SEMO to square off with Western Illinois in home finale

SEMO linebacker Bryce Norman stands up after tackling a Lindenwood running back on Saturday, Nov. 9, in St. Charles.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks host the Leathernecks of Western Illinois in the final home game of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 16.

SEMO (8-2, 5-1 Big South-OVC) dropped to No. 12 in the nation after the 24-12 upset loss at Lindenwood a week ago. The Redhawks still sit atop the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference while Western Illinois (3-7, 2-4 Big South-OVC) is seventh in the conference standings.

This will be just the second meeting between the schools, the first being a 46-0 win for the Redhawks in the 1944 season. Redhawks head coach Tom Matukewicz said his team will have its hands full defensively because of the Leathernecks' quarterback play.

“I’d like to nominate Coach [Joe Davis] for quarterback coach of the century. Last year he was at Eastern Illinois and [Pierce Holley] tore it up, now he’s at WIU and it's been the same thing, he’s the quarterback whisperer. I think the quarterback is the difference-maker, if you’ve got a great one you’re never out of games and that’s what they have been doing so we got our work cut out for us,” Matukewicz said. “Defensively we have played pretty consistently all year long, we’ve had a bad quarter or two but haven’t had a real bad game. We have to continue to stay on top of that and get ready for an offense that has put up a lot of yards and points.”

SEMO is among just the 16 FCS schools with at least eight wins this season and will put their home win streak to the test. With a win over Western Illinois, the Redhawks would tie its program record of nine wins in a season and Matukewicz's third time doing so.

It will be senior day for the Redhawks which comes with a lot of emotion as the team and Cape Girardeau have to say goodbye to 16 athletes. Matukewicz said the team will do everything they can to give the seniors a win on their home field.

“I think the biggest thing is there are some of these seniors like Paxton DeLaurent and Bryce Norman and all these guys, that we have to do everything we can to make sure their last regular season game they play at home is a winner,” Matukewicz said. “We’ve played good at home, I anticipate we will do the same and continue to get better.”

SEMO and Western Illinois kickoff on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Houck Field where the Redhawks look to stay in first place in the conference.