Southeast Missouri (2-4, 2-3 OVC) at UT Martin (2-3, 2-3 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, April 3, 2021
Kickoff: 1 p.m., CT
Location: Martin, Tenn. 
Facility: Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500)
Surface: FieldTurf
Series: UTM leads, 18-17
Last Meeting: SEMO17, UTM 10 (Oct. 26, 2019 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (36-42 overall; 35-42 at SEMO; 27-25 OVC). Jason Simpson (89-76 overall; 89-76 at UTM).

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

Redhawks Head to UT Martin
Southeast Missouri (2-4, 2-3) travels to UT Martin (2-3, 2-3) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., CT at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.

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

Series History
UT Martin holds a slight 18-17 edge in its all-time series against Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks won each of their last two meetings with the Skyhawks. Eight of SEMO's win against UTM have come in Martin. The Redhawks beat the Skyhawks, 56-33, during their last trip to Martin, Tennessee on Oct. 27, 2018. 

Final Stretch
Southeast Missouri hits the road for its final two games this spring. After visiting UT Martin Saturday, the Redhawks close out their seven-game Ohio Valley Conference season at Tennessee State on Apr. 11. SEMO is 1-2 in road games this year. 

Redhawks Beat Tennessee Tech
The Redhawks snapped a three-game losing skid with a 24-21 victory over Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). Southeast Missouri scored 21 first-quarter points and used a 23-yard field goal early in the fourh quarter to get by the Golden Eagles. The win came during the Redhawks home finale at Houck Field.

Smith Named OVC Offensive Player of the Week
Wide receive Zack Smith was named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week following his career game against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Smith established new career-highs in receptions and receiving yards. He caught 10 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged 17.3 yards per reception. Smith scored both of his touchdowns during Southeast Missouri's 21-point first quarter on passes of eight and 61 yards. It was the second 100-yard receiving game of Smith's career and first since he had 122 receiving yards vs. Dayton on Sept. 8, 2018.   The OVC Offensive Player of the Week award is the first of Smith's career and SEMO's first OVC weekly honor of any kind this season.

Big Game
Zack Smith's 173 receiving yards vs. Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28) stand as the second-most in a game of any Ohio Valley Conference player this year. Smith's strong effort against the Golden Eagles ranks 12th on Southeast Missouri's top-20 single-game receiving yards list. Additionally, Smith became the first Redhawk to get 10 catches in a game since Paul McRoberts accomplished that feat vs. UT Martin on Nov. 21, 2015.

Bunch Goes Over 1,000 Passing Yards
Andrew Bunch completed 18-of-24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). As a result, Bunch went over 1,000 passing yards this season. His 1,037 passing yards rank third in the 
Ohio Valley Conference. Bunch is one of four quarterbacks in the OVC with over 1,000 passing yards in 2021. UT Martin's John Bachus (1,157), Austin Peay's Draylen Ellis (1,043) and Jacksonville State's Zion Webb (1,036) are the others.

Easter Weekend
All Ohio Valley Conference games will be contested on Saturday this weekend due to Easter. In addition to the Southeast Missouri at UT Martin matchup, Jacksonville State plays at Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State is at Tennessee Tech and Murray State visits Austin Peay Saturday.

Receptions Per Game
Zack Smith is now tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference in receptions per game. Smith and Austin Peay's DeAngelo Wilson share that spot with 5.7 catches per contest. 

Career-Best for Johnson
For the second time in three games, Lawrence Johnson notched double-digit tackles when he turned in a career-high 12 to against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). Johnson had nine solo tackles, forced a fumble and assisted on three other stops. His forced fumble early in the fourth quarter led to a 23-yard field goal that held up as the decisive score in the Redhawks win. Johnson ranks second on the team with 39 tackles this season.

Doak Decides It 
Kenny Doak kicked a 23-yard field goal with 10:28 remaining in the fourth quarter that ended up being the difference in Southeast Missouri's 24-21 win over Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). Doak did not miss a kick against the Golden Eagles with his field goal and 3-of-3 PATs.

PAT Streak 
Kenny Doak enters the weekend with a streak of 13-consecutive extra points. Doak has not missed a PAT since the 8:18 mark of the third quarter at Eastern Illinois on Feb. 28. He is 17-of-18 in extra points this year.

Hess Express
Geno Hess ran for 115 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in Southeast Missouri's double overtime loss to Austin Peay (Mar. 14). Hess carried the ball 38 times en route to his second 100-yard game of the season. He scored the game-tying touchdown on a 5-yard run to force overtime with 23 seconds left in regulation. Hess then gave SEMO a 42-35 lead with a 2-yard touchdown on the Redhawks first possession of overtime. 

Hess Leads the FCS in Rushing Touchdowns
Geno Hess leads the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with eight rushing touchdowns through six games this season. Hess scored multiple rushing touchdowns on two occasions in 2020. He ranks 13th nationally with 490 rushing yards, as well. 

OVC Second-Leading Rusher
Geno Hess is second in the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing with 80.2 yards per game. Hess also leads the conference in scoring (TDs) and ranks second in scoring with eight points per contest.

Mincey Gets First Sack
Brandon Mincey registered Southeast Missouri's first sack of the season against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 28). Mincey sacked Willie Miller for a loss of eight yards in the fourth quarter. SEMO went its first five games of the 2021 campaign without a sack prior to that play.

Clutch Catches
Zack Smith finished with five receptions for 41 yards vs. Austin Peay (Mar. 14). All of Smith's catches came on third or fourth down and resulted in Southeast Missouri moving the chains. Smith also returned three kickoffs for 70 yards. He then followed that up by establishing a career-high eight catches at Jacksonville State (Mar. 21). Smith leads the team with 34 receptions and 369 receiving yards.

About UT Martin
UT Martin enters Saturday's contest after splitting a pair of road contests at Austin Peay (W, 37-34) and Tennessee State (L, 26-24). The Skyhawks are last in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring averaging just 17.2 points per game. UTM is also last in the league in rushing offense with 65.4 yards per contest. Defensively, the Skyhawks are second in scoring defense giving up 19.2 points a game. John Bachus leads the conference with an average of 231.4 passing yards and ranks second with nine passing touchdowns.  

Top Two in Total Offense
This weekend's matchup features the Ohio Valley Conference's top two leaders in total offense. UT Martin's John Bachus leads the league with 227.2 yards per game and Andrew Bunch is second with 190.2. 

Red Zone Defense
Southeast Missouri boasts the top red zone defense in the Ohio Valley Conference this year. Opponents are 12-of-18 (66.7 pct.) against SEMO inside the 20-yard line. The Redhawks also forced two turnovers in the red zone. SEMO ranks 11th in the FCS in red zone defense, as well. 

Second in Scoring
Southeast Missouri ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring with 25.7 points per game. The Redhawks have scored over 40 points twice this year with a season-high 47 at Eastern Ilinois (Oct. 30).