Box Score Final Statistics |
Final Statistics PDF Version |
Postgame Notes |
Photo GalleryCARBONDALE, Ill. – Southeast Missouri (1-2) had five turnovers in a 50-23 loss to regional-rival and No. 14 Southern Illinois (3-0) Saturday night in front of a crowd of 10,385 at Saluki Stadium.
Â
Southeast lost four fumbles and had an interception in its second-straight loss. Those miscues led to a total of 28 SIU points.
"We were never in the game because of all the turnovers," said Southeast head coach
Tom Matukewicz. "At the end of the day, I like how we are preparing every day, but right now we are an undisciplined football team."
Â
Mark Iannotti matched a single-game school record six touchdown passes and threw for 225 yards to lead the Salukis to their first 3-0 start since 2007.
The first half saw a combined five turnovers, including four by Southeast. The Redhawks fumbled three times and threw an interception.
Â
Southeast quarterback
Kyle Snyder fumbled on each of the Redhawks first two drives.
Â
On 3
rd-and-3 at the Southeast-46, Snyder lost the ball and Cory Lee recovered. Following a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by the Redhawks, SIU took over on downs at the Southeast 10-yardline.
Â
Three plays later, Iannotti threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Adam Fuehne giving the Salukis a 7-0 lead with 11:36 left to play in the first quarter.
Â
During the first play of Southeast's next possession, Snyder fumbled again when he was hit by Jordan Poole. D.J. Cameron recovered for SIU at the Southeast-48.
Â
Nothing came of that miscue as
Eriq Moore forced and recovered a fumble for Southeast at its own 9-yardline.
Â
After the Redhawks punted, SIU scored its second touchdown, this time in just 44 seconds. Malcolm Agnew caught Iannotti's screen pass on the third play of the drive and ran 33 yards down the near sideline to put the Salukis ahead, 14-0, at the 7:25 mark.
Â
Cameron recorded his second takeaway when he intercepted Snyder's third-down pass and ran 18 yards to the Redhawks 2-yardline. Agnew then hit paydirt on a 1-yard plunge, expanding SIU's lead to 21-0.
Â
Ryan McCrum's career-long 43-yard field goal gave Southeast its first points at the end of an 11-play, 64-yard march with 1:12 remaining. Key plays of that drive included a 16-yard pass from Snyder to
Paul McRoberts on a 3
rd-and-long and a 26-yard pass from Snyder to
Ron Coleman.
Â
SIU kicker Thomas Kinney missed a 51-yard field goal attempt before Southeast's next possession culminated in three more points for the Redhawks.
Â
Lennies McFerren gained a combined 29 yards on two carries to get Southeast to the SIU-36. The 9-play, 45-yard drive resulted in a 38-yard field goal by McCrum, cutting the Salukis lead to 21-6 with 10:50 left.
Â
Three plays into SIU's ensuing drive,
Tim Hamm-Bey picked off Iannotti and sprinted 56 yards to the end zone for Southeast's first touchdown. Hamm-Bey's big defensive TD quickly chopped the Salukis lead to 21-13 with a little under nine minutes on the clock. Hamm-Bey was the first Redhawk to return an interception for a touchdown since Darrick Borum and Branden Spann accomplished the feat vs. Tennessee Tech on Sept. 22, 2012.
Â
SIU, however, used a big play of its own to answer right back.
Â
The Salukis faced a 3
rd-and-4 at its own 32 when their drive was extended due to a pass interference by Southeast. The penalty came back to haunt the Redhawks as Iannotti completed a 60-yard touchdown pass to Tay Willis. Willis caught the ball in stride and dashed down the far sideline, grabbing SIU a 28-13 lead at the 6:54 mark.
Â
Southeast took over on downs deep in its own territory at the 6-yardline when
Spencer Davis fumbled. Tyler Williamson recovered and Iannotti then threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt immediately after a SIU penalty to give the Salukis a 35-13 advantage with 5:37 left.
Â
Two plays after McFerren ran for five yards to keep the Redhawks drive alive on a 4
th-and-1 at the SIU-44, the Salukis called timeout. Once play resumed, Davis ran for nine yards before Snyder hooked up with McRoberts on a 19-yard scoring strike to make it 35-20 at the half.
McCrum began the second half by splitting the uprights for his game-high third field goal, a 43-yarder with 10:36 left in the third quarter.
Â
Exactly three minutes later, Iannotti tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to McKinney, capping a 7-play, 83-yard drive to give SIU a 42-23 lead at the 7:36 mark. The 83-yard march was the longest drive of the night.
Â
SIU capitalized on another Southeast turnover when Iannotti connected with Pruitt on a 16-yard touchdown pass just six seconds into the fourth quarter. A two-point conversion followed as the Salukis polished off their 50-23 win.
Iannotti completed 15-of-21 passes and and Agnew finished with 162 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries to lead SIU.
In his first start of the season for the injured
DeMichael Jackson, McFerren gained 80 yards on 16 rushes, averaging five yards per attempt.
Meanwhile, Snyder completed 16-of-29 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-straight game where Snyder had over 200 passing yards. McRoberts added seven catches for a game-high 86 yards and a touchdown, his 15th-career receiving TD.
Defensively,
Wisler Ymonice led the Redhawks with 10 tackles.
SIU outgained Southeast 465-357 in total yards.
Tonight's matchup marked the 82
nd meeting between rivals Southeast and SIU. The Salukis, who beat the Redhawks for the fourth-straight year, won eight of the last nine contests in the overall series which dates all the way back to 1909.
The Redhawks return home to host No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana during Family Weekend on Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT, at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.
Â
Â
Â