Southeast Missouri (0-3) at Eastern Illinois (1-2)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Stadium: O'Brien Field (10,000)
Surface: Matrix Turf
Weather Forecast: Sunny, 82 degrees
Series History: EIU leads, 17-7
Last Meeting: SEMO 21, EIU 14 (Oct. 1, 2016 / Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (12-25, 9-14 OVC at SEMO). (19-19 at EIU, 16-8 OVC).

Media Coverage
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM, Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: EIUPanthers.com
Twitter: @SEMOFootball
Southeast Missouri Notes

Redhawks Open OVC Play at Eastern Illinois
Southeast Missouri (0-3) opens Ohio Valley Conference play at Eastern Illinois (1-2) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT, at O'Brien Field.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Saturday's game on the radio at ESPN 92.9 FM and Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. Video can be accessed online at the OVC Digital Network. Live stats are available at EIUPanthers.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOFootball.

OVC Openers
The Redhawks are 9-17 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers. Southeast and Eastern Illinois meet for just the third time to open the conference season. The Panthers beat Southeast for league-opening victories in 1995 (34-18) and 2009(23-14). The Redhawks start OVC play on the road for the second-straight year.

Series History
Southeast and Eastern Illinois hook up for the 25th time in 2017. The Panthers own a 17-7 lead in the series which began in 1956. EIU holds a 17-5 record against Southeast since the two schools joined the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks upended then-#13 EIU, 21-14, the last time these teams met on Oct. 1, 2016 in Cape Girardeau. Southeast is 2-10 in Charleston, Illinois and looks to beat EIU in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in the series.

OVC Openers on the Road
The Redhawks are 3-13 in Ohio Valley Conference openers on the road. Southeast opened league play with a road victory twice under head coach Tom Matukewicz. The Redhawks won at UT Martin (31-27) on Sept. 27, 2014 and Murray State (17-16) on Sept. 24, 2016 in those contests.

Redhawks in Charleston
Southeast owns a 2-10 record in games played in Charleston, Illinois. The Redhawks fell in six of their last seven trips to Eastern Illinois. Southeast's last win over the Panthers in Charleston was Oct. 2, 2010 (28-13) during the year the Redhawks won the Ohio Valley Conference title. Southeast averaged 27 points per game in each of its last three visits to EIU.

Wilkerson Eyes 1,000 Receiving Yards
Kristian Wilkerson is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards in his career. Wilkerson, who has 22 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns this season, currently stands with 925 career receiving yards. He caught a pass in nine-straight contests.

Matukewicz in League Openers
Southeast head coach Tom Matukewicz is a perfect 3-0 in Ohio Valley Conference openers. The Redhawks won at UT Martin (31-27) on Sept. 27, 2014, vs. Murray State (27-10) on Oct. 3, 2015 and at Murray State (17-16) on Sept. 24, 2016 with Matukewicz at the helm.

Countdown to 200
Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference and All-American outside linebacker Chad Meredith is inching closer to 200 career tackles. Meredith led Southeast in tackles during two of the Redhawks first three games this season. He currently has 197 total stops. Meredith has started 25-straight games and is tied for sixth in career tackles for loss (26) and 12th in career sacks (8.5) at Southeast.

Hosket Closes in on 3,000 Passing Yards
Quarterback Jesse Hosket is approaching 3,000 passing yards in his two-year Southeast career. Hosket has thrown for 2,919 yards in 14 starts under center. He needs 81 to hit that mark. Hosket's 2,332 passing yards in 2016 were fifth-most in a season at Southeast.

Redhawks End Non-Conference Schedule
The Redhawks lost to longtime rival Southern Illinois, 35-17, in their final non-conference matchup on Sept. 16. Southeast fell to its eighth-straight loss against non-league foes. The Redhawks last non-conference win came against SIU (27-24) on Sept. 12, 2015 at Houck Field.

Career First
Redshirt-freshman Zack Smith caught his first career touchdown pass on a 12-yard throw by Jesse Hosket with 13:19 remaining in the fourth quarter against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Smith finished with three receptions for 20 yards against the Salukis. His receiving touchdown was the fifth for the Redhawks this season.

Pierre-Louis Has Big Game
Senior strong safety Omar Pierre-Louis recorded a career-high eight tackles in his last start against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Pierre-Louis notched seven solo stops, one tackle for loss and a breakup in that game. He is tied for first on the team with 21 tackles this season.

Terry On a Roll
Tailback Marquis Terry enters the week ranked third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 96 rushing yards per game. Terry recently ran for 90 yards on 21 carries against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). His 69 rushing attempts (23 per game) lead the league. Terry has scored a rushing touchdown in two-consecutive games and ranks second in the OVC with 288 total rushing yards.

