CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (3-5, 2-2) scored 17 third-quarter points, all on special teams, to key a 38-17 victory over Tennessee Tech (2-7, 1-5) Saturday afternoon at Houck Stadium.
 
Southeast, which wore pink jerseys donning the names of individuals affected by cancer as part of its Pink Up initiative, topped this special day by getting its second Ohio Valley Conference win.
 
"Today was a good day and we had a lot of fun," said Southeast head coach Tom Matukewicz. "It was awesome being a part of this Pink Up game and I was proud of the way we played, especially on defense and special teams."
 
After holding a 14-10 lead at halftime, Southeast scored a pair of touchdowns and kicked a 50-yard field goal in a span of 5:18 on special teams to blow the game open in the third quarter.
 
TTU was in punt formation at its own 26-yardline when Darrius Darden-Box blocked Jonathan King's kick at the 15-yardline. The ball took a couple bounces off the turf before Darden-Box scooped it up at the 7-yardline and ran to the end zone.

Southeast took a 21-10 lead at the 7:48 mark on the big play.
 
Ryan McCrum, who missed from 47 yards out in the second quarter, kicked a 50-yard field goal to widen Southeast's lead to 24-10 with 4:15 remaining.
 
Then, Paul McRoberts, returned a punt 69 yards down the near sideline for a touchdown to put the Redhawks ahead, 31-10, with 2:30 on the clock. McRoberts' special teams touchown came exactly two weeks after he made his debut as a punt returner.
 
Southeast later tacked on one last touchdown when Dante Vandeven scored on an 8-yard run with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter to polish off its commanding 38-17 victory.
 
Offensively, Tremane McCullough ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. McCullough averaged 8.1 yards per rush and dashed 81 yards for his third rushing touchdown this year. The rushing play marked the fourth-longest in Southeast history, as McCullough posted his fourth 100-yard game of the season.
 
Vandeven completed 11-of-21 passes for 125 yards and ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns. McRoberts contributed a game-high four catches for 56 yards and ran back four punts for 83 yards. His 69-yard punt return for a touchdown was the longest in the OVC this season and third-longest in school history.
 
Southeast piled up 360 total yards, including 235 on the ground. The Redhawks' 38 points marked a season-high.
 
The Redhawk defense had three takeaways, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Southeast also had a season-high seven sacks for a loss of 42 yards.

Chad Meredith had a game-high 2.5 sacks to go along with his seven tackles, while Mike Ford and Eriq Moore each had a pick. Moore moved into a tie for 17th at Southeast with his seventh career interception. Brad Ivey led the team with nine tackles and Terrance Hill turned in eight tackles, a sack and recovered a fumble.
 
Special teams wise, the Redhawks blocked a kick this season for the first time and returned their first blocked punt for a touchdown since Oct. 19, 2013 (at Eastern Illinois). Additionally, McRoberts became the first Southeast player to return a punt for a touchdown since Chris NesSmith (44 yds) accomplished the feat vs. Tennessee State on Oct. 5, 2002.
 
"I think we dominated on special teams. Anytime you score two touchdowns in that phase of the game is huge," said Matukewicz. "The defense also did an amazing job today."
 
Brock McCoin, one of the top receivers in the OVC, started at quarterback for TTU. McCoin completed 13-of-27 passes for 192 yards and ran for 96 yards on 27 carries.
 
Jay Rudwall led the Golden Eagles with 11 tackles.
 
Southeast hits the road for a two-game stretch, beginning at Austin Peay on Nov. 7.