#11 Southeast Missouri at #16 Kansas State

Game Information
Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Facility: Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50.000)
Surface: AstroTurf RootZone 3D3
Series: First Meeting
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (51-52 Overall; 50-52 at SEMO; 38-27 OVC). Chris Klieman (102-33 Overall; 30-20 at K-State; 20-16 Big 12).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: Big 12 Now/ESPN+ (Mark Neely, Adam Breneman, Tori Petry)
Live Stats: KStateSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

It's Showtime
Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Champion #11 Southeast Missouri kicks off its 2023 season at reigning Big 12 Conference Champion #16 Kansas State Saturday. Start time is set for 6 p.m., CT
at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will be on the call. Video can be accessed online at Big12Now/ESPN+ (Mark Neely, Adam Breneman, Tori Petry). Live stats are available at KStateSports.com and Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOFootball.

Season-Openers
Southeast Missouri is 10-22 all-time in season-openers during its NCAA Division I era. SEMO is 2-7 in such games under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. Five of those season-opening losses were to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents on the road.

Season 119
The 2023 campaign is the Redhawks 119th season of college football. Southeast Missouri is in its 33rd season at the NCAA Division Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 139-222 with three Ohio Valley Conference titles (2010, 2019, 2022) and four NCAA Playoff appearances (2010, 2018, 2019, 2022) as a Division I program.

Series History
Southeast Missouri faces Kansas State for the first time in 2023. KSU is only the third opponent out of the Big 12 Conference SEMO plays in its program history. The Redhawks also played Iowa State in 2022 and Kansas in both 2014 and 2017. SEMO is 0-3 all-time vs. Big 12 teams with all those meetings under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.

Ranked Power Five Opponent
#16 Kansas State marks just the second ranked Power Five team the Redhawks will square off against. The only other time Southeast Missouri faced a ranked Power Five team was in 2008 at #6 Missouri. SEMO fell, 52-3, to the Tigers during week two of that season.

Big South-OVC Association Preseason Favorite
Southeast Missouri is this year's Big South- OVC Association Preseason Favorite. SEMO accumulated 96 points and six first-place nods in the voting by Big South and Ohio Valley Conference Head Coaches. The Redhawks are coming off a 9-3 season which saw them claim a share of the OVC regular-season title and advance to the FCS Playoffs.

Association Creation
On February 22, 2022, the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of an association of their football member institutions, to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I football season and have an initial term of at least four years. The unique agreement combines the two conferences' football membership to ensure NCAA championship access and stability for the multisport conferences. Schools comprising the association are Bryant, Charleston Southern, Eastern Illinois, Gardner-Webb, Lindenwood, Robert Morris, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. Western Illinois will join the association beginning with the 2024 season. SEMO's six-game conference schedule will include four matchups with OVC schools and two with Big South schools.

Preseason Ranked
The Redhawks are ranked as high as #9 entering the 2023 season. Southeast Missouri was ranked in four Top-25 polls this preseason. SEMO was #9 in the Athlon Sports, #11 in the HERO Sports, #12 in the Stats Perform and #13 in the FCS Coaches preseason polls. The preseason rankings are the highest SEMO achieved in each poll in program history.

Redhawks in the Top-25
Southeast Missouri has been ranked a total of 28 weeks in either the FCS Stats Perform Media or American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches Top-25 Polls under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. SEMO begins 2023 with a preseason ranking of #11 in the Coaches and #12 in the Media polls, respectively.

AFCA Coaches                 Stats Perform
8/14 #11                            8/7 #12

Kansas Born
Saturday's season-opener at Kansas State means something extra special for Southeast Missouri Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. Matukewicz is from Silver Lake, Kansas, less than 45 miles away
from Manhattan. Matukewicz grew up idolizing the Kansas State football program and has always admired the way the Wildcats go about their business. He returns to his home state for the third time to coach against a FBS school during his time as the Redhawks head coach. Matukewicz also coached at Kansas in both the 2014 and 2017 seasons.

Reunited in Manhattan
Tom Matukewicz and Kansas State running backs coach Brian Anderson coached together at both Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. At SIU, Matukewicz coached the linebackers and was the Salukis' run game coordinator, and Anderson coached the wide receivers and return men from 2001-07. Matukewicz (Run Game Coordinator, Interim Head Coach, Linebackers) and Anderson (Tight Ends) were then on the NIU staff from 2008-10.

