COLUMN: SEMO set for stardom after SIU win

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Paxton DeLaurent holds the "Wheel" in celebration of the Redhawks defeating Southern Illinois 38-21 on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Carbondale, Ill.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

As the rivalry with Southern Illinois has shifted, so has Southeast Missouri's fortunes.

Nine and four, two numbers that have become synonymous with SEMO and this game since 2018. When SEMO wins this game, they go on to finish the season with nine wins but finish with four if they lose.

The Redhawks' one-point home loss to SIU and a 4-7 2023 is sandwiched between a playoff run in 2022 and a potentially successful season in 2024.

The commonality is the core of upperclassmen who were successful as sophomores, underachievers as juniors and set for stardom as seniors.

"It was awesome to win that game, especially after last year, losing it in such a heartbreaking fashion," SEMO quarterback Paxton DeLaurent said, and the seniors man, I was just so happy with the guys. We came together. We finished it on the ground. That was so great to see. It's the heart, the love, and the defense wouldn't even bend. Up 17, and they weren't going to give them anything at the end. This is a team win."

At 3-1, the Redhawks have been through a lot this season, and we're still in September. Each of the games they've won have been games that would've changed the course of their season had they lost. They started the season before everyone at the FCS Kickoff in Montgomery, Alabama, and won the only game the program has been featured on ESPN. SEMO came back to defeat their conference rival in a double-overtime thriller.

And for the third time since 2018, SEMO has defeated SIU on the road, despite having nine penalties for 89 yards and even a few touchdowns that they eventually made up for during those same scoring drives.

"We've shown great resiliency and ability to respond all year round, whether it's injuries or penalties," Matukewicz said.

The Redhawks are not just the leading team in the Big South-OVC but the only winning team in the conference. That championship is theirs to lose and the path is laid out for the Redhawks to potentially reach 10 wins for the first time as a Division 1 program.

"You got to stay humble and hungry," Matukewicz said. "The noise will get louder, so if you listen to it, it's gonna invite weakness into your locker room. So we gotta do a better job of just focusing on what we've been doing the last four games."