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Southeast Missouri State football loses Santa, falters in second half in season-opening loss to Arkansas State
Arkansas State wide receiver Jonathan Adams Jr., right, celebrates a first-quarter touchdown as Southeast Missouri State's Marcus Goree (34) and Shabari Davis (24) watch Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian
JONESBORO, Ark. — For 30 minutes, Southeast Missouri State football had stood toe-to-toe with Arkansas State.
The Redhawks entered halftime down by just seven points with the chance to pull off a major upset and secure their first-ever season-opening win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.
But without starting quarterback Daniel Santacaterina, who had been carted off the field with minutes left in the second quarter, SEMO couldn't afford to fall further behind.
Southeast Missouri State's Marquis Terry carries the ball on his 67-yard touchdown run against Arkansas State in the second quarter Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian
That's exactly what happened on the first drive of the second half. The Red Wolves took just 59 seconds to march 75 yards down the field for a touchdown and their first double-digit lead of the game.
That was the start of 27 consecutive points to start the second half from Arkansas State, which rode that scoring explosion to a 48-21 win over SEMO on Saturday in front of 20,184 fans at Centennial Bank Stadium.
"It was a tale of two halves," SEMO coach Tom Matukewicz said. "The first half, we were playing well, holding up with them. We got a little tired, obviously on defense, and then I think when Daniel went out, steam left the Redhawks a little bit."
Red Wolves quarterback Justice Hansen, the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, led the way. The senior set a school record with six touchdown passes, with all six going to different players.
While returning starter Zach Hall had a career-high 22 tackles, the Redhawks entered the season opener without its two starting cornerbacks from last season and with only one returning starter in the secondary.
"Up front I thought we did a solid job," Matukewciz. "Got wore down on defense. But secondary-wise, we're not going to play those type of wideouts. Hopefully, they'll be able to hold up in the [Ohio Valley Conference]."
Southeast Missouri State quarterback Daniel Santacaterina takes the snap during a game against Arkansas State on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian
Hansen took advantage of that inexperience, finishing with 423 yards passing on 26-of-36 passing with one interception.
SEMO was able to stay within striking distance in the first half thanks to Santacaterina. The Northern Illinois transfer, who won the starting job by the end of fall camp, was 10-of-13 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown before he was hit in the head during a scramble late in the second quarter.
After being carted off, Santacaterina was taken to the hospital and evaluated for precautionary reasons before returning to the sideline during the fourth quarter, walking and mingling with his teammates.
He will be evaluated Sunday and that will determine his status for upcoming games, including next week's home opener against Dayton.
Santacaterina's touchdown toss, a four-yard throw to Kobe Bryer, tied the game at 7-all with 10 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first half.
It was set up by a Marcus Lucas interception and his return to SEMO's 45-yard line.
The Red Wolves quickly responded with a five-play, 63-yard drive that was capped off by a 15-yard TD pass from Hansen to Justin McInnis.
Teaser
But SEMO didn't go away easily. On the second play of then next drive, Marquis Terry showed why he was named the Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year. The senior running back broke multiple tackles at the line of scrimmage and then spun away from a defender in the open field en route to a 67-yard TD run that tied the game at 14-all midway through the period.
"Offensively, we've improved," Matukewicz said. "We're really looking forward to Game 2 in that offense."
Hansen led the Red Wolves down the field again to retake the lead on the next drive, with the hosts going ahead on a 36-yard TD pass to Kendrick Edwards.
That turned out to be the winning score.
With about two minutes left in the half, Santacaterina took off running on second-and-10. As he slid to the turf, Arkansas State free safety Demari Medley hit him in the head area. Medley was ejected for targeting.
Santacaterina stayed down on the field for several minutes before being carted off the field on a board. He clapped and waved his hands as he was carted off, drawing a cheer from the SEMO fans.
Fifth-year senior Anthony Cooper replaced him under center.
"That's a big, sudden change that happened in the game," left tackle Drew Forbes said. "Just had to get our minds right. I think we could have adjusted much better than we did, but still we adjusted."
The Red Wolves took the opening drive of the second half and motored down the field. From there the offense could do no wrong. By the end of the third quarter, the result was no longer in doubt, with SEMO trailing 48-14.
Cooper added a rushing touchdown late and finished 8 of 15 for 74 yards with 21 yards on the ground.
Now, the Redhawks can turn their attention to their remaining 10 games against Football Championship Subdivision competition. They hope this game will benefit them in those contests as they aim for their first OVC title since 2010.
"We can just gain experience from it," Hall said. "Playing against probably a bigger O-line than we usually would, and bigger skill players. We've got a lot to learn from it, and I feel like we came out out on top in some things."
