Eastern Kentucky (1-2, 1-0 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (0-4, 0-1 OVC)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Stadium: Houck Field (10,000)
Surface: FieldTurf
Weather Forecast: Mostly Sunny, 68 degrees
Series History: EKU leads, 24-3
Last Meeting: EKU 31, SEMO 16 (Oct. 8, 2016 / Richmond, Ky.)
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (12-26, 9-15 OVC at SEMO). Mark Elder (4-10, 3-6 OVC at EKU)

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

Redhawks Host Eastern Kentucky
Southeast Missouri (0-4, 0-1) plays host to Eastern Kentucky (1-2, 1-0) during Family Weekend Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT, at Houck 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, Rick Wieser and Rusty Hendricks will call the action. Video can be accessed online at the OVC Digital Network. Live stats are available at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOFootball.

Coach to Cure MD
On September 30, the Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky coaching staffs will be wearing special arm patches in honor of the AFCA's Coach to Cure MD program. This is the 10th year coaches around the country join together to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Fans are encouraged to donate by texting "CURE" to 50555 or visiting CoachtoCureMD.org.

Take a Kid to the Game
Along with the Family Weekend festivities, Saturday's game is "Take a Kid to the Game." All kids 14 and under receive FREE ADMISSION and must be accompanied by an adult.

Family Weekend
Southeast is 2-1 in Family Weekend games under head coach Tom Matukewicz. All three of those matchups came down to the wire. In 2014, Paul McRoberts caught a 2-yard game-winning touchdown pass with four seconds left to send the Redhawks to a 24-23 victory over then-#3 Southeastern Louisiana. A year later, Ryan McCrum kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to beat Southern Illinois, 27-24. In 2016, Indiana State erased an 11-point deficit in the final three minutes to edge the Redhawks, 27-24.

Series History
Eastern Kentucky leads its all-time series against Southeast by a count of 24-3. The Redhawks are 1-12 against the Colonels at Houck Field with their lone win coming during the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Championship season. EKU is 12-1 in its last 13 meetings with Southeast.

NIght Games
Saturday marks Southeast's final night game of the 2017 season. The Redhawks played three of their first four games at night. Southeast is 0-3 in such contests.

OVC Play Underway
Eight of the nine Ohio Valley Conference schools opened league play on Sept. 23. UT Martin, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky each began OVC play with a win. The Redhawks and Tennessee Tech are presently the only two conference teams without a victory this year.

Another Heartbreaker
Southeast dropped its Ohio Valley Conference opener, 19-16, at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). The Redhawks trailed by three and had the ball at the EIU 16-yard line when Bradley Dewberry intercepted Jesse Hosket's pass at the 1-yard line with 23 seconds left to play. It was the second game Southeast lost after throwing an interception when down three points or less with under a minute remaining.

Wilkerson Notches Career-High
Kristian Wilkerson had seven catches for a career-high 134 yards at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Wilkerson finished with 100 or more receiving yards in a game for the third time in his career. He is the second Redhawk receiver to get 100 yards in a game this year. Wilkerson enters the week ranked tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference in receptions per game (7.2) and third in receiving yards per contest (79). Nationally, Wilkerson is 11th in the Football Championship Subdivision in receptions per game and 24th in receiving yards (316).

Big Play Billington
Trevon Billington made two big fourth-down catches to keep Southeast's final drive alive at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Billington caught a 9-yard pass on a fourth-and-3 and hauled in a 24-yard reception on a fourth-and-2. He ranks second on the team with 20 catches for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Billington is sixth among Ohio Valley Conference leaders in receptions per game (5) and fourth in receiving yards per contest (76.5).

Career Milestones
Kristian Wilkerson and Jesse Hosket each hit career milestones against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Wilkerson went over 1,000 receiving yards, while Hosket cleared 3,000 passing yards. Wilkerson has caught 64 passes for 1,059 yards and Hosket has thrown for 3,168 yards in their respective Southeast careers.

