Redhawks Drop Season-Opener to Arkansas State, 48-21

Saturday, September 1

Jonesboro, Ark.

6:00 PM

Southeast Missouri State University

0-1

Arkansas State

1-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Southeast Missouri	0	14	0	7	21
Arkansas State	7	14	27	0	48

9/1/2018 11:31:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights Final Statistics Postgame Notes Photos

JONESBORO, Ark. – Southeast Missouri (0-1) opened the season with a 48-21 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision and Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State (1-0) Saturday night at Centennial Bank Stadium.

SEMO twice tied ASU in the contest, but the Red Wolves used 27 third-quarter points to put the game out of reach.

"I thought we played pretty clean. I think offensively we've improved and did a solid job up front," said Redhawks head coach Tom Matukewicz. "They wore our defense down and we had some missed assignments in the second half."

Justice Hansen completed 26-of-36 passes for 423 yards and six touchdowns to lead a ASU offense that piled up 707 total yards. Hansen's six touchdown passes were a school record.

ASU struck first with 9:05 in the first quarter when Hansen hooked up with Jonathan Adams for 26 yards on the first of his three touchdown passes in the first half.

A 35-yard interception return by redshirt-sophomore Marcus Lucas gave SEMO the ball near midfield at its own 45-yard line. Immediately after a timeout, Daniel Santacaterina completed a 52-yard pass to Kristian Wilkerson as the Redhawks moved to the ASU 3.

Two plays later, Santacaterina threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M transfer Kobe Bryer. Bryer stretched the ball over the goal line inside the pylon along the far sideline to tie the game at 7-7 with 10:34 left in the second quarter.

ASU pulled ahead again, this time on a 15-yard pass from Hansen to Justin McInnis, with 8:47 on the clock. The touchdown capped a 5-play, 63-yard drive as the Red Wolves took a 14-7 advantage.

Preseason Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year Marquis Terry ripped off a 67-yard touchdown run on the second play of the Redhawks ensuing drive. Terry's eighth career rushing touchdown knotted the game at 14-14 with 8:02 remaining.

A 36-yard touchdown pass from Hansen to Kendrick Edwards finished off ASU's longest drive of the first half. The Red Wolves covered 84 yards on 10 plays to regain a 21-14 lead at the half.

With two minutes left before half, Santacaterina ran through an open lane and was hit hard by Demari Edwards when he slid to the turf for a first down. Edwards was ejected for targeting and Santacaterina was carted off the field on a stretcher. Santacaterina was evaluated at a local hospital for precautionary reasons and later returned to the Redhawks sideline.

ASU quickly put the game out of reach when it scored three of its four third-quarter touchdowns in less than a minute.

Hansen tossed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Javonis Isaac on the third play of the second half as that score came in 59 seconds. He then threw a 67-yard TD to Marcel Murray in 12 seconds. Logan Bonner's 54-yard touchdown pass to Omar Bayless was the other quick strike in 10 seconds that extended ASU's lead to 48-14.

Anthony Cooper ended the scoring late in the game when he rushed 14 yards for his first career touchdown with 37 seconds left.

Terry ran for 93 yards on nine carries, while Santacaterina threw for 89 yards on 10-of-13 passes in his first start as SEMO's quarterback. Cooper had 74 passing yards on 8-of-15 attempts. Wilkerson paved the way with 56 receiving yards as one of six different Redhawk receivers with a catch.

Defensively, SEMO forced two turnovers. Lucas and Omardrick Douglas each had an interception. Preseason All-OVC linebacker Zach Hall finished with a career-high 22 tackles. Hall's 22 tackles tied for third-most in a game in school history.

The Redhawks play host to Dayton in its home-opener during Family Weekend on Sept. 8. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT, at Houck Field.