Preseason All-Americans
Five Southeast Missouri players earned Preseson All-America honors in 2023. Wide receiver Ryan Flournoy (Phil Steele, Stats Perform, Bluebloods), offensive lineman Zack Gieg (Athlon Sports,
HERO Sports, Phil Steele, Stats Perform, Bluebloods), safety Lawrence Johnson (Athlon Sports, HERO Sports, Stats Perform, Phil Steele, Bluebloods), running back Geno Hess (HERO Sports, Phil Steele, Stats Perform, Bluebloods) and inside linebacker Bryce Norman (Phil Steele, Stats Perform, Bluebloods) all landed spots on multiple All-America teams.

Hess Named to Stats Perform
Walter Payton Award Watch List Graduate running back Geno Hess is among 35 players named to the 2023 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, Presented by FedEx Ground. A native of Peoria, Illinois, Hess was a finalist for the award in each of the last two seasons. The Walter Payton Award is given annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. Hess finished fifth in the overall voting in 2022, the highest finish in the voting by an Ohio Valley Conference player since Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garropolo won the honor in 2013. All 15 FCS conferences, which combine to form 13 leagues, are represented on the watch list, which includes 12 past finalists.

Norman and Johnson Make Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
Junior inside linebacker Bryce Norman and graduate defensive back Lawrence Johnson are among 35 players on the 2023 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List, Presented by FedEx Ground. Norman, who hails from Jackson, Missouri, was a finalist for the distinguished award in 2022. Johnson, a native of St. Louis, makes the list for the first time in his career. The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football. All 15 FCS conferences, which combine to form 13 leagues, are represented on the watch list, including 13 past finalists.

Flournoy on Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List
Southeast Missouri wide receiver Ryan Flournoy is one of three Big South-OVC Association players on the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List. The Reese's Senior Bowl is the nation's most prestigious college all-star game and it annually serves as the first step in the NFL Draft Process. The 2024 Reese's Senior Bowl will be played on Feb. 3 in Mobile, Alabama and broadcast on the NFL Network. The 11th Annual Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List seeks to identify the "best of the best" draft prospects at every level of college football for the 2024 NFL Draft. All 720 position players (non-specialists) who made the list were evaluated by the Senior Bowl staff and tape-based grades were logged. Flournoy earned First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors after catching 61 passes for 984 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. SEMO has had only one player in its program history play in the Reese's Senior Bowl and that was fellow wide receiver Paul McRoberts in 2016.

Hess and Johnson on East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 List
Running back Geno Hess and defensive back Lawrence Johnson represent Southeast Missouri on this year's East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 List. Every year, approximately 1000 all-star eligible players are drafted, signed after the draft, or attend a rookie mini-camp. The Shrine Bowl 1000 aims to serve as a look into the scouting process, as well as begin to preview college players who are currently all-star game eligible for the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2024 NFL Draft Class. The East-West Shrine Bowl is a best-in-class all-star event that will take place at the Dallas Cowboys Facility in Frisco, Texas on Feb. 1, 2024. Players will be coached by NFL coaches, in an NFL facility, and will have access to NFL-level resources, facilities, player-friendly schedules, and opportunities at the highest level. SEMO has never had a player participate in the East-West Shrine Game.

Year 10 for Matukewicz
Tom Matukewicz, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, is in his 10th season as Southeast Missouri's head coach. Matukewicz has 50 total wins and 38 OVC victories, most of any head coach during the Redhawks NCAA Division I era. He also guided SEMO to a program record two OVC titles (2019, 2022), three NCAA FCS Playoff appearances (2018, 2019, 2022) and eight wins over ranked FCS opponents.

Johnson and Hess Back for Sixth Year 
Graduate safety Lawrence Johnson and graduate running back Geno Hess are back for their sixth season with the Redhawks in 2023. Johnson and Hess both graduated with degrees in Corporate Communications last fall. Johnson (47) and Hess (46) have currently played a combined 93 games in their strong Southeast Missouri careers.