On Watch
Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference and All-American outside linebacker Chad Meredith needs only one more tackle to reach 200 in his career. Meredith led Southeast in tackles during two of the Redhawks games this season. He currently has 199 total stops. Meredith has started 26-straight games and is tied for sixth in career tackles for loss (27) and 12th in career sacks (8.5) at Southeast.

Meredith Update
Chad Meredith was sidelined in the second half at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23) due to an ankle injury. Meredith will return for Saturday's game against Eastern Kentucky.

Sanders Does it Again
On the ensuing kickoff after Eastern Illinois pulled ahead by two scores, Cameron Sanders ran 93 yards for a touchdown to narrow the Panthers lead to three points with 11:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Sanders became the second player in the Ohio Valley Conference to return a kickoff for a touchdown this year. It was the third time Sanders ran back a kickoff for a TD in his career. He is second in the OVC and 12th in the nation with 28.3 yards per kick return.

Johnson Kicks Off
Nick Johnson made his debut at kicker at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Johnson kicked off three times for 183 yards and a touchback. He averaged 61 yards per kickoff. He was a member of Bowling Green's soccer team before joining the Redhawks this season.

Third-Down Conversions
Southeast was just 4-of-16 (25%) on third down in its latest loss at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). The Redhawks are ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference in that category coverting 18-of-62 third downs for a mere 29 percent.

Redhawks in OVC Openers
The Redhawks and Eastern Illinois faced each other to start the Ohio Valley Conference season for the third time in 2017. Southeast fell to 9-18 all-time in league-openers after dropping a 19-16 decision. It was the first time Southeast and EIU began conference play against each other since 2009.

First Loss in OVC Opener
Tom Matukewicz took his first loss in an Ohio Valley Conference opener as Southeast's head coach when the Redhawks fell, 19-16, at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Southeast won at UT Martin (2014), vs. Murray State (2015) and at Murray State (2016) prior to this season.

Close Games
Two of Southeast's losses have been by a combined five points this season. The Redhawks fell a two-point conversion shy of tying Dayton (Sept. 9) and recently lost by three points at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 23). Southeast lost each of those contests after throwing an interception in the final seconds. In all, the Redhawks have dropped 13 contests by seven points or less under head coach Tom Matukewicz.

Terry On a Roll
Tailback Marquis Terry ran for a touchdown in three-straight games. Terry is Southeast's top rusher with 356 yards and three touchdowns on 89 carries this season. He also caught 12 passes for 42 yards. Terry is third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 89 rushing yards per game and his 89 carries are most among league individuals.

Scoring Defense
The Colonels and Redhawks are sixth and seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring defense, respectively. Eastern Kentucky is allowing 26.3 points per game and Southeast is surrendering 29.2  per contest.

Colonels Last in Rushing Offense
Eastern Kentucky ranks last in the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing offense. The Colonels come to Cape Girardeau averaging just 56.7 yards per game. Southeast faces the league's worst rushing team for the second-straight game. Last week, Eastern Illinois was last among conference foes with 50 rushing yards per contest. EIU ran for a season-high 230 yards against the Redhawks.

Start Tracker
Outside linebacker Chad Meredith carries a streak of 26-straight starts into Saturday's game at Eastern Illinois. Jesse Hosket started 15-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 15 games in a row at left tackle. In addition, senior Alex Snyder has started 25 of his last 26 games. Snyder started 11 games at left tackle and 14 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 18th in completions per game (21.7); Omar Pierre-Louis is 11th in forced fumbles (1); Mike Ford is fifth in passes defended (1.8 per game); Kristian Wilkerson is 11th in receptions per game (7.3); and Marquis Terry is 14th in total rushing yards (356).

Scoring Streak
The Redhawks presently have the third-longest scoring streak in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast has scored in 70-consecutive games and ranks behind Murray State (136) and UT Martin (84) in that category. The last time the Redhawks were shutout in a game was at Purdue (59-0) on Sept. 17, 2011.

Looking for a "W"
The Redhawks are looking to end a seven-game losing streak, currently the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast wrapped up its 2016 campaign with losses in each of its final three contests. The Redhawks have dropped nine of their last 10 games.