No. 13 SEMO’s 3 keys vs Eastern Illinois: Can the Redhawks run the table in the OVC?

SEMO junior wide receiver Tristan Smith celebrates after picking up a first down against Northwestern State on Saturday, Sept. 28. Smith finished the day with four receptions for 56 yards as SEMO shutout the Demons 19-0 at Houck Stadium.

Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

The thirteenth-ranked SEMO football program’s 2024 journey continues this Saturday when the Redhawks travel to Charleston, Illinois for a date with conference rival Eastern Illinois.

This is not the type of matchup many expected when the schedule was released. No. 13 SEMO (4-1) has a road test that suddenly features an Eastern Illinois (1-4) team that has struggled and appears to be a shell of its 8-3 self a year ago.

In recent times, both of these schools have given each fanbase quite a few dramatic moments. Last season, SEMO upset the Panthers, 35-28, in a game that went down to the wire. Zion Custis’ 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter handed SEMO a 38-32 victory in their historic playoff season back in 2018. There was also Eastern Illinois’ game-clinching interception at the 1-yard-line with 23 seconds left that sealed the 19-16 win a year before in 2017.

Will Saturday afternoon come with the same fireworks that this matchup has produced before? Based on the trajectory of these two this season, there are doubts, but it’s college football, so anything is possible. Here are three keys to the game for the SEMO Redhawks.

OVERCOMING OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES:

The psychological phenomenon may incline certain people to feel a little down on SEMO’s offense based on the sloppy performance against a winless Northwestern State this past Saturday. But, in reality, few teams play perfect football every game and the Redhawks were coming off an emotional stretch following big wins over UT Martin and SIU.

However, it still begs the question as to whether or not the offense’s unique difficulties suffered against the Demons will reappear down the road. SEMO struggled in several areas on Saturday, but red zone miscues and dropped passes were perhaps the most glaring issues. The Redhawks only scored a touchdown in one of seven red zone appearances.

“We moved the football and got stuck in the red zone,” head coach Tom Matukewicz said. “We just weren’t able to throw and catch like we have in the past, but the run game was solid. It was just one of those games.”

Star wide out Dorian Anderson agrees, saying that him and the wide receiver room's shaky play was a huge point of emphasis in practice this week.

“From my standpoint, just being consistent when catching the ball,” Anderson said. “As a receiving corps, we didn’t have the cleanest game.”

SEMO took a rather conservative approach against Northwestern State and relished on backup running back Darrell Smith's emergence behind 145 rushing yards on 31 carries. While star true freshman Payton Brown’s injury status is something to monitor in the ensuing weeks, the good news is that the Redhawks’ solid rushing attack never went anywhere. Balancing things out and seeing the passing game catch fire once again is key.

KEEP WINNING AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE:

If one thing is clear, the SEMO offensive line has won the battle at the line of scrimmage in each of its four wins this season; and until a certain opponent can truly exploit them, expect that trend to continue moving forward.

Along with transfer left tackle Tyler McMillan and true freshman guard Carter Guillaume coming along, the Redhawks have only given up two sacks in the previous two games and seven all season. As a result, veteran quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, who currently ranks fifth in the FCS with 1,305 passing yards, has been able to get the ball out quickly and read the field at an efficient rate.

While Eastern Illinois has struggled to wreck havoc at the line of scrimmage this season, doing anything to slow down defensive tackle Nicholas Oliveira-Chace will be important. Chace has 3.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble.

Continuing to execute up front will be paramount each game and the same standard applies to the defensive side of the ball…

WHAT'S THE NEXT GEAR FOR THIS SEMO DEFENSE?

SEMO played lights out defensively this past Saturday, holding Northwestern State to a mere 120 total yards and five first downs, while helping the program earn its first shutout victory over an FCS opponent since 1994.

Riding that momentum into Saturday is a necessity, as the Redhawks will face the best quarterback up to this point in the year. Pierce Holley was a 2023 second-team all-conference selection and threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns against SEMO last season. Eastern Illinois is 106th in total offense, and if SEMO can force the Panthers to have to play from behind, then this defensive front should have plenty of opportunities to generate a pass rush.

“We’ve got to rush the passer,” defensive coordinator Ricky Coon said. “He's a phenomenal player and the best quarterback we've seen. Statistically, he's struggling a little bit this year for some reason. He finally came on a little bit last week and had over 300 yards passing. So, he's just a real instinctual player.

“A year ago here, he had a good game, but a lot of it was just because we didn't do our job. So, against a guy like that, you’ve got to have good eye control. He's very good at the timing routes. He's a lot like Paxton in throwing balls before guys come out of breaks. We're going to give up some yards, but we just can't give up the explosive plays.”

This is as fresh of a SEMO defensive line as one can expect as seven defensive linemen rotated in against Northwestern State. Defensive tackle Jaylon Stone recorded a sack, but he was the only down lineman to do so. A stronger emergence from the defensive tackles and edge rushers could come in handy.

GENERAL CONSENSUS:

A win against a conference opponent would certainly bolster SEMO’s OVC and national resume. At this point, that’s what it’s all about. There’s certainly some temptation to think a week down the road when SEMO hosts a solid Tennessee Tech team, but until then, this is a solid measuring stick to see where the Redhawks stand both mentally and execution-wise.

And with conference play now in full swing, Matukewicz said it best: “This is a seven-game mission to bring home a championship."