Southeast Missouri (1-2) vs. Shorter University (0-2)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
Kickoff: 1 p.m., CT 
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Stadium: Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Forecast: Sunny, 81 degrees
Series: First Meeting
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (7-9 overall; 6-9 at Southeast; 3-5 OVC). Phil Jones (54-54 overall; 54-54 at Shorter).

Media Information  
Radio: ESPN 92.9 FM, Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean, Rick Wieser, Todd Bonacki) | Listen Live
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMOFootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri | OVC Weekly Report
PaulMcRoberts.com

Redhawks Welcome Shorter University
Southeast Missouri (1-2) returns home to host NCAA Division II opponent Shorter University (0-2) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT, at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.

Take a Kid to the Game Day
Saturday is Take a Kid to the Game Day at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium. All kids ages 14 and under are free and must be accompanied by an adult.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Saturday's game live on the radio at ESPN 92.9 FM and Real Rock 99.3 FM with Erik Sean, Rick Wieser and Todd Bonacki calling the action from Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium. Video is available online at OVCDigitalNetwork.com. Live stats can be accessed online at GoSoutheast.com. Live twitter updates will be provided @SEMOFootball.

Series History
Southeast meets NCAA Division II Shorter University for the first time Saturday.  Shorter, located in Rome, Georgia, is a member of the Gulf South Conference and has an enrollment of 2,900.

Non-Division I Competition
The Redhawks are undefeated at 15-0 against non-Division I competition during their NCAA Football Championship Subdivision era. Southeast has wins over Kentucky State (1993, 1994), Lambuth (1997), Truman State (1998), Quincy (2001, 2009), Arkansas-Monticello (2002), Missouri S&T (2006), Southwest Baptist (2007, 2008, 2010), Central Methodist (2011), Mars Hill College (2012), Urbana (2013) and Missouri Baptist (2014). The Redhawks are averaging 42.2 points per game against non-Division I foes.

Last Time vs. Non-Division I
Southeast pounded NAIA Missouri Baptist by a score of 77-0 in the Redhawks last meeting with a non-Division I opponent. The Spartans, who started their football program in 2014, visited Cape Girardeau for Southeast's season-opener on Aug. 28. That win marked the first for Tom Matukewicz as Southeast's head coach, as the Redhawks notched their first shutout against a non-conference opponent since 1990. Southeast also held the Spartans to 81 total yards, the lowest single-game mark during the Redhawks NCAA Football Championship Subdivision era (since 1991).

Vandeven to Start at QB Saturday
True freshman quarterback Dante Vandeven will make his first career start against Shorter University Saturday. A native of nearby Jackson, Vandeven made his first college appearance when he relieved starting quarterback Tay Bender late in the third quarter at then-#23 Indiana State (Sept. 19). He threw a a 26-yard touchdown pass to Paul McRoberts to pull the Redhawks to within a point (29-28) as time expired. Vandeven's pass to McRoberts on the ensuing two-point conversion sailed out of McRoberts' reach and fell incomplete. He kept Southeast's final drive alive by completing an 11-yard pass to Darrius Darden-Box on a fourth-and-9 before throwing his first career touchown pass following three-straight Southeast timeouts. A poised Vandeven marshaled three scoring drives in the last 9:29 of the game when the Redhawks were behind 21-7. He also ran for a big first down on a third-and-6 during a 10-play, 57-yard drive that made it a one-touchdown game. Vandeven completed 12-of-17 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 28 yards on four carries.

Freshman Quarterback
Dante Vandeven will be Southeast's first true freshman to start at quarterback since Matt Scheible got the nod vs. Murray State on Nov. 18, 2008. Vandeven is scheduled to make his first start in the fourth week of this season, six games earlier than Scheible's starting debut in 2008.

Vandeven Wins National Honor
Dante Vandeven picked up another honor, this time on the national level when he was named the STATS Football Championship Subdivision  Freshman Player of the Week on Sept. 21. Vandeven is Southeast's first National Player of the Week since Tim Hamm-Bey earned Sports Network (now STATS) Co-Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Oct. 6, 2014. Lamar running back Kade Harrington (Co-Offensive), Eastern Washington quarterback Jordan West (Co-Offensive), Stony Brook defensive end Victor Ochi (Co-Defensive), Furman free safety Trey Robinson (Co-Defensive) and Coastal Carolina kick returner Deven Brown (Special Teams) were the other honorees.  

