Southeast Missouri (1-5, 1-2 OVC) at No. 3 Eastern Illinois (5-1, 2-0 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Site: O'Brien Field (10,000)
Surface: Matrix Turf
Series History: EIU leads, 14-6
Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy, 62 degrees
Head Coaches: Tony Samuel (63-113 overall; 29-56 at Southeast Missouri; 18-40 OVC, Eighth Season). Dino Babers (12-6 overall; 12-6 at EIU, 8-1 OVC, Second Season).

Coverage Information
Radio: ESPN 92.9 FM, K103 (102.9 FM). Erik Sean, Play-by-Play.
Live Stats: EIUPanthers.com
Video: OVC Digital Network
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
Twitter Updates: @GoSoutheast

First Win
Southeast picked up its first win of the season in dramatic fashion when it beat Murray State, 37-34, in triple overtime on Oct. 12 at Houck Stadium. The Redhawks outscored the Racers, 10-7, in the overtime period and won the game on a 30-yard field goal by freshman kicker Alex Knight. Southeast put an end to an eight-game losing streak dating back to Nov. 3, 2012. The Redhawks also snapped a stretch of five-consecutive losses in Ohio Valley Conference play.

Lathrop Named OVC Offensive Player of the Week
Sophomore quarterback Scott Lathrop was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13. In his second start of the season, Lathrop threw for a career-high 247 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 94 yards and another score to lead Southeast in its thrilling triple overtime win over Murray State (Oct. 12). A native of Warrenton, Mo., Lathrop scored on a 1-yard run and threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Foster in the second quarter, helping lift the Redhawks to their first halftime lead of the season. He later threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Foster in the third quarter before tossing two big game-tying TDs down the stretch. Lathrop delivered a 15-yard touchdown pass to Paul McRoberts to tie the game at 27-27 with 55 seconds left in regulation. He found McRoberts again, this time on a 15-yard strike to tie the game at 34-34 in overtime. Lathrop is Southeast's first OVC Offensive Player of the Week since quarterback Matt Scheible garnered the honor on Oct. 2, 2011.

It's Been Awhile
Scott Lathrop completed 19-of-32 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns in his huge performance against Murray State (Oct. 12). As a result, he became the first Southeast player to throw four touchdown passes in a game since Houston Lillard accomplished the feat vs. Austin Peay on Nov. 3, 2007. Lathrop also finished with 341 yards of total offense and had a hand in all five of the Redhawks touchdowns. Interestingly enough, the last time he had over 300 yards of total offense was on nearly the exact same date a year ago (367 vs. Tennessee State on Oct. 13, 2012).

Davis Inches Closer to Record
Junior return man Spencer Davis is 130 yards away from breaking Southeast's all-time career record in kickoff return yardage. Davis currently stands second with 1,809 yards. David Jackson (1983-86) presently holds the record with 1,938 kickoff return yards. Davis already owns two of the school's top-six single-season kickoff return yardage marks. He ranks eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in all-purpose yardage (97.2 ypg).

Memorable Knight
Freshman left-footed kicker Alex Knight's second career collegiate kick was a game-winner. A native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Knight split the uprights with a 30-yard field goal to beat Murray State (Oct. 12) in triple overtime. Knight also made 3-of-3 PATs and finished the game with a total of six points. Additionally, he punted five times for 181 yards and pinned the Racers inside their 20-yardline twice. Knight is the second Redhawk kicker to win a game in overtime since 2012. Drew Geldbach kicked a 34-yard field goal to beat Tennessee Tech in double overtime on Sept. 22. Knight was named Ohio Valley Conference Specialist of the Week on Oct. 13.

Good in Overtime
With its win over Murray State (Oct. 12), Southeast improved to 5-1 all-time in overtime games since moving to the NCAA Division I level. The Redhawks have played a game consisting of at least two overtimes in two-straight seasons. Southeast also beat Tennessee Tech, 41-38, in double overtime on Sept. 22, 2012. Both of those contests were won on field goals.

