#7 Southern Illinois vs. Southeast Missouri

Game Information
Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo. 
Facility: Houck Field (10.000)
Surface: FieldTurf
Series: SEMO leads, 42-38-8
Last Meeting: SIU 20, SEMO 17 (Oct. 30, 2021 | Carbondale, Ill.)
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (38-42 overall; 37-42 at SEMO; 29-25 OVC). Nick Hill (23-32 overall; 23-32 at SIU).

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

Redhawks Kick Off Season Thursday
Southeast Missouri opens its 2021 season when it hosts longtime rival and #7 Southern Illinois Thursday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., CT at Houck Field.

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

Black Out
Thursday's matchup between Southeast Missouri and #7 Southern Illinois will be a BLACK OUT. Fans are encouraged to wear black to support the Redhawks as they begin their 2021 season.

Season 117
The 2021 campaign is Southeast Missouri's 117th season of college football. The Redhawks begin their 31st season at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. SEMO joined the FCS in 1991 and is 126-213 with two Ohio Valley Conference titles (2010, 2019) and three NCAA Playoff appearances (2010, 2018, 2019) as a Division I program.

Season-Openers
Southeast Missouri is 10-20 all-time in season-openers during its NCAA Division I era. SEMO and Southern Illinois meet for the 15th time in a season-opening game. The Redhawks are 5-9 in such contests.

Home-Openers
The Redhawks are 18-12 all-time in home-openers during their NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision tenure. Southeast Missouri is 4-3 in home-openers under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. SEMO won its home-opener in two of the last three seasons.

Tough Test Immediately
Southern Illinois comes to Cape Girardeau ranked seventh in this year's STATS Perform Media and 10th in the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches Preseason Polls. It marks the first time in 16 years where Southeast Missouri will kick off a season against a Top-10 FCS opponent. SIU was also SEMO's last Top-10 season-opening foe on Sept. 1, 2005. The then-#5 Salukis won, 58-23, on Sept. 1 at Houck Field that year. SEMO faces a Top-10 opponent in each of its first two weeks of the 2021 campaign. The other is reigning National Champion and #1 Sam Houston State on Sept. 11.

Against Top-10 FCS Teams
The Redhawks are 3-12 against Top-10 Football Championship Subdivision opponents since 2004. Two of those victories came at Houck Field.
9/2/04    at #2 Southern Illinois    L, 3-42
9/1/05    #5 Southern Illinois    L, 23-58
11/21/09    #1 Southern Illinois    L, 24-42
9/18/10    at #5 Southern Illinois    W, 24-21
11/13/10    at #6 Jacksonville State    L, 27-29
12/4/10    at #1 Eastern Washington    L, 17-37
10/19/13    at #3 Eastern Illinois    L, 33-55
9/20/14    #3 Southeastern Louisiana    W, 24-23
11/22/14    #3 Jacksonville State    L, 30-49
11/14/15    at #1 Jacksonville State    L, 28-56
11/5/16    #2 Jacksonville State    L, 10-17
10/28/17    at #3 Jacksonville State    L, 7-23
10/20/18    #4 Jacksonville State    W, 37-14
12/1/18    at #3 Weber State    L, 23-48
3/21/21    at #8 Jacksonville State    L, 3-21

The Rivalry
This year is the 89th meeting between Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois in a series that dates back to 1909 when the teams crossed the Mississippi River by boat to play. The game is now known as the "War for the Wheel" in reference to the ship's wheel trophy which goes to the winner. The wheel currently resides in Carbondale after the Salukis won on a last second field goal last season. SEMO leads the all-time series by a count of 42-38-8.

Winning Streak
Southeast Missouri carries a three-game winning streak into its 2021 season. SEMO finished last spring strong with a home win over Tennessee Tech (24-21, Mar. 28) and road victories at UT Martin (21-16, Apr. 3) and Tennessee State (46-23, Apr. 11).

Redhawks Second in OVC Preseason Poll
The Redhawks were picked second in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll announced July 19. Southeast Missouri received 60 points and three first-place votes in the poll selected by OVC Head Coaches and Communication Directors. Murray State is this year's preseason favorite. Austin Peay shared the second-place spot with SEMO. Here is the complete 2021 OVC Preseason Poll:
Team (First-Place Votes)    Pts.
1.    Murray State (14)     64 
2.    Austin Peay (4)    60
       Southeast Missouri (3)    60
4.    UT Martin    38
5.    Tennessee State    32
6.    Tennessee Tech    28
7.    Eastern Illinois    12

Brickyard Game
Thursday's season-opener against #7 Southern Illinois 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. 

SEMO vs. Ranked FCS Opponents
Southeast Missouri is 8-28 against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents since 2004. The Redhawks are looking to end a three-game losing streak in such contests. SEMO 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).

Short Turnaround
The Redhawks completed an abbreviated eight-game 2020-21 season on Apr. 11, 2021. Southeast Missouri played a seven-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule last spring due to a global COVID-19 pandemic. Thursday's matchup against #7 Southern Illinois is exactly 144 days from when SEMO ended its 2020-21 campaign with a 46-23 road win at Tennessee State.