OVC Newcomer of the Week
A day after making his college debut, freshman quarterback Dante Vandeven was named the adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 20. Vandeven is the second-straight Southeast player to win one of the league's weekly honors. Cornerback Mike Ford was also named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 13) this year. Vandeven is the Redhawks first OVC Newcomer of the Week honoree since Scott Lathrop (Oct. 28, 2012). Tennessee Tech wide receiver Krys Cates (Offensive), Eastern Illinois linebacker Seth McDonald and Murray State punter Landon Stratton (Specialist) were the rest of this week's award-winners.

Jackson Out for Saturday
Starting running back DeMichael Jackson is out for Saturday's game with a sprained right knee. Jackson headed back to the locker room with athletic trainers just before the end of the first half at Indiana State (Sept. 19). He was in for a few plays in the third quarter (did not carry the ball) before spending the rest of the game on the sidelines. Jackson rushed for 22 yards on eight carries before his injury.

More Good Defense
Southeast dominated Indiana State (Sept. 19) in the first half. The Redhawks shutout ISU, recorded one turnover and collected a season-high five sacks in the game's first 30 minutes alone. Southeast also forced the Sycamores to punt on each of their last seven possessions of the first half. The Redhawks had five sacks in its first two games of the season before matching that total. It marked the first time since Southeast recorded five sacks in a game since Nov. 14, 2009 (vs. Murray State).

Ranking the Defense
The Redhawks are currently tied for second in the Football Championship Subdivision with 9.3 tackles for loss per game. Southeast's 28 total tackles for loss are first in the nation with South Carolina State and Samford. Defensively, the Redhawks are also among the top-10 FCS teams in fumbles recovered (7th, 4), interceptions (7th, 5), turnover margin (6th, 1.67 avg.), turnovers gained (6th, 9) and sacks (10th, 3.3 spg). In addition, Southeast leads the Ohio Valley Conference in interceptions, sacks (10), tackles for loss, turnover margin (+5) and turnovers gained, and ranks third in both rushing (137.7 ypg allowed) and scoring (29 ppg allowed) defense.

200 in Sight
Roper Garrett (191) is nine tackles away from getting 200 in his career. A two-year starter at linebacker, Garrett needs 38 more stops to get land a spot on Southeast's top 20 all-time career tackles list. Fellow linebacker Blake Peiffer was the last to get 200 or more career tackles when he notched 359 from 2009-12.

McCullough Breaks Through
Tremane McCullough became the second Southeast running back to rush for over 100 yards when he ran for a game-high 114 and a touchdown on 18 carries at Indiana State (Sept. 19). A native of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, McCullough averaged 6.3 yards per touch and gained 98 of his yards in the second half. He scored for the first time in his career on an 18-yard run that pulled the Redhawks within a touchdown (21-14) with 9:29 left in the game. McCullough also caught two passes for five yards, giving his team a big lift after starting tailback DeMichael Jackson left the game. He had just five carries in two games prior to his breakout effort.

Big Game McRoberts
Paul McRoberts had a game-high seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in his last start at Indiana State (Sept. 19). McRoberts has a team-high 15 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns through three starts this season. He is averaging 12.7 yards per reception and ranks among Ohio Valley Conference leaders in receiving touchdowns (4th), receiving yards (8th), receptions per game (6th, 5.0) and receiving yards per game (63.7). McRoberts now has five 100-yard receiving performances in his career.

Garrett Sees Doubles
Southeast's top tackler from a year ago, linebacker Roper Garrett has gone two-straight games with double-digit tackles. Most recently, Garrett had a game-high 12 tackles with seven solo stops, and registered the first sack of his career at Indiana State (Sept. 19). He has a total of eight double-digit tackle games in his career and has posted 10 or more stops in back-to-back contests three times as a Redhawk. Garrett, who is the Ohio Valley Conference's third-leading tackler with 10 per game, has led Southeast in tackles a total of eight times in his career.

Redhawks Receive Votes
Southeast received three votes in the latest STATS Football Championship Subdivision Media Poll, released on Sept. 21. The Redhawks received votes for the second-straight week and presently rank 45th.  Fellow Ohio Valley Conference members Jacksonville State (#1/3), Eastern Kentucky (#18/21) are ranked in the STATS FCS Media/FCS Coaches Polls this week.

