#8 UT Martin (9-1, 5-0 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (3-7, 3-2 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, November 20, 2021
Kickoff: 1 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Houck Field (10.000)
Surface: FieldTurf 
Series: UTM leads, 19-18
Last Meeting: UTM 38, SEMO 30 (Oct. 23, 2021 | Martin, Tenn.)
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (41-49 overall; 40-49 at SEMO; 32-27 OVC). Jason Simpson (95-77 overall; 95-77 at UTM).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean, Rick Wieser)
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: SEMORedhawks.com
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Host #8 UT Martin 
Southeast Missouri (3-7, 3-2) hosts #8 UT Martin (9-1, 5-0) in its season finale Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT at Houck Field.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean and Rick Wieser will be on the call. Watch on ESPN+. Live stats are available at SEMORedhawks.com and Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOfootball.

Series History
Saturday marks the 38th meeting between Southeast Missouri and UT Martin, schools located less than two hours apart. UTM holds a slight 19-18 edge in the series. SEMO won three of its last four games against the Skyhawks. UTM beat SEMO in a one-possession game earlier this season (38-30, Oct. 23, Martin, Tenn.). That game did not count toward the Ohio Valley Conference standings.

Brickyard Game
Saturday's contest against #8 UT Martin is a Brickyard Game for the Redhawks. Each time Southeast Missouri upends a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) or ranked Football Championship (FCS) opponent those victories are laid to rest in the Brickyard, which resides in the Redhawks locker room. SEMO currently has a total of 10 Brickyard wins, six of which have come under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.

Against Ranked FCS Foes
This weekend's matchup with #8 UT Martin will be Southeast Missouri's fourth against a ranked opponent this season. The Redhawks are 8-31 against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents since 2004. SEMO is on a six-game losing streak in such contests. The Redhawks last beat a ranked FCS team in 2019 when they toppled then-#14 Jacksonville State, 24-21, on Oct. 19, 2019 in Jacksonville, Alabama. The last time SEMO beat a ranked non-conference FCS opponent was in the first round of the 2018 FCS Playoffs (28-14, vs. #15 Stony Brook, Nov. 24 in Cape Girardeau). The Redhawks are 0-3 against ranked teams this season.

Senior Day
Southeast Missouri will honor its 21 seniors prior to kickoff Saturday. Jake Reynolds, Kendrick Tiller, Joe Pyle, Preston Haynes, Camden Boyle, Cleyton Gracie, Dane Nelson, Austin Crump, Daterraion Richardson, Colby Cornett, Zach Bodway, Rashad Hughes, Kenny Doak, Omardrick Douglas, Brandon Mincey, Zack Smith, Patrick Maddox, Shabari Davis, Ladarrius Rule, Bryson Donnell and Jaden Rosenthall will be recognized.

Red Zone Perfection
Southeast Missouri's offense is perfect inside the red zone through 10 games this season. SEMO scored on all 29 of its chances inside the 20-yard line. The Redhawks have scored 166 of their 266 points in the red zone for 62.4 percent of their total scoring output. SEMO leads the Ohio Valley Conference and is tied for first in  the Football Championship Subdivision in red zone offense. The Redhawks and Youngstown State (22-of-22) are currently the only two FCS teams perfect in red zone offense.

More Red Zone Success
The Redhawks have gone 20-straight games without turning the ball over inside the 20-yard line. In fact, Southeast Missouri's last turnover in the red zone came on an interception at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 16, 2019.

Hess Goes Over 1,000
Geno Hess went over 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the first time in his career. Hess leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks fifth in the nation with 1,116 yards. Marquis Terry was the last SEMO running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season when he finished with 1,229 in 2018. The Redhawks had a 1,000-yard rusher in four of the last seven years.

Hodges Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week
Defensive back Trai Hodges was named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 14. A native of Rome, Georgia, Hodges had seven solo tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble against Murray State (Nov. 13). Both of his interceptions came in the end zone when the Racers had goal-to-go situations, one coming in the second quarter and the other coming in the fourth. Hodges' forced fumble came on the possession following his second pick. He became the first Redhawk to get two interceptions in a game since 2017 (Omar Pierre-Louis, vs. Tennessee Tech). Draylen Ellis (Austin Peay, Co-Offensive), DJ Williams (Murray State, Co-Offensive), Maddux Trujillo (Austin Peay, Specialist), Drae McCray (Austin Peay, Co-Newcomer) and Keon Howard (UT Martin, Co-Newcomer) rounded out this week's honorees.

Davis Makes History 
Shabari Davis returned the opening kickoff of the second half against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 30) 86 yards for a touchdown to ignite a 31-point stretch in the last 30 minutes which sent Southeast Missouri to a 38-15 victory. Davis became the first player in the Redhawks' NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision era to return an interception, punt and kickoff for a touchdown in a career. He also returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown vs. Murray State (Mar. 7, 2021) and ran back a punt 46 yards for a TD at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 16, 2019).

