#20/22 Southeast Missouri (6-2, 2-0 OVC) at Tennessee State (3-5, 2-1 OVC)

Game Information
Date: November 5, 2022
Kickoff: 5 p.m., CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Facility: Nissan Stadium (69,143)
Surface: Natural Grass
Series: TSU leads, 15-14
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (48-51 overall; 47-51 at SEMO; 35-27 OVC). Eddie George (8-11 overall; 8-11 at TSU; 5-4 OVC).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN3 
Live Stats: TSUTigers.com
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

Redhawks Head to Tennessee State 
#20 Southeast Missouri (6-2, 2-0) returns to Ohio Valley Conference action when it visits Tennessee State (3-5, 2-1) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., CT at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

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 ESPN3. Live stats are available at TSUTigers.com and Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOFootball.

Series History
Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State meet for the 30th time Saturday. SEMO holds a slight 15-14 edge in the overall series. The Redhawks have won each of the last four matchups between the teams. Tom Matukewicz is 5-2 all-time against TSU.

Nissan Stadium
The Redhawks and Tigers will face each other at Nissan Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans. Southeast Missouri plays at the facility for the first time with Tom Matukewicz as its head coach. SEMO last played there in 2013 when the stadium was named LP Field. The venue, which seats 69,143, is the largest the Redhawks play in this season.

Road Winning Streak
Southeast Missouri carries a three-game road winning streak to the Music City this weekend. SEMO won at then-#17 Southern Illinois (34-31, Sept. 10), Lindenwood (49-28, Oct. 1) and Northwestern State (51-16, Oct. 22) during that stretch. A win Saturday will give the Redhawks their longest road winning streak since 2010.

The Chase is On
With his 3,339 rushing yards, Geno Hess needs just 54 more to break Southeast Missouri's all-time career rushing record. Kelvin "Earthquake" Anderson presently holds that spot with 3,392 yards from 1992-94. Hess registered his SEMO program-record third career 200-yard game at Northwestern State (207, Oct. 22). He needs two more 100-yard games to surpass Anderson (14, 1992-94) in that category, as well.

Redhawks in the Top-25
Southeast Missouri is ranked in both the Stats Perform and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches Top-25 Polls. The Redhawks are #22 in the Stats Perform and #20 in the Coaches Poll as of Oct. 31. SEMO is ranked in both Top-25 polls for the first time since 2019.
AFCA Coaches    Stats Perform
9/26    RV            9/26    #24
10/3    #25           10/3    #21
10/10    #21        10/10    #18
10/17    #18        10/17    #16
10/24  #14          10/24  #15
10/31    #20        10/31    #22

Flournoy Named OVC Newcomer of the Week
Ryan Flournoy finished with an Ohio Valley Conference single-game high 256 receiving yards and scored one touchdown on 15 receptions against Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 29). Flournoy averaged 17 yards per catch and picked up 58 yards after contact. He scored his team-high seventh receiving touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Paxton DeLaurent with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter. Flournoy's 256 receiving yards were the second-most by a SEMO player in program history. His 256 yards are also tied for third-most in the Football Championship Subdivision.

The Specialist
DC Pippin put together another flawless kicking performance en route to securing Ohio Valley Conference Specialist of the Week honors on Oct. 30. Pippin scored 11 points on 3-of-3 field goals and 2-of-2 extra points against Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 29). All of his field goals were from 28 yards out.

Norman Added to Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
Southeast Missouri sophomore linebacker Bryce Norman was one of 21 players added to the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award List on Oct. 20. Stats Perform presents the Buck Buchanan Award to the National Defensive Player of the Year in college football's Division I subdivision. He leads the team with 73 tackles and ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 9.1 per game. He also has 1.5 sacks, one interception, four pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown.

Winning Season
Southeast Missouri claimed its sixth winning season in its NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision history with its 51-16 victory over Northwestern State (Oct. 22). SEMO moved to the Division I ranks in 1991 and is in its 32nd season of FCS football. The Redhawks put together winning seasons in 1994 (7-5), 2002 (8-4), 2010 (9-3), 2018 (9-4) and 2019 (9-4). Tom Matukewicz earned his third winning season in his last five years as the Redhawks head coach.

