CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri (3-1) used a 21-point second quarter to fuel a 35-27 win over Central Arkansas (1-3) on a hot Saturday afternoon at Houck Field.
 
After SEMO got on the board first with a defensive touchdown, both teams combined for 38 points in the second quarter.
 
Henry Pickens III put a big hit on UCA quarterback Will McElvain on the Bears' third play of the game. McElvain fumbled on the play and Bryce Norman picked up the ball and ran three yards into the end zone putting the Redhawks ahead, 7-0, with 9:44 left in the first quarter.
 
It was then a shootout during the next 15 minutes of the contest.
 
UCA tied the game with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Kylin James to Jarrod Barnes. McElvain threw to James before his heave landed in the hands of Barnes. 
 
Paxton DeLaurent ran for six yards and pitched the ball. After the ball bounced off the turf, T.D. Williams recovered and dashed 85 yards to give UCA a 14-7 advantage.
 
On the second play of SEMO's ensuing possession, DeLaurent hit Ryan Flournoy in stride for a 62-yard touchdown to quickly tie the game at 14-14.
 
A 28-yard pass from DeLaurent to Will Weidemann moved SEMO to the UCA 17-yardline. Two plays later, DeLaurent threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Johnny King regaining a 21-14 lead for the Redhawks with just over four minutes left in the second quarter.
 
Hayden Ray's 28-yard field goal made it a 21-17 game, but Dalyn McDonald returned the next kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to grab SEMO a 28-17 halftime lead.
 
The first half ended with Ray's 34-yard field goal attempt clanking off the left upright.
 
UCA was within a possession twice in the second half, but SEMO held off the Bears.
 
Ray kicked a 38-yard field goal to narrow the margin to 28-20 with 9:17 to go in the third quarter.
 
SEMO, however, manufactured a 12-play, 61-yard drive capped by an 11-yard run by DeLaurent that extended the Redhawks lead to 35-20.
 
UCA answered with a 1-yard touchdown by Darius Hale to pull within eight points again.
 
Following a SEMO punt, UCA had one last chance, but the Redhawk defense forced the Bears off the field in three plays. 
SEMO ran out the final 2:39 of the game en route to its third-straight victory.
 
DeLaurent completed 17-of-31 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while Geno Hess ran for 123 yards on 20 carries. Hess averaged 6.2 yards per carry and ran for 100 or more yards for the 11th time in his career.
 
As a team, SEMO finished with 457 total yards and limited UCA to only 16 rushing yards. The 16 yards were the fifth fewest in a game the Redhawks held their opponent to during their FCS era. 
 
McDonald added 182 kick return yards as his 97-yard touchdown tied for the second longest kick return for a touchdown in program history. 
 
Lawrence Johnson, Norman and Ty Leonard paved the way for SEMO's defense. Johnson had 10 tackles, while Norman and Leonard followed with eight each Norman also scored the first touchdown of his career, added a half-sack, recovered a fumble and notched two breakups.
 
SEMO improved to 7-1 in Family Weekend games under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. Additionally, the Redhawks are on a three-game winning streak for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 spring campaign.