22 Wins
Southeast Missouri has won a combined 22 games over its last three seasons, most in the Ohio Valley Conference during that stretch. The Redhawks put together a 22-12 record after going 9-4 in both 2018 and 2019, and 4-4 a year ago. SEMO also won the OVC title in 2019 and made the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs twice (2018, 2019) since the 2018 campaign. 

Matukewicz vs. Southern Illinois
Tom Matukewicz is 3-4 all-time against Southern Illinois, the school where he worked as an assistant coach from 2001-07. Two of Matukewicz's three wins over the Salukis came in the final 25 seconds of the game. Southeast Missouri's 18-point win over SIU (44-26) in 2019 was the Redhawks largest margin of victory (+18) against the Salukis in 18 years.

Matukewicz vs. Hill
Sixth-year Southern Illinois Head Coach Nick Hill was the starting quarterback when Tom Matukewicz was an assistant coach on Jerry Kill's staff at SIU. Hill played for the Salukis from 2005-07. All three of those teams Hill was on made the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Matukewicz's Redhawks and Hill's Salukis have met on five occasions. Hill holds a slight 3-2 edge against Matukewicz in those matchups.

More Ties to SIU
Current Southeast Missouri Assistant Head Coach and Tight Ends Coach Justin Kramer was teammates with Nick Hill at Southern Illinois. Kramer played on the Salukis' offensive line from 2002-05 and was part of two Missouri Valley Football Conference titles (2004, 2005) and three NCAA Playoff appearances (2004, 2005, 2006) during his career.

Receiving Votes
Southeast Missouri received three votes in this year's STATS Perform Preseason Poll. SEMO has been ranked in either the FCS STATS Perform Media or AFCA Coaches Polls a total of 19 weeks with Tom Matukewicz at the helm. The last time the Redhawks were a Top-25 team was on Mar. 1, 2021 (#16 in STATS Perform Media Poll).

Roster Talk
The Redhawks begin their 2021 campaign with a 96-man roster which consists of 30 seniors, six graduate students, 22 juniors, 23 sophomores and 21 freshmen. Southeast Missouri also returns 15 starters, including eight on offense and seven on defense. 

Matukewicz Momentum
Tom Matukewicz enters his eighth year as Southeast Missouri's head coach in 2021. With a total of 37 wins and 29 in Ohio Valley Conference play, Matukewicz has the most victories of any head coach in SEMO's NCAA Division I era. He has also guided the Redhawks to one OVC title (2019) and two Football Championship Subdivision Playoff appearances (2018, 2019). Matukewicz is 37-42 and 29-25 as SEMO's head coach. He will assume the role of defensive coordinator in addition to his head coaching position this season.

Kicking Off
Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois meet for the 15th time in a season-opening game. SEMO is 5-9 in those contests and opens its season against SIU for the second-straight year.

Daunting Non-Conference Slate
The Redhawks have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. Southeast Missouri will face #7 Southern Illinois (Sept. 2) at home and both reigning FCS National Champion and #1 Sam Houston State (Sept 11), and Football Bowl Subdivision and Southeastern Conference member Missouri (Sept. 18) on the road. SEMO and Sam Houston State will play a home-and-home series with the Bearkats scheduled to return the trip to Cape Girardeau on Sept. 13, 2025. This year marks the first time in program history where the Redhawks will play the reigning FCS National Champion in a season.

Ogbonna Earns Starting Quarterback Job
Hutchinson Community College transfer CJ Ogbonna was named Southeast Missouri's starting quarterback on Aug. 22, a day after the Redhawks ended their preseason camp. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Ogbonna will make his first career NCAA Division I start under center when SEMO hosts longtime rival and #7 Southern Illinois Thursday. He spent the last two seasons at Hutchinson CC in Kansas. Ogbonna helped guide the Blue Dragons to the NJCAA National Championship. He completed 80 percent of his passes in five games. Ogbonna threw for 736 yards and eight touchdowns on 57-of-92 attempts his final junior college campaign. He edged Louisville transfer Christian Perez in a tight quarterback race during the preseason.

Transfer Quarterbacks
A transfer has started at quarterback in all seven of Southeast Missouri's season-opening games with Tom Matukewicz at the helm. Kyle Snyder (Ohio University, 2014), Tay Bender (Iowa Western, 2015), Jesse Hosket (East Central CC, 2016 & 2017), Daniel Santacaterina (Northern Illinois, 2018 & 2019) and Andrew Bunch (Nebraska, 2020-21) form that group. CJ Ogbonna will be the third junior college transfer to start as SEMO's quarterback under Matukewicz.

Preseason Honors 
Honors poured in for the Redhawks prior to the 2021 campaign. Bryson Donnell (DT), Omardrick Douglas (OLB), Zach Haynes (P), Geno Hess (RB), Shron Rodgers (OL), Jaden Rosenthall (OL) and Zack Smith (WR) each garnered Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference accolades. Hess was named to the STATS Perform Preseason All-America Team and both the Walter Payton Award and College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer of the Year Trophy Preseason Watch Lists. Meanwhile, Haynes was recently named to the FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List.