Ball Security
Southeast Missouri has not turned the ball over during three of its last four games and won the turnover battle by a +4 margin in that span. SEMO committed only seven turnovers in its first eight games and ranks 10th in the nation in turnovers lost. The seven turnovers lost are fewest in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Hess Clears 3,000 Yards
Geno Hess ran for 88 yards and one touchdown against Tennessee Tech (Oct. 8). As a result, Hess became only the third player in Southeast Missouri football history to rush for over 3,000 yards. His 3,339 yards rank only behind Kelvin Anderson (3,392, 1992-94).

Season-Highs
The Redhawks established season-highs in points (51), and rushing yards (418) in their win at Northwestern State (Oct. 22). Southeast Missouri totaled 619 yards of offense in the road game following its bye. The 418 rushing yards ranks third all-time in SEMO's Division I era. It's the most since the Redhawks gained 380 yards in their Ohio Valley Conference opener vs. Tennessee State in 2021. SEMO's season-high of 684 total yards achieved at Lindenwood (Oct. 1) are the second-most in a game during the program's Division I era.

Sack Attack
Southeast Missouri recorded multiple sacks in six of its last seven contests. SEMO finished with a season-best five at Lindenwood (Oct. 1). The Redhawks rank second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 20 sacks. SEMO already matched its season-total in 11 games during the 2021 campaign through eight contests this year. Keandre Booker leads the Redhawks with four sacks for a loss of 23 yards.

OVC Picture
The Redhawks and UT Martin are tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Southeast Missouri is 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the league, and UTM is 5-3 and 3-0 in the conference. The rest of SEMO's OVC slate, which includes Tennessee State (3-5, 2-1), Eastern Illinois (2-6, 1-2) and Murray State (1-8, 1-3) are a combined 6-19 overall and 4-6 in the OVC. The Redhawks and Skyhawks do not play each other this season.

Weeks in Top-25
Southeast Missouri has been ranked in either the Stats Perform or AFCA Coaches Top-25 Polls a total of 24 weeks during Tom Matukewicz's tenure as the Redhawks head coach. SEMO's highest ranking with Matukewicz at the helm was 12th (2019) in the Stats Perform Media Poll and 13th (2019) in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

Touchdown Streak
First-year Southeast Missouri wide receiver Ryan Flournoy has caught a touchdown pass in six-straight games. Flournoy had a 4-yard touchdown reception at #17 Southern Illinois (Sept. 10), an 18-yard touchdown catch vs. Nicholls (Sept. 17), a season-long 62-yard touchdown reception vs. Central Arkansas (Sept. 24), 12 and 4-yard touchdown receptions vs. Tennessee Tech (Oct. 8), a 19-yard touchdown at Norhwestern State (Oct. 22) and a 4-yard catch vs. Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 29).

32 in a Row
Kicker DC Pippin has not missed an extra point in his Southeast Missouri career. Pippin is a perfect 32-of-32 in PATs dating back to last season. He made 30-of-30 through eight games in 2022 and is tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference in PAT kicking percentage.

This is Our House!
Southeast Missouri has won 19 of its last 25 games at Houck Field dating back to the start of the 2018 season. SEMO finished with a winning record on its home field four of the last five seasons. The Redhawks also had a 12-game home winning streak in that stretch which ended on Mar. 7, 2021.