On a Roll
Geno Hess ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Murray State (Nov. 13), his fifth-straight 100-yard rushing game and seventh this season. He scored a rushing touchdown in nine-straight contests. Twelve of Hess' career-best 14 rushing touchdowns have come in the last seven games alone.  

Single-Season Record in Sight
Geno Hess has 14 rushing touchdowns through 10 starts this season and is five away from Southeast Missouri's all-time single-season record. Henry Harris holds the record with 18 touchdowns in 2010. 

Haynes Does it Again
For the second time this season, punter Zach Haynes was named Ohio Valley Conference Specialist of the Week. Haynes averaged 54.7 yards on three punts in a 38-15 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 30). He twice pinned the Panthers at their own 1-yard line on punts of 76 and 51 yards, respectively. Haynes ranks second in the OVC in punting with 41.1 yards per punt.

76-Yard Punt
Zach Haynes' career-long 76-yard punt against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 30) is the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference and fifth-longest in the Football Championship Subdivision this season. His previous career-long was 64 yards vs. Murray State (Oct. 16). The 76-yard punt also ranks fifth all-time among longest punts in Southeast Missouri football history.

One More will Do It
With one more victory, Southeast Missouri will finish with a winning record in league play for a program record fourth-consecutive season. SEMO is presently 3-2 in conference action. It also finished at 4-3 (2020), 7-1 (2019) and 6-2 (2018) prior to this year.

Redhawk Specialists
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference with four Specialist of the Week accolades. Kicker Kenny Doak (Sept. 26; Oct. 24) and punter Zach Haynes (Sept. 19; Oct. 31) each won the honor on two occasions.

Mr. Touchdown
With his 66-yard touchdown run against UT Martin (Oct. 23), Geno Hess became only the fifth player in Southeast Missouri football history to score 30 or more career touchdowns. Hess presently stands second all-time with 32 rushing touchdowns and third in total touchdowns. Walter Smallwood (36, 1965-68), Kristian Wilkerson (33, 2015-19), Paul McRoberts (30, 2012-15) and Henry Harris (30, 2008-10) are the others with 30 or more career touchdowns.

Fit for a King
Wide receiver Johnny King has caught a touchdown pass in four of his last five games. King had two receiving touchdowns for the first time in his career at UT Martin (Oct. 23). He scored on passes of 31 and 29 yards, respectively. King is Southeast Missouri's top receiver with 370 yards and five touchdowns this season. 

Jester Coming on Strong
Terrell Jester had 15 receptions for 188 yards in his last four games. Jester now leads the Redhawks with 21 receptions and is second on the team with 268 receiving yards.

Sack Attack
Southeast Missouri has recorded a sack in six of its last seven games and posted a season-high of three against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 30). The Redhawks are tied for third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 13 sacks for a loss of 116 yards. Jacob Morrissey tops the team with three sacks.

Hess Clears 2,000 Rushing Yards
With his 176-yard effort against Murray State (Oct. 16), Geno Hess cleared 2,000 rushing yards in his career. Hess is seventh among Southeast Missouri's all-time career rushing leaders with 2,421 rushing yards. He became the ninth player in program history to get more than 2,000 career rushing yards.

Moving On Up
Geno Hess is second among Southeast Missouri's all-time career leaders in rushing touchdowns. Hess enters the week with 32 career rushing TDs, including 14 in 2021. Twenty-six of those scores came since the start of the 2020 campaign. He is five rushing touchdowns away from breaking SEMO's all-time career record of 36 presently held by Walter Smallwood (1965-68). 

Stormin' Norman
Freshman Bryce Norman, who started the last six games at inside linebacker, is Southeast Missouri's leading tackler through nine contests. Norman leads the Redhawks in total tackles (62), solo tackles (31) and forced fumbles (3). He finished as SEMO's top tackler in five games this year. Norman accumulated 14 tackles against UT Martin (Oct. 23) for his second-straight double-digit tackle game. He leads the Ohio Valley Conference in forced fumbles and is 19th in the nation in that category. Additionally, he is 11th among league leaders and second among OVC freshmen in tackles behind Eastern Illinois' Colin Bohanek (79).

OVC Leader
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in kickoff returns (25.4 ypr), fourth-down conversions (9-of-14, 64.3 pct.), turnover margin (+7), red zone offense (29-of-29, 1.000) and onside kicks (2-of-2).

Multiple Quarterbacks 
Starting quarterback CJ Ogbonna and Jalyn Williams have been splitting time at quarterback. Williams completed 2-of-4 passes and ran for eight yards, while Ogbonna completed 13-of-24 passes for 194 yards and two  touchdowns at UT Martin (Oct. 23). Southeast Missouri has used multiple quarterbacks in six of 10 games this season.

