2015 Southeast Missouri Football Schedule

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri announced its 2015 football schedule Monday. The Redhawks will play 11 games, including six at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.

Southeast kicks off its second season under head coach Tom Matukewicz at two-time SEC East Division Champion and in-state rival Missouri on Sept. 5.

The Tigers went 11-3 and advanced to the SEC Championship game, where they fell to No. 1 Alabama. Missouri then closed out its 2014 season with a 33-17 win over No. 25 Minnesota at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

This year marks just the third meeting between Southeast and Missouri, who last played in Columbia on Sept. 6, 2008. Missouri beat the Redhawks, 52-3, in that contest.

"We are very excited about our upcoming 2015 schedule," said Matukewicz. "It features a very difficult non-conference schedule. Being able to open at Mizzou, the defending SEC East Champion, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team."

Southeast hosts regional-rival Southern Illinois during Family Weekend on Sept. 12. The Redhawks and Salukis meet for the 83^rd time in 2015. SIU currently holds a 40-34-8 advantage in the all-time series between these longstanding rivals.

The remainder of Southeast's non-conference schedule includes a road trip to Indiana State (Sept. 19) and a home game against Shorter University (Sept. 26).

Indiana State ranked 18^th and 19^th in the final Football Championship Subdivision Coaches and Sports Network Polls, respectively. The Sycamores posted an 8-6 record and were among six Missouri Valley Football Conference schools ranked in the Top-25 a year ago. ISU eliminated Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

Southeast, which hosts ISU on the backend of a home-and-home series in 2016, is 4-3 all-time against the Sycamores. The Redhawks beat ISU, 24-21, in 2008 and, 13-10, in 2007, the last time these teams did a home-and-home series.

Shorter University is an NCAA Division II school based in Rome, Ga. The Shorter Hawks, members of the Peach Belt Conference, finished with a 3-8 record in 2014.

The Redhawks open their seven-game Ohio Valley Conference slate at home against rival Murray State (Oct. 3).

The rest of Southeast's OVC schedule includes home dates with Eastern Kentucky (Homecoming, Oct. 17), Tennessee Tech (Oct. 31) and UT Martin (Nov. 21), and road matchups with Eastern Illinois (Oct. 10), Austin Peay (Nov. 7) and defending conference champion Jacksonville State (Nov. 14). JSU and EKU represented the OVC in the NCAA FCS Playoffs last season.

In addition, Southeast set its football schedule for the 2016 season. The Redhawks will also play 11 games with a trip to Football Bowl Subdivision Memphis that year. Here is a look at the 2016 schedule:

 2016 Southeast Missouri Football Schedule
 
Sept. 3              at Memphis                                                                       
Sept. 10            at Southern Illinois                                                           
Sept. 17            Indiana State                                                                       
Sept. 24            at Murray State*                                                           
Oct. 1               Eastern Illinois*                                                           
Oct. 8               at Eastern Kentucky*                                               
Oct. 15             Bye Week           
Oct. 22             at Tennessee Tech*                                                           
Oct. 29            Austin Peay*                                                                       
Nov. 5              Jacksonville State*
Nov. 12            at UT Martin*
Nov. 19            Tennessee State*
Nov. 26            FCS Playoffs
 
Home Games in Bold
* Denotes Ohio Valley Conference Game