CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Shorter University (1-2) ran for 300 yards and used a big fourth-down stop with a little over three minutes left to get by Southeast Missouri (1-3), 26-21, Saturday afternoon at Missouri National Guard Field/Houck Stadium.
 
Southeast began its final drive at its 10-yard line with 6:11 remaining after B.J. McCoy scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run.
 
Tremane McCullough ripped off a 53-yard run to get the Redhawks to the SU 28. Brendan Stewart rushed for four yards following a false start penalty. Dante Vandeven then threw an incomplete pass and was dropped for a loss of four yards.
 
Southeast called timeout with 3:09 on the clock before Vandeven's next pass on fourth-and-13 was incomplete.
 
SU ran for a pair of key first downs, including one on a third-and-7 and another on fourth-and inches the last time it had the ball. The Hawks took a knee to run out the clock right after Aaron Bryant moved the chains on fourth down.
 
"It's a tough loss and it hurts," said Southeast head coach Tom Matukewicz. "We have to flush it and get ready for a good Murray State team next week. We didn't execute on our final drive and didn't handle their offense well."
 
SU had Southeast on its heels all day with its tricky triple option offense and the Redhawks simply had no answer.
 
The Hawks chewed up the first 8:46 of the game, covering 78 yards in 15 plays during their first scoring drive.
 
McCoy led the charge with 39 yards on eight carries and rushed four times inside the 5-yard line before Bryant scored on a 3-yard run to give SU a 7-0 advantage with 6:14 left to play in the first quarter.
 
Vandeven, who made his first career start at quarterback, engineered an 11-play, 54-yard march that ended with his own 5-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:56 on the clock. It marked Vandeven's first career rushing touchdown.
 
Southeast took the lead when Stewart scored his first career touchdown on an 8-yard run. His TD came four plays after McCullough broke free for a 48-yard run and put the Redhawks ahead, 14-7. That score would stay the same at the half.
 
McCoy's 37-yard touchdown run finished off an 8-play, 87-yard drive and tied the game at 14-14 with 9:55 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Redhawks countered when Stewart scored his second touchdown on a 5-yard run to regain a 21-14 lead at the 4-minute mark. McCullough picked up 31 yards on six attempts to set up the TD that polished off a 13-play, 85-yard drive in 5:57.
 
That, however, was Southeast's last score as SU added two fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game away.
 
Bryant completed an 18-yard pass to Cody Simpson to give the Hawks a one-point (21-20) lead. Kenny Langford's PAT went off the right upright.
 
McCoy ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, averaging just under seven yards per touch (6.9) to lead SU. Bryant contributed 41 rushing yards and completed 6 of 8 passes for 109 yards and a TD.
 
SU piled up 409 yards of total offense and gained 6.1 yards per play.
 
McCullough rushed for a game-high 166 yards on 18 carries and Stewart ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns on eight attempts to lead Southeast. McCullough, who gained over 100 yards for the second-straight game, averaged 9.2 per rush.
 
"Our offensive line made some holes and Brendan did a good job of getting in the end zone," commented Matukewicz.
 
Vandeven completed 13 of 17 passes for 104 yards and ran for 28 yards and a TD on six carries. He also threw an interception.
 
Six different receivers caught a pass for Southeast, with Adrian Davis paving the way with three for 34 yards. Peter Lloyd also had three, while Paul McRoberts, Darden-Box and McCullough followed with two each. Lewis Washington was the other with a reception. Additionally, quarterback Tay Bender left the game early in the second half due to an injured left shoulder and did not return. Bender had 11 yards on three carries prior to leaving the game.

 
Defensively, Roper Garrett registered 11 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss of four yards. Garrett went his third-straight game with double-digit tackles and recorded 10 or more for the eighth time in his career. He also went over 200 career tackles.

Today's loss was Southeast's first to a non-Division I opponent in its NCAA Football Championship Subdivision era.
 
Southeast closes out its two-game homestand when it hosts Murray State to open Ohio Valley Conference play on Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT. That game will be televised live on the American Sports Network.