CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri's backfield features one of the nation's best in senior Geno Hess and he is leaving a lasting impression in his program's record book.
 
The 2022 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a member of three All-America teams this preseason, Hess is 971 yards away from becoming SEMO's all-time leading rusher and five touchdowns from breaking the school's career rushing touchdowns mark.
 
Hess is chasing Kelvin Anderson's 3,392 rushing yards, a record that has stood for 28 years. Anderson played with the Redhawks from 1992-94. Meanwhile, Walter Smallwood (1965-68) holds the program's record of 36 career rushing touchdowns. Hess is sixth behind Anderson on the career rushing list with 2,421 yards and second behind Smallwood with 32 touchdowns.
 
"Geno has had a lot of experience as a Redhawk and he has done an excellent job of being a leader," said Running Backs Coach Luke Berblinger. "He worked hard this summer and I'm excited to see what he can do this year."
 
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Hess is among 35 players on the 2022 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. He was the OVC's leading rusher with 1,116 yards, 14 touchdowns and 111.6 yards per game a year ago. Hess earned First-Team All-OVC honors and landed on three All-America teams along the way. In addition, he ran for over 100 yards each of his final five games of the 2021 campaign.
 
Including the upcoming 2022 season, Hess has two years of eligibility remaining.
 
Complementing Hess at tailback is junior Shamenski Rucker.
 
Rucker, who hails from Lawrenceville, Georgia was second on the team among running backs with 348 yards and three touchdowns last season. He ran for 110 yards in the first 100-yard game of his career during a victory over then-#8 UT Martin.
 
"Shamenski is consistent. He catches the ball well and got stronger in the offseason," said Berblinger. "He does a lot of things well and brings a different element to our running game."
 
Junior Q'Nairies Anderson and redshirt-freshmen Keveon Robbins and Dylan Schnitzler are the other returnees.
 
Anderson finished with 96 yards and had SEMO's longest offensive play with a 75-yard touchdown run at Missouri in 2021.
 
Transfers Devin Wills and Darrell Smith, and true freshman Amehre Morrison complete this year's running backs.
 
Wills played the last two seasons at Missouri Baptist. He ran for 105 yards and one touchdown a year ago. 
 
Smith joins the Redhawks from the College of Dupage. He was named the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Player of the Year and First-Team NJCAA All-American. Smith led Division III in rushing with 914 yards and four touchdowns on 130 carries. 
 
"Everyone is going to have a role," commented Berblinger. "We want to be able to run the football and have a good offensive line blocking for us. We look for multiple players to make an impact so we can put our team in the best position to win."
 
SEMO boasted the OVC's second-best rushing offense with 195.1 yards per game in 2021.