptions (second in OVC) for 822 yards (second in OVC) and 10 TDs (first in OVC). He's averaging 82.2 receiving ypg.

"Gandy is better than a coin flip at snagging the deep ball," Marlowe said. "Inconsistencies at the quarterback position, whether it be pass protection, quarterback health or comfort in the system, have limited his true potential as a consistent 100-yard guy. ... As such, no other receiver on the staff has more than 175 yards on the season."

RB D.J. Penick, a 5-10, 195-pound freshman, leads an inconsistent rushing attack for the Racers. He has 105 rushes for 399 yards. As a team, MSU is averaging just 2.5 ypc.

Marlowe believes losses to Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois put a damper on the Racers' season near the midway point.

But there have still been glimpses of progress for a program that continues to search for consistency.

"Wins over Tech and what was a ranked UT Martin team at the time certainly show the team has some pieces returning for marked improvement in 2018," Marlowe said. "Much like SEMO, the Racers would like to get a 'dub' on Saturday to show this season wasn't for naught."

OVC schedule

Thursday

* Tennessee State at #2 Jacksonville State, 6 p.m.

Saturday

* Saint Francis at Eastern Kentucky, Noon

* Murray State at Southeast, 1 p.m.

* UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m.

* Eastern Illinois at Austin Peay, 4 p.m.

Second place in the OVC and a potential FCS playoff berth will be on the line Saturday in Clarksville, Tennessee. EIU leads the all-time series 14-3 and has won eight in a row against APSU.

The Governors have never played in the FCS Playoffs but could position themselves for that opportunity with a win against the Panthers. It would also give APSU its first eight-win season since 1977.

EIU was idle last week after defeating Eastern Kentucky 23-20 in overtime a week prior. The Panthers won on a career-long, 45-yard field goal by Matt Severino.

OVC standings