Another Program First
With its 4-3 mark in 2020-21, Southeast Missouri posted a winning record in Ohio Valley Conference play for the third-straight season. It marked the first time in program history where SEMO put together a winning conference season in three consecutive years. The Redhawks also finished with 6-2 and 7-1 league records in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

All Aboard the Hess Express!
Geno Hess is back as Southeast Missouri's tailback this season. Hess, a First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in 2020, led the Football Championship Subdivision with 12 rushing touchdowns. He ran for 666 yards on 137 carries in eight games and four starts. Hess averaged just under five yards per rush (4.9) and added two receptions out of the backfield. He ranked fourth among conference leaders and 15th in the FCS in rushing yards (82.1 ypg). Hess garnered Third-Team STATS Perform All-America honors and was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List this preseason.

Dynamic Duo
Southeast Missouri poses one of the top one-two punches in the Ohio Valley Conference with running backs Geno Hess and Zion Custis. Hess gained 1,305 yards and scored 18 touchdowns on 250 carries, and Custis ran for 1,209 yards and 13 touchdowns on 256 attempts to date.

Redhawk Graduates
A total of six Southeast Missouri players will be playing their 2021 season as graduates. Veterans Omardrick Douglas (OLB) and Zack Smith (WR) are both in their sixth year with the program. Shabari Davis (CB) returns for his fifth season and Terry Cook (OL) is back for his third year at SEMO. Maine transfer Kenny Doak (K) and Northern Illinois transfer Jordan Cole (OLB) are also in their final college football season with the Redhawks in 2021. 

Talented Wide Receivers
Southeast Missouri's wide receivers are as deep and talented as any team in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks bring back their top three pass catchers from last season in Zack Smith, Johnny King and Aaron Alston. Smith earned First-Team All-OVC accolades and was named his team's Most Valuable Player during a breakout 2020 campaign. He led the Redhawks with 38 catches for 403 yards and four touchdowns, while averaging 50.4 yards per game and 10.6 yards per reception a year ago. King and Alston are expected to complement Smith in SEMO's three-receiver sets. King rated second on the team with 31 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns. Despite missing the final two weeks of the spring with an ankle injury, Alston managed to finish third on the team in receptions (18), receiving yards (256) and receiving yards per game (42.7).

Defensive Outlook
In addition to his job as head coach, Tom Matukewicz will take over as defensive coordinator this season following the departure of Bryce Saia. Saia resigned following the 2020 campaign after working seven years as SEMO's defensive coordinator. Mike Matthews (ILB), Omardrick Douglas (OLB), Lawrence Johnson (SS), Shabari Davis (CB), Bryson Donnell (DT), LaWilliam Holmes (DT) and Brandon Mincey (ILB) are the returning starters on the defensive side. Johnson (55), Matthews (45), Mincey (42) and Donnell (41) were SEMO's top four tacklers in 2020. Donnell claimed First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors and Douglas was a Second-Team selection last spring.

From Walk-On to Scholarship
A trio of Southeast Missouri walk-ons were awarded scholarships prior to the 2021 season. Kicker/punter Adam Krause and running back Shamenski Rucker received their scholarships during the offseason, while quarterback Patrick Maddox was given his on the final day of the Redhawks preseason camp (Aug. 21). A total of 18 walk-ons have earned scholarships during Tom Matukewicz's eight years as SEMO's head coach. 

Solid Special Teams
The Redhawks return everyone on special team with the exception of their long snapper. Zach Haynes, named to the FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch list, had a brilliant debut  last season. He earned First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors after topping the league and rating 15th in the FCS with 42.2 yards per punt. Haynes punted 36 times for 1,521 yards and dropped 15 of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Adam Krause is back at holder and SEMO brings back both Shabari Davis and Zack Smith, its top two return men. Davis was a Second-Team All-OVC pick as a punt returner in 2020. Place kicker Kenny Doak also returns after finishing second on the team in scoring with 40 points on 5-of-9 field goals and 25-of-27 PATs.

Know that I'm Wearing "O"
Starting outside linebacker Omardrick Douglas is the first player in Southeast Missouri football history to wear the number zero on his jersey. It is the third number Douglas will don in his career. He was also listed on the roster at numbers 52 and 4 previously in his career.

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.

Personnel File
Three new coaches joined Southeast Missouri's football staff ahead of the 2021 season. Cooper Bassett (offensive line), Nate Dreiling (defensive run game coordinator/inside linebackers) and Issac Reed (running backs) begin their first Football Championship Subdivision coaching jobs this year. Bassett worked the last four years as offensive line coach at NCAA Division II West Texas A&M. Dreiling joins the Redhawks after spending the 2020 campaign as defensive analyst at the University of Oregon. And, Reed previously worked the last season as running backs coach at the University of Buffalo.