CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (0-3) let an 11-point lead slip away during the final three minutes of the game in a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Indiana State (2-1) Saturday night at Houck Stadium.

SEMO, which dropped its first home-opener under head coach Tom Matukewicz, held a 24-13 lead after Cameron Sanders scored his first career rushing touchdown on a 35-yard run down the near sideline with 8:58 remaining.

A little over four minutes later, ISU fueled its comeback with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Isaac Harker to Robert Tonyan at the 3:00 mark. A missed two-point conversion followed and the Sycamores were within five (24-19). That touchdown came right after Ryan McCrum missed his first field goal of the season from 49 yards out on the Redhawks previous possession.

ISU needed a stop and got it when SEMO went three-and-out the next time it had the ball.

Harker then went to work at his own 19-yard line and engineered the decisive drive down the stretch.

Harker completed a 9-yard pass to Tonyan on a fourth-and-8 to get the Sycamores to midfield. Two plays later, ISU moved to the SEMO-30 with a 5-yard Harker pass to Tonyan. Fifteen yards were tacked onto the play thanks to a roughing the passer penalty by the Redhawks.

SEMO took its last timeout before Harker hooked up with Miles Thompson on a game-winning 15-yard touchdown pass that sent the Sycamores to victory with 10 seconds on the clock.

"It was one of the toughest losses I've been a part of," said Matukewicz. "We did what a bad football team does at the end. We had some very critical penalties and we have to find a way to get our team to play better situational football."

The Redhawks and Sycamores battled to a 10-10 deadlock at the half.

ISU struck immediately when Harker threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Dimitri Taylor on the first play of the game just 13 seconds in.

Will Young's 2-yard run capped a 5-play, 47-yard drive as SEMO knotted things up at 7-7 with 6:05 in the first quarter.

Both teams traded field goals in the second quarter, with McCrum kicking a 29-yarder and Jerry Nunez adding a 22-yarder.

Harker completed 22-of-36 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns to lead ISU which finished with 449 total yards. Tonyan caught a game-high seven passes for 90 yards and a TD.

Jesse Hosket threw for 214 yards on 16-of-25 attempts for SEMO. Sanders had eight carries for 59 yards as one of three Redhawks with a rushing touchdown. Like Sanders, Chase Abbington also scored his first career rushing touchdown.

C.J. Curry (5 rec., 39 yds), Tremane McCullough (4 rec., 63 yds), Kristian Wilkerson (3 rec., 58 yds) and Adrian Davis (3 rec., 44 yds) each had a minimum of three catches.

Defensively, Chad Meredith registered 10 tackles, a breakup and one tackle for loss. Kendall Donnerson and Roper Garrett followed with nine tackles apiece. Donnerson had a sack, three tackles for loss and forced a fumble, as well. Garrett is now tied for ninth in career tackles at SEMO.

Jameer Thurman led the Sycamores with a game-high 11 stops.

SEMO had 380 yards of total offense and was much better on third down, converting on 10-of-18 occasions.

SEMO and ISU played in front of a crowd of 7,637 on the Redhawks Family Weekend.

The Redhawks begin Ohio Valley Conference play at Murray State Sept. 24.