The Chase is On
Star wide receiver Paul McRoberts is on pace to break Southeast's all-time career record in receiving touchdowns. McRoberts caught an 18-yard pass from Tay Bender for his first touchdown reception of the season to tie the game late in the third quarter vs. Southern Illinois (Sept. 12). A week later, he hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Dante Vandeven to bring the Redhawks within a point (29-28) as time expired at Indiana State (Sept. 19) He is second with 22 receiving touchdowns behind Willie Ponder who caught 26 TD passes from 2001-02. Ponder is also the Redhawks all-time leading receiver with 2,543 yards.

More on McRoberts
Paul McRoberts made the 100th catch of his career on a 3-yard pass from Tay Bender in the first quarter against Missouri (Sept. 5). McRoberts leads Southeast with 15 catches for 191 yards and a two touchdowns in three starts this season. Career wise, McRoberts has 114 receptions for 1,686 yards and 22 touchdowns. He moved to eighth on the Redhawks all-time career receiving yardage list following his first 100-yard game of the season at Indiana State (Sept. 19). McRoberts has caught a touchdown pass in 13 of his last 16 games.

Bender Rips Off 80-Yard Run
Quarterback Tay Bender faked a handoff and ran 80 yards up the middle to get Southeast a 7-0 lead with 2:23 left to play in the first quarter at Indiana State (Sept. 19). The touchdown run was the longest by a Redhawk quarterback in school history. It also marked Southeast's longest rushing play this season and tied for the fourth-longest all-time.

Takeaway Turnaround
After finishing its 2014 season last in the Ohio Valley Conference in turnover margin (-9), Southeast enters this week ranked first in the league and sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision in that category at +5. The Redhawks had a season-high seven takeaways (4 fumbles, 3 interceptions) in a mammoth effort against Southern Illinois (Sept. 12). It was Southeast's most takeaways in a game since getting six vs. Mars Hill College on Sept. 8, 2012. The Redhawks have a total of nine takeaways already this year and forced a turnover in eight-straight contests dating back to the Eastern Illinois game of last season (Oct. 18, 2014).

Perfect on Fourth Down
Southeast, which led the Ohio Valley Conference and ranked 13th in the Football Championship Subdivision in fourth down conversion percentage a year ago, has picked up where it left off in that category. Through three games this season, the Redhawks lead the nation with nine other teams that are perfect on fourth down. Southeast is currently 5-of-5 on fourth down.

Worth Noting
The Redhawks are second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 25th in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing offense with 209.7 yards per game. Southeast has three rushing touchdowns, two passing TDs and two defensive scores in three games. Six different Redhawks have a touchdown, including Paul McRoberts (2 TDs), Mike Ford, Tremane McCullough, Eriq Moore, Tay Bender and Lewis Washington.

Rare Misses
Southeast All-American kicker Ryan McCrum missed his fourth field goal in three games this season when his 41-yard attempt sailed outside the uprights just before the first half ended at Indiana State (Sept. 19). McCrum has made 42.9 percent (3-of-7) of his field goals. He missed only five field goals in 12 games a year ago.

Good Knight
Alex Knight leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks fifth in the Football Championship Subdivision with 46.3 yards per punt. Seven of Knight's punts have travelled 50 or more yards and 12 have dropped inside the opposing 20-yard line this season.

Major Attention
Legitimately one of the best receivers the Football Championship Subdivision has to offer, Preseason All-American Paul McRoberts is getting significant interest. Several NFL teams, including the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears have already seen McRoberts.

About Shorter University
Shorter University, a member of the Gulf South Conference, comes to Cape Girardeau on a nine-game losing streak. The Hawks, after dropping their last seven contests of the 2014 campaign, are off to an 0-2 start this season. Shorter lost to Carson-Newman on Sept. 12 and recently fell to Football Championship Subdivision opponent Kennesaw State, 18-10, a week later. The Hawks were in position to kick what would have been a game-winning 37-yard field goal with eight seconds left when a bad snap ended all hopes for Shorter. Kennesaw scooped up the ball and raced 65 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. B.J. McCoy is the Hawks' leading rusher with 161 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Aaron Bryant completed 72.7 percent (8-of-11) of his passes in his first two games. Defensively, linebacker Zach Butts was named this week's GSC Defensive Player of the Week after registering 16 tackles, including 15 solo vs. Kennesaw State.