CLARKSVILLE, Tenn­. – Jesse Hosket threw for a career-high 348 yards and three touchdowns, and Southeast Missouri (2-5, 2-2) came up short in a 38-31 loss to Austin Peay (5-3, 4-1) Saturday at Fortera Stadium.
 
SEMO trailed, 35-7, with 9:44 left to play in the third quarter before outscoring the Governors, 24-3, the rest of the way. The Redhawks put up 17 of those points in the fourth quarter.
 
"The main message is we woke up too late and ran out of time," said SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz. "We played bad in the first quarter and we need to fix that. After making some adjustments at halftime, I was proud of the way we fought back."
 
Hosket threw touchdown passes to three different receivers in the second half.
 
He connected with Zack Smith on a 34-yard pass to cap an 8-play, 61-yard drive with 5:52 to go in the third quarter. Hosket then tossed a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. He hit Eric Williams on a 16-yard strike and hooked up with Richie Eisenhart on a 29-yard completion late.
 
Eisenhart made a fantastic catch and managed to stay in-bounds in the back of the end zone to close APSU's lead to 38-28 at the 3:28 mark. That reception completed a 7-play, 91-yard drive in 2:10.
 
Nicholas Litang's 29-yard field goal made it a one-possession game with 17 seconds left.
 
Kendrick Tiller attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but an illegal touch and offsides by SEMO allowed APSU to run out the clock.
 
Big plays hurt SEMO in the first half and those were the difference in the end.
 
APSU scored three of its touchdowns on quick 2-play drives.
 
APSU, which missed a field goal after blocking Jake Reynolds' first punt of the game, forced the Redhawks to punt again the next time they had the ball. On the second play, freshman Jeremiah Oatsvall threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Daryl Rollins-Davis, giving the Governors a 7-0 advantage with 8:33 remaining in the first quarter.
 
SEMO answered with an 11-play, 69-yard drive to tie the game.
 
The Redhawks picked up four first downs and used a 20-yard completion from Hosket to Trevon Billington to get to the APSU 1-yard line before Hosket hit paydirt to make it 7-7 at the 1:45 mark. SEMO chewed up 6:41 during that drive.
 
A 74-yard touchdown run by Kentel Williams, 10-yard pass from Oatsvall to DJ Montgomery and 1-yard run by Ahmaad Tanner followed to push APSU's lead to 28-7.
 
Oatsvall completed a 35-yard pass to Tanner to start the Governors only first-half drive consisting of more than two plays. Oatsvall later kept the drive alive when he threw a 6-yard pass after a botched snap on a fourth-and-2. APSU managed to get to the SEMO 3-yard line and was backed up following a pass interference penalty. That, however, didn't stop the Governors 10-play, 63-yard march.
 
Hosket completed 25-of-44 passes to lead the Redhawks. His 348 yards are most in a game by a SEMO quarterback since Houston Lillard threw for 387 vs. Southwest Baptist on Aug. 28, 2008.
 
Hosket completed passes to eight different receivers with Eisenhart paving the way with four receptions for 88 yards. Wilkerson (5) and Williams (4) also had at least four receptions. Smith, Billington and Cameron Sanders followed with three, while Marquis Terry added two and Logan Larson had one.
 
SEMO ended up with a season-high 406 yards of total offense.
 
Defensively, Omar Pierre-Louis and Zach Hall had 10 tackles each. It marked the first time this season SEMO had two players with double-digit tackles in a game. The Redhawks allowed a season-high 524 total yards.
 
In his first career start, Oatsvall completed 13-of-22 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He ran for 66 yards and another score, as well. Prior to tonight, JaVaughn Craig threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 374 yards and six TDs in APSU's first seven games.
 
Williams gained 148 yards on eight carries, averaging 18.5 yards per rush.
 
SEMO saw a nine-game winning streak against the Governors in Clarksville come to an end, as APSU beat the Redhawks at home for the first time since 1991.
 
The Redhawks travel to Ohio Valley Conference leader and #3 Jacksonville State on Oct. 28.