TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A 21-point fourth quarter comeback fell short when Southeast Missouri (1-2) missed a two-point conversion with no time on the clock Saturday in a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to  #23 Indiana State (2-1).
 
True freshman and nearby Jackson native Dante Vandeven, who relieved starting quarterback Tay Bender late in the third quarter, threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Paul McRoberts that narrowed ISU's lead to 29-28 as time expired.
 
"I was focused on Paul as soon as the ball was snapped and our offensive line gave me good protection," said Vandeven. "I just had to get the ball to Paul. He was open and made the play."
 
McRoberts moved to the inside of his defender and jumped up to get the ball before lunging across the goal line. Southeast elected to go for the win, but Vandeven's pass sailed out of McRoberts' reach, allowing the Sycamores to escape.
 
"We're super happy with the fourth quarter and I thought our defense did a great job against a top-25 offense," said Southeast head coach Tom Matukewicz. "They made some big plays in critical situations and that hurt. We believed we could win this game and almost did."
 
Vandeven kept the Redhawks final drive alive by completing an 11-yard pass to Darrius Darden-Box on a 4^th and 9 before throwing his first career touchdown following three-straight Southeast timeouts.
 
A poised Vandeven marshaled three scoring drives in the last 9:29 of the game when Southeast trailed, 21-7.
 
Tremane McCullough's 18-yard run capped a 10-play, 57-yard march that pulled the Redhawks within a touchdown at the 9:29 mark.
 
After ISU punted, Southeast went to work at its own 34. Vandeven ran six yards to pick up a big first down on a 3^rd and 6 before McCullough gained 28 yards on three carries.

Moments after Lewis Washington hit paydirt on a 1-yard run, Vandeven converted a two-point conversion with a pass to Darden-Box, giving the Redhawks a 22-21 lead.
 
ISU countered when Matt Adam completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gary Owens on 4^th and 3. Adam threw for 69 yards on a perfect 4-of-4 passes and rushed for another six yards on two carries during a 6-play, 75-yard drive that regained a 29-22 lead for ISU with 41 seconds.
 
Southeast mounted its late ferocious comeback after ISU clearly had the momentum.
 
The Sycamores scored three times in a third quarter, where Southeast threw two interceptions in the end zone.
 
After a personal foul penalty tacked 15 yards onto the end of a 5-yard completion from Bender to McRoberts, Southeast had a first down at ISU's 16-yard line.
 
On the next play, All-Missouri Valley Football Conference cornerback Travis Starks picked off Bender and ran 100 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:15 left to play. For Bender, it was his first interception of the season.
 
Southeast then punted and ISU took over on downs at its own 15.
 
Adam threw for 43 yards and ran for 16 to set up Marlon Fleming's 13-yard touchdown run that gave the Sycamores their first (14-7) at the 5:34 mark.
 
Vandeven moved Southeast to the ISU 33-yard line on his first drive under center. Seven plays in, Marcus Gray picked off Vandeven in the end zone.
 
ISU covered 80 yards in eight plays after the turnover and stretched its lead to 21-7 on a 9-yard run by Owens, concluding the third quarter.
 
Southeast used a dominating defensive effort to hold ISU scoreless in the first half.
 
The Redhawks held the Sycamores to 143 total yards, including just 73 on the ground.
 
On the fifth play of the game's first drive, Eriq Moore intercepted Adam on a pass that was tipped twice.

Both teams were scoreless until Bender broke the drought late in the first quarter. He faked a handoff and ran 80 yards up the middle for a touchdown, grabbing Southeast a 7-0 advantage with 2:23 left to play.
 
Bender's TD run was the longest by a Redhawk quarterback, surpassing Matt Scheible's 71-yard rush vs. Eastern Illinois on Oct. 1, 2011. The run also tied Southeast's fourth-longest rushing play in school history.   
 
Southeast, which forced ISU to punt on each of its last seven possessions in the first half, remained ahead, 7-0, at intermission. It was the first time the Redhawks shutout an opponent in the first half since Nov. 15, 2014 (vs. Austin Peay).
 
The Redhawks racked up a season-high 465 yards of total offense and averaged just under six yards (5.8) per play.
 
Vandeven completed 12-of-17 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 28 yards on four attempts.
 
"Dante did an excellent job of extending plays both with his arm and with his feet," said Matukewicz. "He was able to scramble and pick up some big first downs, and that's not coaching."
 
McRoberts caught a game-high seven passes for 100 yards, posting the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career.
 
Meanwhile, McCullough added a game-high 114 yards on 18 carries with an average of 6.3 yards per touch. McCullough gave the Redhawks a big lift after starting tailback DeMichael Jackson left the game with a sprained right knee. Jackson ran the ball twice in the third quarter before spending the rest of the contest on the sidelines.
 
"Tremane is a big play waiting to happen," said Matukewicz. "He did a great job running between the tackles."
 
Adam threw for 252 yards (20-of-29) and one touchdown, and Owens scored a pair of TDs to lead ISU. Tonyan made five catches for 85 yards, as well.
 
ISU won the turnover battle by a +2 margin.
 
Defensively, Roper Garrett paved the way for Southeast with 11 tackles, his second-straight double-digit effort. The Redhawks added a season-high five sacks, all of which came in the first half.
 
Southeast begins a two-game homestand when it hosts NCAA Division II Shorter University Sept. 26. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT, at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.