In 2020-21, Southeast Missouri won its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Cup, the league's ultimate symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference-sponsored championships.
While competing in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic, the Redhawks celebrated a dominating spring season bolstered by first-place finishes in women's tennis, women's track & field, softball and baseball, and a second-place finish in men's track & field. SEMO also posted third-place finishes in women's basketball, soccer and volleyball. The Redhawks accumulated 119 points, 7.5 points ahead of second-place Belmont (111.5) to claim this year's OVC Commissioner's Cup.
Throughout the summer, we'll take a closer look at the most successful year in SEMO Athletics Division I history.
Football // Notes
• Due to a global COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Missouri played a condensed eight-game football schedule with seven Ohio Valley Conference matchups last spring
• SEMO finished with an overall record of 4-4 and fourth in the OVC with a 4-3 mark
• For the first time in its NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) era, SEMO posted a winning record in three consecutive seasons
• The Redhawks ranked in the STATS Perform Top-25 Poll two weeks during the season -- #21 (Feb. 22), #16 (Mar. 1)
• SEMO closed out the year on a three-game winning streak with a home victory over Tennessee Tech and road wins at UT Martin and Tennessee State
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Tom Matukewicz established new records for most wins (37) and most OVC wins (29) by a SEMO head coach in the program's NCAA Division I FCS era
• Statistically, SEMO was among the top three teams in the OVC in scoring offense (2nd, 27.6 ppg), scoring defense (3rd, 22.6 ppg allowed), rushing offense (2nd, 147.5 ypg), pass defense (2nd, 181.1 ypg allowed), pass defense efficiency (3rd, 108.0), kickoff returns (3rd, 20.1 ypr), interceptions (2nd, 10), punting (1st, 38.2 ypp), kickoff coverage (1st, 41.8 net avg.), fourth down conversions (1st, 11-of-17, 64.7 pct.), opponent fourth down conversions (1st, 9-of-25, 36 pct.), red zone offense (3rd, 29-of-35, 82.9 pct.) and red zone defense (1st, 18-of-27, 66.7 pct.)
• Nationally, the Redhawks rated among the top 10 in the FCS in blocked kicks (3rd, 4), blocked punts (5th, 2), defensive touchdowns (4th, 2), interceptions (4th, 10), red zone defense (8th) and turnovers gained (9th, 15)
• A total of eight players earned All-OVC honors –
Geno Hess (First-Team),
Zack Smith (First-Team),
Jaden Rosenthall (First-Team),
Bryson Donnell (First-Team),
Zach Haynes (First-Team),
Shyron Rodgers (Second-Team),
Omardrick Douglas (Second-Team),
Shabari Davis (Second-Team)
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Geno Hess led the OVC and FCS with 12 rushing touchdowns and finished first in the conference and ninth nationally in scoring with nine points per contest
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Zack Smith was the Redhawks top receiver with 38 catches for 403 yards and four touchdowns
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Geno Hess (Sophomore All-American) and
Zach Haynes (Freshman All-American) were named to the HERO Sports All-America teams
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Zach Haynes led the OVC and ranked 15th in the FCS with 42.2 yards per punt as a walk-on
• Walk-ons
Cleyton Gracie,
Zach Haynes,
Shamenski Rucker and
Adam Krause were awarded scholarships