All Aboard the Hess Express
Geno Hess enters the 2023 season 1,038 yards away from breaking the Ohio Valley Conference all-time career rushing record. Hess is Southeast Missouri's all-time leading rusher with 4,112 yards. Eastern Kentucky's Markus Thomas presently holds the record with 5,149 yards from 1989-92. Hess also owns SEMO career records in rushing attempts (689), rushing touchdowns (53), most 100-yard games (17), most 200-yard games (4), points scored (330) and total touchdowns (55). He is the OVC's all-time leading scorer, as well.

Approaching 200 Tackles
Starting inside linebacker Bryace Norman is 15 tackles away from 200 in his career. Norman, a Preseason All-American and Buck Buchanan Award candidate, led Southeast Missouri in tackles each of his first two seasons as a Redhawk. He finished with 119 as the Ohio Valley Conference's second-leading tackler. The year before that, Norman registered 66 stops and enters the 2023 campaign with 185 career tackles.

Roster Breakdown
Southeast Missouri's 2023 roster sits at 106 players with 21 seniors, three graduates, 17 juniors, 36 sophomores and 32 freshmen. SEMO returns 14 starters, including six on offense and eight on defense. On defense, the Redhawks have nine players back who started six or more games in 2022.

100-Yard Man
Geno Hess ran for over 100 yards in seven of his last nine starts at running back. Hess has gained 100 or more yards a Southeast Missouri career record 17 times. He has surpassed 200 yards on four occasions, also a program record. Additionally, Hess broke the school and Ohio Valley Conference single-game rushing record with his 317-yard effort vs. Murray State on Nov. 19, 2022.

2022 FCS Scoring Leader
Geno Hess became the first Southeast Missouri player to finish a season as the Football Championship Subivision's leading scorer. Hess averaged 11.5 points per game and scored a total of 138 in 12 starts during the 2022 campaign. It was the most points scored by a FCS player in a season since Kennesaw State's Chandler Burks accumulated 174 points in 2018.

Taking it to the House
To put up points, you have to score a lot of touchdowns and Geno Hess has certainly done that during his decorated career at Southeast Missouri. Hess has scored multiple touchdowns 14 times in his career had has crossed the goal line on two or more occasions in each of his last four starts. Hess' career-high is four rushing touchdowns done three times. His last four-touchdown game was vs. Murray State on Nov. 19, 2022. Hess has 53 rushing touchdowns and 55 total touchdowns in his career. Both are SEMO program records. His 330 points scored are also a progra best.

Nine-Win Seasons
Southeast Missouri completed its 2022 season with a 9-3 record. It marked only the fourth time in its NCAA Division I tenure where SEMO won nine games. The Redhawks also had nine wins in 2010 (9-3), 2018 (9-4) and 2019 (9-4). Three of those nine-win campaigns have come with Tom Matukewicz at the helm.

Weeks in Top-25
Southeast Missouri has been ranked in either the Stats Perform or AFCA Coaches Top-25 Polls a total of 28 weeks during Tom Matukewicz's tenure as the Redhawks head coach. SEMO matched its highest in-season ranking with Matukewicz at the helm when it was ranked 12th in the Nov. 21, 2022 AFCA Coaches Poll. The Redhawks also ranked 12th (Stats Perform Poll) in 2019.

Talking Streaks
The Redhawks have scored in 41 consecutive games, third-longest streak of that kind in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast Missouri has scored over 20 points in 11-straight contests dating back to the 2022 campaign.

Transfer Quarterbacks
A transfer has started at quarterback in all 10 of Southeast Missouri's season- opening games with Tom Matukewicz at the helm. Kyle Snyder (Ohio University, 2014), Tay Bender (Iowa Western CC, 2015), Jesse Hosket (East Central CC, 2016, 2017), Daniel Santacaterina (Northern Illinois, 2018, 2019), Andrew Bunch (Nebraska, 2021 spring), CJ Ogbonna (Hutchinson CC, 2021 fall) and Paxton DeLaurent (Central Methodist, 2022, 2023) form that group. DeLaurent will start under center for the second year in a row in 2023. He was named Ohio Valley Newcomer of the Week a league-high six times in his first NCAA Division I season a year ago. DeLaurent, who was also named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team, completed 210-of-344 passes for 2,684 yards and 19 touchdowns in 10 starts during 2022.

