When the Southeast Missouri State football team takes the field Saturday, it will be making history.
For the first time ever, the Redhawks are hosting a game in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Thanks to a 38-32 win over Eastern Illinois last week, SEMO secured its best record in eight years and a place in the FCS postseason for the second time in school history.
In the first-ever appearance eight years ago, SEMO lost its opening game to eventual national champion Eastern Washington.
Historically, we play well at home. Even when we only win three games, a lot of those games were at home. We've knocked off Top 25 opponents here before. We're an underdog, so that's kind of a recipe for us to play well at home.
The No. 20 Redhawks hope the result will be different at 1 p.m. Saturday when they face No. 15 Stony Brook in a first-round game at Houck Field, where the Redhawks are 5-0 this season.
"I think it's a huge advantage for us," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said. "Historically, we play well at home. Even when we only win three games, a lot of those games were at home. We've knocked off Top 25 opponents here before. We're an underdog, so that's kind of a recipe for us to play well at home."
The Redhawks' biggest win of the season came at home when they beat No. 9 Jacksonville State 37-14 and ended the Gamecocks' 36-game conference winning streak, the nation's longest. Despite that win, SEMO couldn't secure its first conference title since 2010 as a 40-38 loss to Murray State resulted in a fifth consecutive OVC title for JSU. Instead, SEMO received one of the 14 at-large bids to the postseason. It's the first time two OVC teams have made the playoffs since JSU and EIU in 2015.
A lot of the Redhawks' success comes from its nation-best plus-23 turnover margin. Southeast (8-3) leads the nation in interceptions and turnovers gained with 21 and 31, respectively, and the offense only has eight turnovers.
"Turnover margin, that's a team stat," Matukewicz said. "That is an overall team stat that every coach strives to get. There is not a coach in America that doesn't value the turnover margin. So to do it at the number one level in all of FCS football is astounding, and I'm so proud of the team for that."
Leading the charge for the Redhawks is junior inside linebacker Zach Hall with an OVC-best 150 tackles and four forced fumbles. He's also tied for second in the league with four interceptions and has recovered two fumbles and blocked a pair of kicks, as well. Earlier this week, he was named the OVC's Defensive Player of the Year.
Stony Brook boasts a pair of 200-plus pound running backs that collectively racked up over 2,000 yards rushing this season. That kind of firepower in the run game will present a challenge for the Redhawks.
"That's a matchup nightmare, just being that big," Matukewicz said. "All of a sudden you're in a bunch of third-and-1's, it's going to be hard to get them off the field, so we gotta really do a great job stopping the run."
Stony Brook's ground-and-pound offensive attack has served them well, as the team averages 208.1 yards per game on the ground.
For the Redhawks, this could be a blessing of sorts. Stony Brook (7-4) averages 160.5 yards per game in the air, dead last in the Colonial Athletic Association, while Southeast allows over 300 passing yards per game. Without a strong passing game to face, the Redhawks will have one less thing to worry about.
SEMO boasts its own strong rushing attack with OVC Offensive Player of the Year Marquis Terry leading the way. The senior has rushed for 1,162 yards and 14 scores, both top-15 marks in the nation, despite dealing with an ankle injury. Terry sat out the final three quarters of last week's win over EIU after appearing to re-aggravate the injury.
Terry is cleared to play Saturday, according to a SEMO spokesperson.
Quarterback Daniel Santacaterina, who earned a First Team All-OVC nod, has done his part with 2,598 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, third and second in the OVC, respectively. Those 25 scores are the most by a Southeast quarterback since Jack Tomco threw 29 in 2002.
Behind that balanced offense, SEMO averages 39.3 points per game, ninth in the nation.
Stony Brook's defense is one of the best SEMO has faced this season. The Seawolves are 10th in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing 19.6 points per game. The Redhawks have been held to less than 20 points in a game once this season, in a 23-14 loss at Eastern Kentucky when Southeast committed five turnovers.
The Seawolves are 3-3 all-time in playoff games, having won at home in 2011, 2012 and 2017. The winner will move on to face No. 2 Weber State on Dec. 1 in Ogden, Utah.
* School location: Brookhaven, New York
* Coach: Chuck Priore (13th season)
* Conference: Colonial Athletic Association
* Place: T-3rd (5-3)
* Leading rusher: RB Donald Liontine, sr., 5-9, 215 (1,099 yds)
* Leading receiver: TE Cal Daniels, sr., 6-2, 255 (20 rec., 228 yds)
* Leading tackler: LB Noah McGinty, sr., 5-11, 220 (87 t, 7.0 tfl)
* Notables: LB Shayne Lawless, sr., 6-1, 225 (82 t, 12.0 tfl, 3.5 sacks), DL Sam Kamara, jr., 6-2, 295 (6.5 sacks, 9.0 tfl), RB Jordan Gowins, sr., 5-11, 230 (922 yds, 8 TDs)
First Round
Saturday, Nov. 24
Duquesne (8-3) at Towson (7-4), 1 p.m.
Elon (6-4) at Wofford (8-3), 1 p.m.
Stony Brook (7-4) at SE Missouri St. (8-3), 1 p.m.
Incarnate Word (6-4) at Montana St. (7-4), 2 p.m.
Delaware (7-4) at James Madison (8-3), 2 p.m.
San Diego (9-2) at Nicholls St. (8-3), 3 p.m.
Lamar (7-4) at N. Iowa (6-5), 4 p.m.
ETSU (8-3) at Jacksonville St. (8-3), 6:30 p.m.
Second Round
Saturday, Dec. 1
ETSU-Jacksonville St. winner at Maine (8-3), 11 a.m.
Delaware-James Madison winner at Colgate (9-1), noon
Elon-Wofford winner at Kennesaw St. (10-1), 1 p.m.
Incarnate Word-Montana St. winner at N. Dakota St. (11-0), 2 p.m.
Duquesne-Towson winner at S. Dakota St. (8-2), 2 p.m.
Stony Brook-SE Missouri St. winner at Weber St. (9-2), 3 p.m.
San Diego-Nicholls St. winner at E. Washington (9-2), 4 p.m.
Lamar-N. Iowa winner at UC Davis (9-2), 6 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Dec. 7 or Saturday, Dec. 8
Incarnate Word-Montana St.-N. Dakota St. winner vs. Delaware-James Madison-Colgate winner
Duquesne-Towson-S. Dakota St. winner vs. Elon-Wofford-Kennesaw St. winner
San Diego-Nicholls St.-E. Washington winner vs. Lamar-N. Iowa-UC Davis winner
ETSU-Jacksonville St.-Maine winner vs. Stony Brook-SE Missouri St.-Weber St. winner
Semifinals
Friday, Dec. 14 or Saturday, Dec. 15
TBD
Championship
Saturday, Jan. 5
At Toyota Stadium
Frisco, Texas
Semifinal winners, 11 a.m.
Posting a comment requires free registration:
Menu