Takeaway Time
Southeast Missouri recorded five more takeaways in its win at Austin Peay (Oct. 9). SEMO leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 19 takeaways and boasts a league best +7 turnover margin through 10 games. The Redhawks have gone 22 of their last 24 games with a takeaway dating back to the 2019 campaign.

Don't Mess with Hess
Tailback Geno Hess ran for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns to lead Southeast Missouri to its first win of the season, a 47-14 victory over Tennessee State (Sept. 25). Hess averaged 8.2 yards per carry on 25 attempts. He scored touchdowns on runs of two, 63 and eight yards, respectively. Two of his touchdowns came in the third quarter. The 63-yard run was the third-longest of Hess' career. He became only the third Football Championship Subdivision player to rush for over 200 yards in a game this season joining Youngstown State's Jaleel McLaughlin (242 yards vs. Incarnate Word) and Montana State's Isaiah Ifanse (217 yards vs. Portland State). Hess leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks fifth in the nation with 1,116 rushing yards. He is also first in the conference and fifth in the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Hess ranks fifth in the FCS and first in the conference in rushing yards per game (111.6).

Keep it Going
Geno Hess has scored a rushing touchdown in 12 of his last 13 games. Hess ran for over 100 yards six times during that stretch. He had at least one rushing touchdown in his last nine starts.

Top Scoring Threat 
Geno Hess is first in the Ohio Valley Conference and 17th in the FCS in scoring with 8.4 points per game. Hess scored 84 points on 14 rushing touchdowns. He surpassed his FCS leading 12 rushing touchdowns from a year ago.

100-Yard Games
Geno Hess ran for over 100 yards for the 10th time in his career when he gained 110 yards at Murray State (Nov. 13). Hess also ran for 107 yards vs. Eastern Illinois (Oct. 30), 137 yards at UT Martin (Oct. 23) 176 yards vs. Murray State (Oct. 16), 116 yards at Austin Peay (Oct. 9, 2021),  205 yards vs. Tennessee State (Sept. 25, 2021), 156 yards at Tennessee State (Nov. 2, 2019), 128 yards at Southern Illinois (Oct. 30, 2020), 124 yards vs. Austin Peay (Mar. 14, 2021) and 104 yards vs. Southern Illinois (Sept. 2, 2021). He is tied for third in most 100-yard career games in program history.

Unprecedented Success
In 2020-21, Southeast Missouri Athletics reached unprecedented success when it won its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Cup. The Commissioner's Cup is the league's ultimate symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference-sponsored championships. SEMO accumulated 119 points and finished 7.5 points ahead of second-place Belmont (111.5) to win the coveted prize. Since the start of the 2019 calendar year, the Redhawks have won 11 conference championships, most in the OVC. Five of those titles came during a COVID-19 plagued spring in 2021. The Redhawks completed their remarkable 2020-21 campaign with a 93-42-1 (.688) record in conference regular-season play, their highest OVC regular-season conference winning percentage in school history. In addition, SEMO was the only OVC school that qualified for every conference championship last season.

South Side of Houck Field Closed for 2021 Season
A recent structural assessment revealed that Houck Field's south grandstand structure has surpassed its original useful life and the rate of deterioration of the concrete structure has accelerated. The safety of the fans is of utmost importance and, as a result, Southeast Missouri made the difficult decision to cease the use of the south grandstand and press box area of the stadium. The decision results in modified gameday operations and reduced spectator capacity for the fall 2021 season. Houck Field will turn 91 years old on Oct. 3.

Construction Approved for First Phase of a New Houck Field
On September 24, 2021, the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Governors approved action to begin the first phase of construction for a new Houck Field. The first phase of the project will include demolition of the existing south grandstand structure as well as construction of a new south seating bowl and concourse with new restrooms and concession areas. Current plans indicate this phase will be complete in time for the Fall 2022 season. Beyond the initial work to be completed, the remainder of the South Sideline project has two additional phases, which will be completed as funding is identified. Items to be incorporated in these phases include a locker room for the football and soccer teams, an athletic training space, centralized ticketing, and a two-level press box, equipped with operational areas and a new club level. Future plans for the Houck Field renovations will not be limited to the South Sideline rebuild. Additional phases will involve renovation of the North Sideline seating area and construction of a new field house. Southeast Missouri State University contracted with Hollis + Miller, an architecture and design firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. Hollis + Miller Architects were selected through a competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process to provide professional architectural, engineering, scheduling and planning services for stadium renovation and construction. Conceptual designs for a stadium renovation were completed in August 2019 and have served as the focal point of the Department of Athletics' plan to rebuild Houck Field.