Southeast Missouri (3-3, 1-1 OVC) at #14 Jacksonville State (5-2, 2-1 OVC)

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2019
Kickoff: 3 p.m., CT                                                                                                 
Stadium: Burgess-Snow Field (24,000)
Surface: Pro Grass Artificial
Weather Forecast: Mostly Sunny, 74 degrees
Series History: JSU leads, 17-6
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (28-37 overall; 27-37 at SEMO; 19-22 OVC). John Grass (57-14 overall; 57-14 at JSU; 40-2 OVC).

Media Coverage
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM & ESPN 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN3 (Kevin Ingram, Bob Belvin)
Live Stats: JSUGamecockSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOFootball
Southeast Missouri Notes

Redhawks Face #14 Jacksonville State
Southeast Missouri (3-3, 1-1) faces five-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champion and #14 Jacksonville State (5-2, 2-1) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., CT, at Burgess-Snow Field.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Saturday's game live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. The Redhawks and Gamecocks are the featured Ohio Valley Conference Game of the Week on ESPN3. Kevin Ingram (Play-by-Play) and Bob Belvin (Analyst) are the commentators. Live stats can be accessed online at JSUGamecockSports.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOFootball.

Series History
Southeast Missouri and Jacksonville State meet for the 24th time in 2019. JSU holds a 17-6 lead in the all-time series. The Redhawks are 1-10 against the Gamecocks in Jacksonville, Alabama with their only win in that stretch coming 55 years ago (24-0, Oct. 10, 1964). SEMO has never won in Jacksonville since it turned NCAA Division I in 1991.

Matukewicz vs. Jacksonville State
The Redhawks are 1-4 against Jacksonville State under head coach Tom Matukewicz. Last year, Southeast Missouri upset then-#4 JSU, 37-14, on Oct. 20 in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks ended the Gamecocks 36-game winning streak in conference games. SEMO also handed JSU head coach John Grass the  first Ohio Valley Conference loss of his career. Grass is presently 39-2 in OVC play.

Halfway Point
Southeast Missouri is halfway through its 12-game schedule. The Redhawks are currently tied for fourth and Jacksonville State is tied for third in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Four of SEMO's final six opponents are ahead of the Redhawks in the league standings (JSU, UT Martin, Murray State, Eastern Kentucky).

Senior Class
A win against Jacksonville State Saturday will make the Redhawk seniors the winningest senior class in the program's NCAA Division I history. Southeast Missouri's senior class, which consists of 20 players, has won a total of 18 games since 2016. The current senior class is tied with the 2010 class that also had 18 wins (2007-2010).

Against Ranked FCS Teams
#14 Jacksonville State is the second ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponent Southeast Missouri faces this year. SEMO is 7-26 in its last 33 meetings with ranked FCS programs. The Redhawks have won in three of their last seven matchups withc ranked FCS teams.

Brickyard Game
Every time Southeast Missouri beats a ranked opponent, the score and date of that victory are laid to rest in the "Brickyard" (a wall that commemorates all of those wins in the Redhawks locker room). SEMO has a total of eight wins against ranked Football Championship Subdivision teams in its program history. Five of those victories have come under Tom Matukewicz and are the most of any SEMO head coach.

On the Road
Southeast Missouri has dropped 14 of its last 15 meetings against ranked Football Championship Subdivision teams on the road. The Redhawks only win in that span came at then-#5 Southern Illinois (24-21) on Sept. 18, 2010.

Striking Distance
Kristian Wilkerson is in position to break two more receiving records when Southeast Missouri takes on Jacksonville State Saturday. Wilkerson is presently second all-time in career receptions (175) and receiving touchdowns (27). Darrell Philon (181, 1988-91) currently holds the record in receptions and Paul McRoberts (29, 2012-15) holds the record in receiving touchdowns.  

Road to 3,000
Kristian Wilkerson is 255 yards away from reaching 3,000 receiving yards in his Southeast Missouri career. Wilkerson could become the first player in SEMO's 115-year football history to get 3,000 career receiving yards. He presently has 2,745 receiving yards.

Two More Tackles
Outside linebacker Justin Swift is just two tackles away from reaching 200 in his career. Swift has 198 tackles and ranks second on the team with 37 this season. If he hits that mark, he will become the second player on this year's active roster to get 200 or more career tackles. Fellow linebacker Zach Hall (339) is the other.

Close Games
Southeast Missouri's first two Ohio Valley Conference games were decided by a combined 10 points. The Redhawks beat Tennessee Tech, 43-37, in double overtime on Oct. 5 and fell to Austin Peay, 28-24, on Oct. 12. SEMO had three league games decided by six or less points a year ago and was 2-1 in those tight contests. 

