Redhawks have the receivers to fly with Skyhawks

Southeast Missouri State receiver Cam Pedro celebrates scoring a touchdown against North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff on Aug. 24, in Montgomery, Alabama.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

It took two weeks for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks receivers to establish themselves as reliable targets for quarterback Paxton DeLaurent.

Dorian Anderson has been the leading receiver for the Redhawks in each of the first two games. He hauled in 71 yards against North Alabama and 115 yards with a touchdown against New Mexico State. He said his breakout game showed that the hard work he put in from the spring to summer and fall camps has paid off.

Head coach Tom Matukewicz agrees.

"I call him 2.0 because 1.0 wasn't as good as it could be," Matukewicz said. "2.0 was much better. He's starting to play and use his body to advantage, so I'm excited."

Anderson said the upgrade took place during spring camp when he seized the chance to improve his station with the team.

"I didn't like my role last year, even though I had to buy into it," Anderson said. "It was just me wanting to be a better usage for the offense and everything. So I took a lot of preparation and focus on the things I needed to work on to be this 2.0 guy."

Cam Pedro, a transfer from Marshall who spent two years with the Thundering Herd but never saw the field, caught the first touchdown of the season and hauled in nine catches for 74 yards against the Aggies.

"I'm excited because guys like Cam Pedro rally can get a lot better," Matukeawicz said. "He's a young guy, first year starting, his future is pretty bright if he's willing to put the work in to get better. It's hard to get better when you're decent."

With Pedro and Anderson, Matukewicz sees a different passing approach out of DeLaurent. He threw for 295 yards against the Aggies, which was the sixth most in his SEMO career.

"Paxton is doing a good job of throwing to the people that are open and not trying to force things with Ryan [Flournoy]," Matukewicz said, "just doing what the play dictates based on their coverage."

DeLaurent was a game-time decision going into the road game against New Mexico State just a week after injuring his non-throwing shoulder against North Alabama. While such a decision won't be necessary going into the home opener, DeLaurent is not quite 100 percent.

"It's still there," Matukewicz said. "He's still rehabbing. It's still something that he's trying to get 100 percent, but he feels good enough that he can perform well."

Against New Mexico State, the ESPN+ broadcast crew (which is usually supplied by the home university) noticed how similar in size SEMO was to the Aggies. Typically, part of the wide divide between the FCS and FBS is the size of players, but it seems the Redhawks have big enough players to fit in with C-USA like former OVC member Jacksonville State is currently.

"We are trying to get bigger," Matukewicz said. "We've always had really good skill, but it's been tough getting some of the bigger guys, and right now we look good."

As SEMO did last year, UT Martin started their season with an overwhelming road loss to a ranked Kansas State team. Because of such a matchup, it's difficult to gauge just how good this year's Skyhawks are. The only positive that came from that game for them was senior defensive back Chris Hunter Jr. getting his first career interception.

"It's better than what we've had the last two games, which is no film," Matukewicz said. "We know who their personnel is. We know their schemes, and so now it's just preparing to get ready for Saturday."

UT Martin has either won the conference or a share for the last three seasons. Although early, a win in this rivalry would tip the scales in SEMO's favor.

"I'm very excited," Anderson said. "I feel like we're preparing very well, putting everybody in good spots, and just ready to play in front of our crowd and have an exciting game."