McWilliams Makes Back-to-Back Starts
University of South Carolina transfer Rico McWilliams made his first start at cornerback for Southeast at Dayton (Sept. 9). McWilliams recorded two tackles against the Flyers. A week later, he finished with three tackles and recovered a fumble against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). McWilliams started 18 games in the last three years at South Carolina. He started 10 games and recorded 32 tackles for the Gamecocks in 2016.

Scoring Defense
The Redhawks and Panthers rank eighth and ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring defense, repectively. Southeast is giving up 32.7 points per game, while EIU is allowing 34. The two teams have combined to give up 200 points (33.3 ppg) in six games this season.

Redhawk Leads
Southeast has led on two occasions during the first three weeks of its 2017 season. Trevon Billington's 68-yard touchdown reception gave the Redhawks their first lead with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter atDayton (Sept. 9). Billington's second career touchdown put the Redhawks ahead, 17-16. Nicholas Litang's 30-yard field goal gave Southeast a 3-0 lead with 12:07 left to play in the first quarter against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16).
 
First Quarter Points
Nicholas Litang's 30-yard field goal gave the Redhawks their first points in the first quarter this season with 12:07 left against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Southeast had been shutout 24-0 in the game's first 15 minutes prior to that score.

Punting Improvement
Redshirt-freshman Jake Reynolds netted 37.3 yards per punt against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Reynolds punted a total of seven times for 295 yards with a long of 47. A week earlier, Southeast averaged only 19.4 yards per punt and had two punts blocked at Dayton (Sept. 9). The Redhawks are averaging an Ohio Valley Conference low 30 yards per punt this year.

Field Position
Six of Southeast's punts this season have resulted in its opponent getting field position either between their own 43-49 yard line or in the Redhawks territory. Opponents have scored four touchdowns and kicked one field goal after taking over on downs as a result of those punts.

Billington Emerges
Wide receiver Trevon Billington had another strong performance against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Billington paved the way with six catches for 81 yards in that game. He caught a touchdown pass in two of his first three starts this season. A week earlier at Dayton (Sept. 9), Billington had six receptions for a career-high 135 yards against the Flyers. He was on the receiving end of a 68-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Hosket in the third quarter, the Redhawks longest completion of the season to date. Billington leads Southeast in yards per catch (16.2), receiving yards per game (86.7) and receiving yards (260) through the first three weeks of 2017. He enters Saturday's game ranked sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in receptions per game (5.3) and third in receiving yards per contest.

Start Tracker
Outside linebacker Chad Meredith carries a streak of 25-straight starts into Saturday's game at Eastern Illinois. Jesse Hosket started 14-consecutive games since he took over as Southeast's quarterback in 2016. Hosket is the Redhawks first quarterback to start back-to-back seasons in six years. Meanwhile, Drew Forbes has started 14 games in a row at left tackle. In addition, senior Alex Snyder has started 24 of his last 25 games. Snyder started 11 games at left tackle and 13 at right tackle during his career.

FCS Rankings
Southeast has six players ranked among the top 20 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision leaders. Jesse Hosket is 17th in completions per game (21.7); Omardrick Douglas and Rico McWilliams are each 19th in fumble recoveries (2); Mike Ford is second in passes defended (2.3 per game); Kristian Wilkerson is ninth in receptions per game (7.3);  and Marquis Terry is 13th in total rushing yards (288).

Hall with the Block
Linebacker Zach Hall became the first Redhawk to block a kick this season. Hall batted down a 47-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds left in the second quarter against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Southeast blocked one kick in 2016.

Scoring Streak
The Redhawks presently have the third-longest scoring streak in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast has scored in 69-consecutive games and ranks behind Murray State (135) and UT Martin (83) in that category. The last time the Redhawks were shutout in a game was at Purdue (59-0) on Sept. 17, 2011.

Home-Openers
The Redhawks dropped their home-opener to longtime rival Southern Illinois, 35-17, on Sept. 16. Southeast fell to 16-11 all-time in home-openers since joining the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1991.

Penalty Heavy
Southeast was penalized a season-high 13 times for 143 yards against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). The 13 penalties were third-most and 143 penalty yards were second-most in a game by an Ohio Valley Conference team this year. Ironically, it was the most penalties the Redhawks last had in a game since their previous meeting with SIU (14) on Sept. 10, 2016. Southeast is averaging 96.7 penalty yards per game in the OVC, third-most behind Austin Peay (116.3) and Tennessee State (99).

Looking for a "W"
Southeast (0-3), Tennessee Tech (0-3) and Eastern Kentucky (0-2) are presently the Ohio Valley Conference teams without a win in 2017. The Redhawks are 0-3 to start a season for the second year in a row and 11th time in their Division I history.