Made to Receive
Wide receivers D.J. Foster and Paul McRoberts enter the week fresh off big performances. Foster became the second wideout to get 100 receiving yards in a game this season when he caught five passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns against Murray State (Oct. 12). He also had a 78-yard score, marking the fifth-longest touchdown reception in school history. Meanwhile, McRoberts added a team-high six catches for 76 yards and also had two touchdowns against the Racers. Both of his TDs tied the game at crucial moments. His 18-yard TD reception knotted the game at 27-27 with 55 seconds left in regulation and his 15-yard TD reception tied the game at 34-34 in overtime before Alex Knight's field goal. Foster has 21 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns, and McRoberts has 20 receptions for a team-high 364 yards and four TDs through six games this season. McRoberts ranks sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 60.7 receiving yards per game, as well. In addition, both have scored a touchdown on a reception of 75 or more yards.

Black Out
Defensive tackle Austin Black recorded nine tackles and a season-high two sacks for a loss of 11 yards against Murray State (Oct. 12). Black, who hails from Warrenton, Mo., added seven solo stops for a Redhawk defense which held the Racers to only three points in the first half (fewest against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent this year). Black sacked Maikhail Miller for a loss of two yards just before halftime. He then dropped Miller again, this time for a loss of nine yards when the Racers were driving on their final possession of regulation. Black has made 18 of his 30 tackles this season in his last two starts alone. He ranks second on the team with 4.5 sacks in 2013.

Sack Production
The Redhawks turned in three more sacks in their lastest effort vs. Murray State (Oct. 12), and as a result, have 11 sacks in six games. Southeast has dropped quarterbacks for a loss of 79 yards. It marked the first time the Redhawks recorded 10 or more sacks in a season since 2010 (14 for a loss of 99 yards).

Ymonice Doubles Up   
Linebacker Wisler Ymonice became Southeast's third double-digit tackler this season when he registered a career-high 12 stops against Murray State (Oct. 12). Ymonice had a team-high eight solo stops and two tackles for a loss of three yards. Ymonice is currently tied for fourth on the team with 38 tackles, matching his entire career total entering the 2013 season. LB Matt Starks (11 at Ole Miss) and SS Ron Davis (11 vs. UT Martin) are the Redhawks other double-digit tacklers this season.

Series History
Saturday marks the 21st meeting between Southeast and Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks, who are 2-8 all-time in Charleston, have won two of the last three games in the series. Southeast beat the Panthers, 28-13, in Charleson on Oct. 2, 2010 and, 37-30, in Cape Girardeau on Oct. 1, 2011. The Redhawks travel to EIU for the second-straight season in 2013. The last time Southeast played the Panthers in Charleston in back-to-back seasons was 2000 and 2001. EIU won both of those games (38-9 on Nov. 4, 2000; 12-0 on Oct. 13, 2001). The Redhawks are 2-5 all-time against the Panthers under head coach Tony Samuel.

About Eastern Illinois
Southeast faces another tough challenge this week when it heads to No. 3 Eastern Illinois. The Panthers are presently 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play as one of two undefeated teams left in league action this season. EIU is the second ranked Football Championship Subdivision team the Redhawks face in their own conference this year. The Panthers are loaded offensively, leading the OVC in scoring (46.8 ppg), total offense (584 ypg), passing (411.8 ypg) and pass efficiency (170.9 rating). EIU is also second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 22.8 points per contest.  The Panthers lead the Football Championship Subdivision in both passing and total offense. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leads the nation with 2,359 passing yards, 393.2 passing yards per game and 394.5 total yards per contest. Garoppolo was also responsible for 176 points this year, which leads the FCS, as well. Erik Lora leads the conference in scoring (12.3 ppg), receptions per game (9.5) and receiving yards per game (132.8). He is second in the nation in receiving yards per game and receiving yards, and tied for third in receptions per game. Either Garoppolo or Lora lead the OVC in a combined seven different offensive categories.
    
Offense Breaks Through
Southeast scored a season-high 37 points and had a season-best 222 rushing yards, 292 passing yards and 493 yards of total offense against Murray State (Oct. 12). The Redhawks also ran 90 plays in a game for the first time since 2005 (95 at Kent State). Prior to that, Southeast had scored no more than 19 points in a game. The Redhawks rank eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring offense with 16.3 points per contest.

Southeast vs. Ranked FCS Teams
The Redhawks are 2-15 all-time against ranked Football Championship Subdivision teams since 2004. Southeast has lost each of its last six games against such opponents. No. 3 Eastern Illinois is the highest ranked opponent the Redhawks face since last meeting No. 1 and eventual national champion Eastern Washington in 2010. Southeast is 1-4 against FCS opponents ranked among the top-five during that span, as well.