The Chase Continues
Redshirt-senior quarterback Daniel Santacaterina is 10 touchdown passes away from breaking Southeast Missouri's all-time career record. Santacaterina threw for 36 touchdowns as SEMO's starting signal-caller. Jeff Brown (1983-87) presently holds the all-time career record with 45 passing touchdowns.

Wilkerson Breaks Career Receiving Yards Record
Senior Kristian Wilkerson caught five passes for 124 yards and broke Southeast Missouri's all-time career record in receiving yardage against Tennessee Tech (Oct. 5). Wilkerson averaged 24.8 yards per catch in that game. His 2,745 yards surpassed Willie Ponder (2,543, 2001-02) for the new mark.

100-Yard Receiving Games
Kristian Wilkerson notched his second-straight and third 100-yard receiving performance of the season when he finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on five catches at Austin Peay (Oct. 12). It was the ninth 100-yard receiving effort of Wilkerson's career.

Santacaterina Strong
Daniel Santacaterina threw three or more touchdowns in a game for the seventh time as Southeast Missouri's quarterback at Austin Peay (Oct. 12). Santacaterina completed 15-of-24 passes for 221 yards. It was the third time he threw for over 220 yards this season. He became the seventh Ohio Valley Conference quarterback to throw for over 1,000 (1,079) yards this year.

Over 4,000
Daniel Santacaterina went over 4,000 yards of total offense in his career when he finished with 222 yards at Austin Peay (Oct. 12). Santacaterina now ranks eighth all-time in career total yardage at Southeast Missouri with 4,201. He also ranks 10th in career passing yards (3,923), third in passing touchdowns (36), 10th in pass completions (308), eighth in pass completion percentage (57.2) and third in pass efficiency percentage (134.2). 

Redhawk Rewind
Austin Peay made a big stop on fourth down to secure a wild 28-24 win over Southeast Missouri on Oct. 12. Down four, SEMO needed to get to its own 41-yard line on a fourth-and-3. Mark Robinson was tackled a yard short. APSU took over on downs, picked up a couple key first downs and ran out the final 4:19 on the clock. The Redhawks trailed, 7-3, at halftime before both teams combined for 42 points in the final two quarters.

Last Time vs. Jacksonville State
From start to finish, Southeast Missouri never let up in a dominating 37-14 win over then-#4 Jacksonville State on Oct. 20, 2018 in Cape Girardeau. JSU's 36-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak, at the time the longest in Division I, was shattered. SEMO's defense forced a season-high five turnovers, had three interceptions, recovered two fumbles, scored a safety and returned a blocked field goal 85 yards for a touchdown to lead the way. The Redhawks also notched three sacks, six tackles for loss and held the OVC's top scoring offense to its lowest point total of the 2018 campaign.

OVC Play
The Redhawks are 79-137 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference play since joining the league in 1991. Southeast Missouri finished second in the OVC behind Jacksonville State with a 6-2 record in 2018. The six wins were the Redhawks second-most in conference play behind the 2010 OVC Championship team (7-1). SEMO wrapped up a season among the top three in the OVC standings just three times -- 3rd in 1994 (5-3); 1st in 2010 (7-1); 2nd in 2018 (6-2). 

Starting Streaks
Inside linebacker Zach Hall and defensive back Bydarrius Knighten have each started 30-consecutive games. Wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson has logged 21-straight starts, while outside linebacker Justin Swift and quarterback Daniel Santacaterina follow with 20 and 19, respectively.

Racking Up Sacks
Southeast Missouri led the Ohio Valley Conference in sacks each of the last two seasons. The Redhawks finished with 29 sacks in 2018. SEMO has accumulated 138 sacks for an average of 23 per season under head coach Tom Matukewicz. The Redhawks twice finished a season with over 30 sacks (31 in 2015; 37 in 2017) during that span. Matukewicz's 2017 (2nd) and 2015 (4th) teams are among the school's top four single-season leaders in sacks. SEMO has recorded a sack in 18-straight games. The last time the Redhawks went without a sack was at Arkansas State on Sept. 1, 2018.

Three-Headed Monster
Southeast Missouri's backfield trio of junior Mark Robinson, sophomore Zion Custis and redshirt-freshman Geno Hess has been equally impressive thus far. Custis presently leads the Redhawks with 374 yards on 69 carries. Hess follows with 336 yards and Robinson has 328 rushing yards and a team-high six touchdowns on 69 attempts. Hess (4), Custis (3) and Robinson (6) combined for 13 of SEMO's 17 rushing touchdowns this year. Custis (62.3), Hess (56.0) and Robinson (54.8) rank sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing. As a team, the Redhawks are second in the OVC and 26th in the nation in rushing with 196.5 yards per game.

