#16 Redhawks Hit the Road to Face Eastern Kentucky Saturday
9/18/2023 1:54:00 PM | Football
Game Information
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Kickoff: 5 p.m., CT
Location: Richmond, Ky.
Facility: Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000)
Surface: SF II Synthetic Turf
Series: EKU leads, 26-5
Head Coaches: Tom Matukewicz (52-54 Overall; 51-54 at SEMO; 39-27 Big South-OVC). Walt Wells (16-17 Overall; 16-17 at EKU; 7-4 UAC).
Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: EKUSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
Redhawks Head to Eastern Kentucky
#16 Southeast Missouri (1-2) travels to former Ohio Valley Conference member Eastern Kentucky (0-3) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., CT at Roy Kidd 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 ESPN+. Live stats are available at EKUSports.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOFootball.
Series History
Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky meet on the back end of a home-and-home series. EKU leads the all-time series by a count of 26-5. SEMO won two of the last four meetings between the teams. The Colonels, however, beat the Redhawks, 28-23, in Cape Girardeau a year ago. SEMO is 2-13 all-time against EKU in Richmond.
United Athletic Conference Teams
Eastern Kentucky is the first of two United Athletic Conference teams Southeast Missouri will face this season. SEMO will also play Central Arkansas (Oct. 7) on the road. The United Athletic Conference football partnership began with a combined group that built the ASUN-WAC Challenge in 2021. Featuring an automatic qualifier (AQ) into the FCS Playoffs each for the past two years, the newly christened conference is in its third year with nine participating institutions and will add the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the fall of 2025 when it begins football sponsorship. The other UAC members are Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and Utah Tech.
A Look Ahead
After Saturday's game at Eastern Kentucky, the Redhawks will be idle on Sept. 30. Southeast Missouri will then travel to Central Arkansas on Oct. 7 for its third away contest.
Redhawks Drop Heartbreaker to Southern Illinois
Southeast Missouri fell to #15 Southern Illinois, 26-25, in a heartbreaker on Sept. 16. SEMO led all the way until the final 11 seconds of the contest. Desman Hearns stripped the ball away from running back Geno Hess and recovered with 1:46 left to play. On fourth-and-1, Nic Baker threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Izaiah Hartrup for the game-winner with 11 seconds on the clock. SEMO held a 15-0 lead at halftime before suffering its first home loss.
Sellout at Houck Field
In a battle of top 15 teams, #13 Southeast Missouri and #15 Southern Illinois played in front of a sellout crowd of 8,613 at Houck Field on Sept. 16. SEMO's last official sellout was on Oct. 30, 2010 when a program record crowd of 11,126 turned out to see the Redhawks beat UT Martin. The 2010 season marked SEMO's first-ever Ohio Valley Conference title.
Turnover Time
Southeast Missouri won the turnover battle in each of its first three games this season. SEMO has eight takeaways for a +7 turnover margin thus far. The Redhawks lead the Big South-OVC Association and rank third in the Football Championship Subdivision in that category. SEMO forced eight turnovers for an average of 2.7 per game.
Approaching 200 Tackles
Starting inside linebacker Bryace Norman is just one tackle 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 199 career tackles (94 solo, 105 assisted).
Ivory Jr. Gets Two Picks
Eric Ivory Jr. had two interceptions to lead Southeast Missouri's defense against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). Ivory Jr. posted seven tackles to go along with his career- high two picks. He recorded five solo stops as the Redhawks held the Salukis scoreless in the first half.
Eight Points for the Defense
The Redhawks defense is off to a great start in 2023. Southeast Missouri has scored eight points and forced eight turnovers through three games. Henry Pickens III returned an interception for a touchdown and Harris Adams and Steven Lewis tackled Southern Illinois' Ro Elliott in the end zone for a safety. The safety was SEMO's first in a game in two years.
Interception Streak
Southeast Missouri has gone six-straight games with an interception dating back to last season. SEMO leads the Big South-OVC Association with 114 interception return yards and ranks second behind Eastern Illinois (7) with six picks this year. The Redhawks are second in the Football Championship Subdivision in interceptions, as well. Eric Ivory Jr. is tied for first in the Big South-OVC with two picks.
DeLaurent Starts Strong
Paxton DeLaurent threw his first 117 passes without an interception this season. Most recently, DeLaurent completed 26-of-46 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown against Southern Illinois (Sept. 16). He completed passes to 10 different receivers this year.
Vick Steps Up
Damoriea Vick leads the Big South-OVC Association and the FCS with 8.3 receptions per game. Vick is currently Southeast Missouri's top receiver with 25 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns through three starts. He is averaging 9.1 yards per catch.
Redhawks Get First Win
The Redhawks picked up their first win of the season in dominating fashion with a 45-7 victory over Lindenwood (Sept. 9). Southeast Missouri led, 38-0, at halftime in the blowout home-opening win. SEMO is now 2-0 against the Lions.
Hess Goes Over 100 Yards
Geno Hess surpassed 100 rushing yards for the first time this season when he gained 115 and scored two touchdowns on 20 carries against Lindenwood (Sept. 9). It was the 18th 100-yard game of Hess' career.
Pickens III Scores First Defensive Touchdown
Henry Pickens III returned his first career interception 72 yards for a touchdown late in the first half against Lindenwood (Sept. 9). Pickens III scored Southeast Missouri's first defensive touchdown of the season on his return which ranks as the fourth-longest interception return for a touchdown in program history.
DeLaurent Sixth in FCS in Completions Per Game
Paxton DeLaurent ranks sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision in completions per game. DeLaurent is completing 25.7 passes per contest over three starts this year. He is also 21st nationally with 243.7 passing yards per game.
