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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri (3-5, 2-3) had two 100-yard rushers and used a big 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown to secure a 48-27 victory over Austin Peay (0-8, 0-6) Saturday at Governors Stadium.

Redshirt-freshman quarterback Scott Lathrop ran for a game and career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns, while Levi Terrell rushed for 137 yards and two scores.

Lathrop and Terrell helped lead Southeast to a season-high 399 rushing yards.

However, it was the Redhawk defense which rose to the occasion to make a huge difference late in the game.

Southeast led, 41-27, when APSU threatened to score its second-straight touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Governors had a 1st-and-Goal at Southeast's 2-yardline when Joe Malolo jarred the ball loose from Reco Williams. Branden Spann scooped up the ball and ran 98 yards for a touchdown to nail down the win with 3:05 on the clock.

Spann, who ran back an interception 100 yards for a touchdown earlier this season, set a school record with his game-changing fumble return.

"The momentum was definitely in Austin Peay's favor at the time," said Southeast head coach Tony Samuel. "I though we did well a good portion of the third quarter. We needed a big stop and made a huge play."

Southeast snapped a 10-game losing streak on the road and earned its first victory away from home since beating the Governors, 41-24, on Oct. 16, 2010.

The Redhawks outgained the Governors, 259-47, in a run-dominated first half which saw Southeast score on all five of its possessions.

Terrell's 3-yard run capped a 14-play, 72-yard opening drive to give Southeast a 7-0 lead with 8:49 left in the first quarter. APSU was flagged for a personal foul on a 3^rd-and-17 midway through that drive.

On the fifth play of the Redhawks next possession following a APSU punt, Lathrop broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run to push Southeast's lead to 14-0. The 67-yard rush was the longest by any Redhawk this season.
T
he Governors used some trickery at the start of the second quarter to cut Southeast's lead in half.

Jake Ryan completed a pass to Devin Stark behind the line of scrimmage. Stark then threw the ball back to Ryan who tossed it 39 yards downfield to a wide open Jamaar Embry. The triple pass narrowed the gap to 14-7 with 14:50 left.

That would be all the scoring for APSU in the first half, as Southeast added 17 unanswered points to take a 31-7 lead at the intermission.

Ron Coleman scored his first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run at the 9:01 mark.

Drew Geldbach then kicked a season-long 49-yard field goal to cap a drive that started at the APSU 29-yardline following a 12-yard punt by Ben Campbell.

A 23-yard run by Lathrop and a 25-yard pass from Lathrop to Spencer Davis helped set up Southeast's other touchdown. Lathrop, who fumbled at the 1-yardline, recovered to cross the goal line just before the half ended.

Lathrop established his new career-high in rushing yards with 159 in the first half alone.  He averaged nearly 11 yards (10.6) per carry on his 15 attempts.

Back-to-back APSU turnovers led to seven more points for Southeast in the third quarter.

Andrew Montgomery fumbled on his first carry of the game and Ben Kargbo recovered at the Southeast 26-yardline.

The Redhawks later punted for the first time, but Tyler Clendenen fumbled after signaling for a fair catch. Darrick Borum fell on the ball at the Governors 19-yardline.

Terrell took the handoff on the play after Clendenen's mishap and ran 19 yards for a touchdown, giving Southeast a 38-7 lead with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter.

Ryan threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Stark and Stephen Stansell missed the point after with 7:01 left to play.

Following a Vucic punt, APSU marched 55 yards in two minutes before turning the ball over.

Southeast's season-high 48 points were the most in an OVC game since the Redhawks scored 49 against Murray State on Nov. 14, 2009. It was also the first time Southeast scored more than 40 points in an OVC road game since 2003 (at Eastern Kentucky, Oct. 18).

Lathrop posted his second 100-yard rushing game this season, as his 176 yards marked the second-most in a game by a Southeast quarterback. He finished with an average of 8.9 yards on 20 carries.

Terrell inched his way closer to 1,000 rushing yards. He ran for over 100 yards for the fifth-straight game and sixth time in eight starts this year. Terrell currently has 981 yards.

Defensively, Taylor Ramsey paved the way with a career-high seven tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.

The Redhawk defense forced three turnovers, marking the fifth time it finished with multiple takeaways in a game.

Williams ran for 133 yards and one touchdown, while Stark had nine catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead APSU. Ryan completed 23-of-38 passes for 304 yards and three TDs, as well.

Southeast returns to Cape Girardeau to host Eastern Kentucky in its final home game of the season on Nov. 3. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT, at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.