COLUMN: Paxton DeLaurent went out with an empty arm

SEMO senior quarterback Paxton DeLaurent rolls right and evades an Illinois State defender in the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Houck Field.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

In his final game at Houck Field, Southeast Missouri State senior quarterback Paxton DeLaurent had the equivalent of a warrior’s death.

The Redhawks all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, tied an FCS single-game record with 85 passing attempts in a 35-27 loss against Illinois State in the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Nov. 30.

His two passing touchdowns to Tristan Smith and Dorian Anderson in the fourth quarter was a comeback attempt too little too late, but his final throw was akin to Leonidas throwing a spear to graze the cheek of Xerxes before falling to his end in the movie “300.”

DeLaurent, who transferred from Central Methodist University in 2022 and set numerous records at SEMO, would not go down in a blowout.

“It’s meant the world. This is hard man,” DeLaurent said. “It’s starting to set in that it’s over. Probably gonna be out of here in a week and I won’t be back maybe until pro day, so it’s hard, and it just meant the world to me that the coaches took a shot at me, believed in me. No one else in the country did and then, for this team to rally around me and just believe in me and make me a better man. I think I grew so much more, obviously as a player as well, but as a Christian, as a leader, as a brother to hold up integrity and stuff. I’m so thankful for this university.”

It may take a month to no longer allow a bad month to undermine the memory of a remarkable Redhawks football season. A season that started in front of a national audience laid out the adverse road for DeLaurent.

After being sent flying while on the run by a North Alabama defender in Week 0, DeLaurent had to spend the entirety of the season battling a non-throwing shoulder injury after his previous year ended early with a similar ailment.

He came back and played the next game from there on it was abundantly evident that the Redhawks were going to rely on his arm almost as much as the oxygen they breathe. With 618 passing attempts, DeLaurent has thrown more than any quarterback in the nation, including the FBS. He currently leads the FCS with 4,087 passing yards but that will likely be surpassed by UC Davis QB Miles Hastings (3,745) by the end of the playoffs.

Such a season almost ended early a second time. During his "Fields of Faith" speech on Oct. 9, DeLaurent mentioned how he had a choice to make about his shoulder leading up to the rivalry game at Southern Illinois. Surgery was inevitable, it was just a matter of whether he would continue to fight through it this year or call it off early and save his eligibility for next year.

"I just decided that I was going to sleep with the bible on my chest," DeLaurent said on Oct. 9. "I felt I needed the Lord so bad in that moment."

With key wins over SIU and UT Martin in overtime, the Redhawks were on their way to another championship season. A 5-0 regular season slate at home clinched their share of the OVC title.

"The seniors are going to walk out of here with a ring and left this place better than they found it," SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said. "Usually our goal is to make them better men but I think they made me a better man. So I'm appreciative of those guys."

The 2024-25 athletic year started with the stated mission by the athletic director that every class of Redhawk would graduate with an Ohio Valley Conference ring. Not only did the seniors on the football team accomplish this mission but the volleyball team as well.

Some of these SEMO seniors may not have to wait long before being enshrined in the school's hall of fame. Linebacker Bryce Norman concluded a storied football journey that started with leading Jackson High School to its only state championship to a four-year run at SEMO that resulted in two of the Redhawks' five conference titles.

"I didn't even think of playing college football for a while in high school," Norman said. "Then Coach Tuke gave me the opportunity here and just what it means to be a part of SEMO football and becoming a better man. Just building the relationships with the people around me that I never thought I'd really have, because it's been awesome for me. The respect I have for this program has been awesome."

"I don't think I cried until I saw him," DeLaurent said of Norman. "So proud and thankful for him and the guys."

There are only six quarterbacks from the FCS in the National Football League and half of them played North Dakota State. Although there have been former Redhawks in the NFL, most recently Dallas Cowboys receiver Ryan Flournoy, it is naturally an uphill climb for a quarterback, even one as decorated as DeLaurent.

The UFL might be the most likely destination. The St. Louis Battlehawks recently parted ways with star quarterback AJ McCarron and are set up for a young quarterback to thrive in the spring league.

One can only hope that such a legendary career is not confined to the Houck Field.