Gameday blog: Southeast at Dayton

My view from the press box at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio, as Southeast Missouri State takes on Dayton. (Trent Singer)

DAYTON, Ohio -- A bend-but-don't-break defense has kept the Southeast Missouri State football team hanging within striking distance at halftime, as Dayton leads 13-7 at Welcome Stadium.

The Redhawks' defense was gouged for 178 yards in the first half but forced the Flyers to settle for a pair of short field goals. Dayton converted 6 of 9 third downs, including several third-and-longs.

The Flyers went ahead 7-0 on their second offensive drive of the game, as Kyle Kaparos marched the hosts 64 yards in nine plays. The drive was capped when Kaparos hit J.P. Forcucci in the right corner of the end zone for a 15-yard reception with 7 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

A 32-yard field goal by Patrick Sandler moved the Flyers ahead 10-0 with 47 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The Redhawks responded with a methodical 16-play, 65-yard drive that included several key conversions. Running back Marquis Terry capped the series with his first career touchdown, crossing the goal line on a 3-yard run in the wildcat formation and pulling Southeast within 10-7 with 7:41 left in the half.

Dayton went 61 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing drive, converting two third-and-longs but stalling out in goal territory. Sandler's 25-yard kick moved the Flyers ahead 13-7 with 2:02 remaining in the second.

Southeast got within field-goal range on its next possession, but kicker Nicholas Litang's 41-yard attempt sailed wide left as time expired in the half.

Redhawks QB Jesse Hosket was 9-of-14 passing for 84 yards in the half, while Terry racked up 48 yards on 13 rushes. Southeast RB Cameron Sanders added 32 yards on five totes. Kristian Wilkerson had four catches for 40 yards to lead the Redhawks in receiving.

Tucker Yinger led the Flyers' ground attack, carrying the ball nine times for 86 yards.

Chad Meredith and Omar Pierre-Louis each had five tackles to lead SEMO's defense, while David Leisring tallied seven stops to lead the Flyers.

You can follow along on Twitter @semoballTrent, and you don't need to have a twitter account to see the tweets.

The Southeast Missouri State football team will continue its non-conference schedule at noon Saturday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.

Southeast Missourian sports reporter Trent Singer will provide updates from the game.

You can follow along on Twitter @semoballTrent, and you don't need to have a twitter account to see the tweets.

Southeast (0-1) and Dayton (0-1) will meet for the first time today. The Flyers are coming off a 13-10 loss against Robert Morris in last week's season opener. They were led by senior running back Tucker Yinger, who racked up 107 yards on 24 carries. Click here for a full game preview.

The Redhawks opened the season with a 38-16 defeat against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Kansas last week in Lawrence, Kansas. After a slow start, the Redhawks were able to find some success against an imposing Jayhawks defensive front. Senior quarterback Jesse Hosket threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while junior RB Marquis Terry racked up 87 yards on 23 totes. The complete game story from SEMO's Week 1 game is available here.