Thisclose: SEMO football is 'frustrated' by its close losses

What the followers of the Southeast Missouri State football program have learned through the first half of the 2020-21 season is that the Redhawks are capable of beating any team on their schedule. However, at 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference, SEMO has shown that it is just as capable of losing to any team on its schedule.

“It’s frustrating to (the coaches),” Redhawk wide receivers coach Justin Drudik said, “and it is frustrating, especially to our players, who don’t have 30 seasons like (coaches) do.”

SEMO has lost to No. 5-ranked Southern Illinois (on the road) in the final second.

It has lost to No. 25-ranked Murray State by a field goal.

And most recently, the Redhawks lost to one of the most talented teams in the OVC (Austin Peay) in double overtime.

“In the last couple of years that I have been here,” Drudik said, “we’ve won so many close games. We found ways to win.

“The one thing that we’re not doing is, right now, we need big-time players to step up in big-time situations and make plays.”

Drudik spoke on the graduation of Redhawk greats like Kristian Wilkerson, Zach Hall, and Justin Swift, and he’d like to see the next generation of players be able to grow into those prominent roles.

“We’ve got a lot of really good players,” Drudik said. “It’s a great group. We just have to make plays when it matters.”

One of those “really good players” is redshirt freshman outside linebacker Izeal Terrell.

Terrell spent the 2019 season as a redshirt but made the most of his downtime on and off of the field.

He was a Southeast Scholar-Athlete and earned the Defensive Work Most Valuable Player Award.

That diligence has paid dividends this spring.

He has served as the back-up to veteran Omardrick Douglas, but when Douglas had to miss Sunday’s game due to injury against Austin Peay, Terrell was incredibly productive.

Terrell led the Redhawks with 12 tackles and is the team’s leading tackler (20) after three league games.

“Izeal really stood out,” seventh-year SEMO coach Tom Matukewicz said following the game, “for the type of role that we have asked him to play with Omardrick being out.”

Terrell notched just one tackle in his collegiate debut against Southern Illinois but has progressively improved with each week.

He picked off a pass against Eastern Illinois earlier this spring, which showed his ability to drop into coverage, as well as his obvious propensity to make stops against the run.

“He is athletic,” Matukewicz said. “He’s able to play both the pass and the run. He gets in on a lot of those plays.”

Matukewicz said Douglas is week-to-week and is “working hard” to get back on the field. His ability would certainly help this Sunday, as the Redhawks travel to No. 8-ranked Jacksonville State (2 p.m.).

The Gamecocks (6-1, 3-0) have the No. 1-ranked total offense in the league, the best run game in the OVC, as well as ranking first in pass efficiency.

“Offensively,” Matukewicz said, “they have had a lot of success running the ball. It seems like they are doing a good job with the turnover margin. They are doing what good teams do.”

The Gamecocks don’t feature one star back as Austin Peay did, they run the ball by committee.

Jacksonville State has three of the top nine rushers in the OVC.

Custis “questionable”

SEMO’s top runner, junior Zion Custis, was “banged up” in the week prior to Sunday’s game against Austin Peay and tried to play.

He carried the ball just one time before deciding, “he couldn’t go,” according to Matukewicz.

“He’s questionable,” Matukewicz said of Custis on Tuesday. “He’ll practice today, so we’ll see.”