Five and Counting
The Redhawks have posted winning records in Ohio Valley Conference a program record five-straight seasons. Last year, Southeast Missouri finished 5-0 in league play en route to claiming a share of the conference title. It was the first time in program history where the Redhawks went undefeated in OVC action.

Reigning Rimington Award Winner 
Zack Gieg became only the third player in Southeast Missouri history to win the Rimington Award in 2022. The Rimington Award goes annually to the top center in the Football Championship Subdivision, Eugen Amano (2003) and Sean Middleton (2010) are the other Redhawks to win the prestigious honor. Gieg is in his third year as SEMO's starting center after coming to Cape Girardeau from Fresno State.

Thanks for Stopping By
Nine NFL teams visited Cape Girardeau to check out the Redhawks ahead of the 2023 season. Those teams include the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, San Franciso 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Redhawks Pick Up Game at North Dakota State for 2025 
Southeast Missouri will face nine-time Football Championship Subdivision National Champion North Dakota State during its 2025 season. SEMO and NDSU are scheduled to play at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome on Sept. 13, 2025. It will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Bison, a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, won the FCS national title in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. FCS programs may play a 12-game schedule in 2025.

SEMO Success at a High Level
Southeast Missouri has reached unprecedented success. Since the start of the 2019 calendar year, SEMO teams have won 26 Ohio Valley Conference championships and has graduated its athletes at a rate of 92%. The 26 titles are most of any OVC school during that span. SEMO claimed eight OVC titles in 2022-23 en route to winning its second OVC Commissioner's Cup trophy in three years. The OVC Commissioner's Cub is the symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference- sponsored championships.

L.E.A.D. Revival
The Redhawk football program holds a professional development workshop, L.E.A.D. Revival. In 2022-23, Southeast Missouri hosted an event in Cape Girardeau and one in nearby Sikeston, Missouri. The L.E.A.D. Revival is a professional development opportunity based on the leadership within any type of organization or team. Led by SEMO Football Coach Tom Matukewicz, participants learn the art of leadership and building/maintaining a championship culture. Matukewicz delivers three keynote speeches of leadership. Attendees are also involved in discussion groups with SEMO football assistant coaches and student-athletes. All proceeds from the event go toward summer expenses for football student-athletes.

Redhawks in the NFL
Currently, four players from Southeast Missouri are on active NFL rosters ahead of the 2023 season. Wide receiver Johnny King is with the Philadelphia Eagles, both defensive back Mike Ford and offensive lineman Drew Forbes are with the Cleveland Browns and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson is with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Matukewicz Fourth All-Time in Wins 
Southeast Missouri Head Coach Tom Matukewics ranks fourth all-time in program history with 50 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)        50

Brickyard Game
Southeast Missouri's matchup with Kansas State is a Brickyard Game. Every time SEMO knocks off a FBS or ranked FCS opponent, the Redhawks celebrate those victories by laying the to rest on the Brickyard wall in the team's locker room. SEMO has a total of 12 Brickyard wins in program history, including one over a
FBS foe and 11 against ranked FCS opponents. Eight of those wins belong
to Tom Matukewicz coached teams.

Please Read
Paxton DeLaurent's path to Southeast Missouri started with a hand-written letter by his mother, Heather. Heather's letter reached the Cape Girardeau home of Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. When Matukewicz received the letter in his mailbox, the Redhawks began recruiting DeLaurent and later signed him to a National Letter of Intent. Now, DeLaurent is in his second season as the Redhawks starting quarterback.

35 Wins
Since the start of the 2018 season, Southeast Missouri accumulated 35 wins, most in the Ohio Valley Conference during that span.

New Houck Field Opens Sept. 9
Phase One of the Houck Project will be ready by the time Southeast Missouri's football team takes the field for its Big South-OVC Association opener vs. Lindenwood on Sept. 9. The first phase includes demolition of the original south grandstand structure and construction of a new south sideline and grandstand of Houck Field as well as new seating, turf replacement, concession stands, restrooms, ADA access and associated HVAC, mechanical and other systems work.