Matukewicz Fourth All-Time in Wins 
Southeast Missouri Head Coach Tom Matukewics ranks fourth all-time in program history with 47 wins. Matukewicz is the 13th head coach in SEMO's football tenure.
Kenneth Knox (1952-67)    88
Abe Stuber (1932-46)    72
Jim Lohr (1974-83)    52
Tom Matukewicz (2014-present)    47

Top-10 in the FCS
As a team, Southeast Missouri ranks among the top-10 in the Football Championship Subdivision blocked punts allowed (1st, 0), punt return defense (1st, -1.80), fumbles lost (7th, 2), sacks allowed (7th, 0.88), turnovers lost (10th, 7) and total offense (8th, 479.4). Individually, Dalyn McDonald ranks among the top-10 kick return TDs (7th, 1); Paxton DeLaurent fifth in total offense (318.9 ypg); Johnny King is eighth in receptions per game (6.9), Ryan Flournoy is 10th in receiving yards per game (95.1), Geno Hess is ninth in rushing yards (918) and ninth in rushing yards per carry (6.95); and Garrett Todd is third in punt return TDs (1).

Atop the OVC
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing offense (196.4 ypg), rushing defense (107.1 ypg allowed), kickoff returns (22.3 ypr) and PAT kicking (33-of-33, 1.00). Individually, Geno Hess is first in the OVC in rushing (114.8 ypg) and all-purpose yards (126.6 ypg), Johnny King tops the league in receptions per game (6.9), DC Pippin is first in field goals (13-of-18, 1.6 per game) and PAT kicking percentage (30-of-30, 1.00) and Dalyn McDonald is first in punt return average (6.3 ypr) and kick return average (26.4 ypr).

Season 118
The 2022 campaign is Southeast Missouri's 118th season of college football. SEMO is in its 32nd season at the NCAA Division Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 135-221 with two Ohio Valley Conference titles (2010, 2019) and three NCAA Playoff appearances (2010, 2018, 2019) as a Division I program.

Matukewicz Momentum
Tom Matukewicz is in his ninth year as Southeast Missouri's head coach in 2022. With a total of 47 wins and 35 in Ohio Valley Conference play, Matukewicz has more victories than any head head coach in SEMO's NCAA Division I era. He also guided the Redhawks to one OVC title (2019) and two FCS Playoff appearances (2018, 2019). Matukewicz is 47-51 and 35-27 in the OVC as SEMO's head coach.

32 Wins
Since the start of the 2018 season, Southeast Missouri accumulated 32 wins, most in the Ohio Valley Conference during that span. UT Martin is next with 26 victories. Murray State (21), Tennessee State (16), Tennessee Tech (14) and Eastern Illinois (8) round out the league.

NFL Watch
Several NFL teams have visited Cape Girardeau to check out the Redhawks. Twenty-four teams, including the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys have stopped by practices. Southeast Missouri's players getting looks are Geno Hess (RB), Johnny King (WR), Ryan Flournoy (WR), Shyron Rodgers (OL), Lawrence Johnson (DB), Trai Hodges (DB), LaWilliam Holmes (DL), Jordan Cole (OLB) and Damoriea Vick (WR).

Redhawks Establish Partnership to Sack Hunger During 2022 Football Season
The Southeast Missouri Department of Athletics is teaming up with the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, Sikeston Jaycees, TAG Truck Center and Ford & Liley Countertops to Sack Hunger this upcoming 2022 football season. For every quarterback sack against opposing teams this year, Sikeston Jaycees, TAG Truck Center and Ford & Liley Countertops will each donate $100 to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank. Every $1 donated to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank provides four meals, which means each Redhawk sack will supply 1,200 meals to families facing hunger in the southeast Missouri region. River Radio, the official radio broadcast partner of SEMO Athletics, will also support the campaign by airing public service announcements during Redhawk football broadcasts throughout the 2022 campaign. Fans who wish to join the Redhawks in the fight against hunger can donate to the Southeast Missouri Food Bank at SEMOFoodBank.org.

Championship Culture
Southeast Missouri Athletics has reached unprecedented success. Since the start of the 2019 calendar year, Redhawk teams have won a combined 17 Ohio Valley Conference titles, most in the league in that stretch. Nine of SEMO's 10 head coaches have won OVC Coach of the Year honors along the way. In 2020-21, the Redhawks claimed the OVC Commissioner's Cup for the first time ever.