86 to Go
Zach Hall is on pace to break Southeast Missouri's all-time career tackles record. Hall, who broke the school's single-season record with 168 tackles last season, is 86 away. Robert Haggerty (1993-96) presently holds the all-time career record with 424 stops. Hall has 339 tackles.

Games With a Catch
Senior wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson has caught a pass in 21 consecutive games. Wilkerson recently had five receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns at Austin Peay (Oct. 12). He finished with over 100 receiving yards in a game for the ninth time in his career. He leads the Redhawks with 555 receiving yards in 2019.

FCS Polls
Southeast Missouri dropped out of both the AFCA FCS Coaches and STATS Media Polls for the first time this season. The Redhawks received votes in each poll this week. Here are the Redhawks rankings this season:Preseason
Athlon Sports    #19 (June 4)
Street & Smith's    #22 (July 9)
STATS Media    #17 (Aug. 5)
AFCA FCS Coaches    #18 (Aug. 19)
STATS Media    Coaches
8/26/19    #17    #18
9/2/19    #12    #13
9/9/19    #19    #20
9/16/19    #23    #25
9/23/19    #23    RV
9/30/19    #23    #t25
10/7/19    #20    #22
10/14/19    RV    RV

FCS Rankings
Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 20 leaders in the Football Championship Subdivision in the following categories after six games this season.
Team
•    6th in Fumbles Lost (2)
•    12th in Red Zone Offense (.923)
•    13th in 4th Down Conversion Pct. (.667)
Individual
Daniel Santacaterina
•    18th in Passing Yards Per Completion (14.2)
Zack Smith
•    16th in Punt Returns (10.7 ypr)

OVC Rankings
Southeast Missouri ranks among the top five leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference in the following categories after six games this season.
Team
•    1st in Red Zone Offense (.923)
•    1st in Punting (37.5 ypp)
•    2nd in Rushing Offense (196.5 ypg)
•    2nd in Pass Defense (223.7 ypg)
•    2nd in 4th-Down Conversions (66.7)
•    3rd in Pass Defense Efficiency (118.8)
•    3rd in Kickoff Returns (19.7 ypr)
•    3rd in Punt Return Average (12.1 ypr)
•    t3rd in Field Goals (4-of-5, .800)
•    4th in Red Zone Defense (.767)
•    t4th in Sacks Against (15)
•    5th in Scoring Offense (30.7 ppg)
•    5th in Kickoff Coverage (38.5 net avg.)
Individual
Kristian Wilkerson
•    3rd in Receiving Yards Per Game (92.5)
Mark Robinson
•    t4th in Scoring (TDs) (6.0 ppg)
Kendrick Tiller
•    3rd in Scoring (Kick) (6.8 ppg)
•    4th in Field Goals (4-5, .800)
Jake Reynolds
•    3rd in Punting (42.0 ypp)
Zach Hall
•    2nd in Tackles (9.3 per game)

Matukewicz vs. Ranked Opponents
Southeast Missouri head coach Tom Matukewicz is 5-10 all-time against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents. Matukewicz's five wins came against #3 Southeastern Louisiana (2014), #20 Tennessee State (2014), #13 Eastern Illinois (2016),
#4 Jacksonville State (2018) and #15 Stony Brook (2018). The Redhawks wrecked JSU's 36-game winning streak in Ohio Valley Conference play when they upended the Gamecocks last season. 2`Ball SecuritySoutheast Missouri lost only one fumble in 2018, the fewest in the Football Championship Subdivision and Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks fumbled the ball just seven times on a single-season school record 891 plays. SEMO has not lost a fumble in 18 of its last 20 contests.c                                                                                                    

About Jacksonville State
For the sixth-straight year and eighth time in the past 10 years, Jacksonville State was picked the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks, who are ranked 14th in the nation, are third in the OVC standings with a 5-2 overall record and 2-1 mark in league play. JSU's five victories are most in the OVC. The Gamecocks are undefeated (4-0) at home and rank second in the conference in total offense with 425.9 yards per game. Quarterback Zerrick Cooper leads the league in passing average (302.3 ypg), pass efficiency (148.8) and total offense (329.3 ypg), while Josh Pearson is the OVC leader in scoring (9.4 ppg). Pearson boasts a league-best 11 receiving touchdowns. Defensively, Marlon Bridges leads the OVC with three forced fumbles and Zack Woodard is seventh in tackles (7.6 per game).