#8 Southeast Missouri (6-1, 3-0 Big South-OVC) at Charleston Southern (1-5, 0-3 Big South-OVC)
Game Information
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Kickoff: 3 p.m., CT
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Facility: Buccaneer Field (4,000)
Surface: Field Turf
Series: First Meeting
Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (61-60 overall; 60-60 at SEMO; 44-30 Big South-OVC)
Charleston Southern: Gabe Giardina (41-25 overall; 5-12 at CSU; 2-7 Big South-OVC)
Follow the Redhawks
Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: CSUSports.com
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
Redhawks Travel to South Carolina
• #8 Southeast Missouri is on the road for its first meeting with Charleston Southern. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., CT at Buccaneer Field Saturday.
• CSU is one of two Big South schools with football. The other is Gardner-Webb which comes to Cape Girardeau on Homecoming Oct. 26.
• SEMO makes its second-longest trip of the season to the East Coast. The Redhawks will fly to Charleston, which is an approximate 11 hour and 44 minute drive from Cape Girardeau.
• The Redhawks went 0-2 against Big South-OVC schools in 2023. SEMO fell to Robert Morris (21-20) and Bryant (45-21), which are no longer Big South football members.
Series Notes
• Southeast Missouri faces Charleston Southern for the first time in its football history.
• CSU is the first NCAA Divsion I school from South Carolina that SEMO plays.
• The Buccaneers are one of 12 NCAA Division I schools in South Carolina along with College of Charleston, The Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Furman, Presbyterian, South Carolina, South Carolina State, USC Upstate, Winthrop and Wofford.
Conference Games the Rest of the Way
• The Redhawks are in Big South-OVC play for the rest of the season.
• Southeast Missouri is in sole possession of first place in the standings with a 3-0 mark.
• SEMO beat both teams (UT Martin, Eastern Illinois) ahead of the Redhawks in this year's Big South-OVC Preseason Poll.
• The Redhawks took down Big South-OVC preseason favorite UT Martin, 45-42, in double overtime on Sept. 7, defeated Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5), 38-27, on the road and beat Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12), 34-3.
Five-Game Winning Streak
• The Redhawks carry a five-game winning streak into this weekend's matchup with Charleston Southern.
• That stretch started with a 45-42 double overtime victory over Big South-OVC preseason favorite UT Martin on Sept. 7.
• SEMO followed that up with a 38-21 road win at #7 Southern Illinois (Sept. 21), 19-0 home victory over Northwestern State (Sept. 28), 38-27 road win at Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5) and 34-3 home win over Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12).
• The Redhawks are on their longest winning streak since they won six in a row during the 2022 campaign.
Record Smasher
• Paxton DeLaurent broke three Southeast Missouri career records against Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12).
• DeLaurent became the school's all-time career leader in passing yardage, passing touchdowns and completions.
• He has thrown for 6,563 yards and 50 touchdowns, and completed 554 passes in his career.
• DeLaurent surpassed Jason Liley (6,179, 1989-92) for the passing yardage record, Daniel Santacaterina (46, 2018-19) for the passing touchdowns mark and Liley (530) for the pass completions record.
• He is just the second quarterback in program history to throw for over 6,000 yards.
• DeLaurent has thrown a touchdown pass in all seven of his starts this season.
DeLaurent Clears 2,000 Passing Yards
• Paxton DeLaurent went over 2,000 passing yards this season when he threw for a career-high 418 against Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12).
• DeLaurent is one of just four FCS quarterbacks over 2,000 passing yards.
• He is third nationally in that category behind Abilene Christian's Maverick McIvor (2,231) and UC Davis' Miles Hastings (2,186). Monmouth's Derek Robertson (2,037) is the other with over 2,000 passing yards.
• DeLaurent threw surpassed 2,000 passing yards in a season for the second time in his career.
• He leads the Big South-OVC and ranks third in the FCS in passing yards.
Riddick Leads Big South-OVC in Punt Returns
• Khalani Riddick leads the Big South-OVC and ranks 10th in the FCS in punt returns.
• Riddick returned 14 punts for 191 yards averaging 13.6 yards per return through seven games.
• His 191 punt return yards rate 10th among Southeast Missouri's all-time single-season leaders in that category.
Flight Trips
• Southeast Missouri will fly for its second game this season when it makes its trek to Charleston, South Carolina.
• SEMO flew to the West Coast to face Football Bowl Subdivision member New Mexico State on Aug. 31.
• The Redhawks are looking for their first win on a flight trip under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
• This will be the seventh time SEMO flies for a football game with Matukewicz at the helm.
• SEMO is 0-6 in such games after flying to Weber State (2018), Montana State (2019), Sam Houston State (2021), Montana (2022), Bryant (2023) and New Mexico State (2024).
Big South-OVC Update
• At 6-1 overall, Big South-OVC leader Southeast Missouri has the best record of anyone in the league this season.
• Only three teams in the Big South-OVC have winning overall records, including SEMO, Tennessee State (5-2) and UT Martin (4-3).
• The Redhawks are the only undefeated team in Big South-OVC play with their 3-0 mark.
• Five teams are behind SEMO with one conference loss. Tennessee State (3-1), UT Martin (2-1), Lindenwood (2-1), Tennessee Tech (2-1) and Western Illinois (1-1) form that group.
Road Winning Streak
• Southeast Missouri goes for its third-straight win on the road when it heads to Charleston Southern this weekend.
• SEMO beat then-#7 Southern Illinois, 38-21, on Sept. 21 and Eastern Illinois, 38-27, on Oct. 5 during its road winning streak.
• The Redhawks last won three-consecutive road games in 2022.
• SEMO is 3-1 outside of Cape Girardeau this season with its other victory coming against North Alabama at the FCS Kickoff in Montgomery, Alabama on Aug. 24.
Over Halfway to 100
• Bryce Norman leads Southeast Missouri with 68 tackles through seven starts this season.
• Norman is 32 tackles away from getting 100 in a season for the second time in his career.
• He recorded a career-best 119 tackles in 2022.
• Norman led SEMO in tackles every year he has been in a Redhawk uniform.
• He leads the Big South-OVC and ranks 10th in the FCS in total tackles. Norman is averaging 9.7 tackles per game and has recorded double-digit stops three times this year.
What a Turnaround
• After finishing the 2023 season last in the Big South-OVC Association in sacks, Southeast Missouri is at the top of the conference in that category this year.
• SEMO leads the Big South-OVC with 20 sacks and is averaging 2.8 per contest.
• The Redhawks are +6 from their 14 sacks in 11 games during the 2023 campaign.
• Nationally, the Redhawks are ninth in the FCS in sacks.
• Nine different SEMO players have recorded a sack this season. Nasim Cairo and Jeremy Walton pave the way with four and 3.5 sacks, respectively.
Offensive Line Getting it Done
• Southeast Missouri's offensive line has had to battle through an abundance of injuries this season.
• Currently, SEMO is without three starters and has had seven of its offensive linemen affected by injury through seven games.
• The Redhawks have powered through the adversity leading the Big South-OVC in sacks allowed. SEMO's offensive line allowed just 10 sacks for an average of 1.4 per game.
• This has been a big area of improvement for SEMO's O-line which gave up 34 sacks in 2023.
Redhawks Crack Top-10 in National Polls
• For the first time in 14 years, Southeast Missouri is ranked among the top 10 FCS teams in the nation.
• SEMO moved to #8 in both the American Football Coaches Association Coaches and Stats Perform Media polls on Oct. 14.
• The #8 ranking tied the second-highest in program history. SEMO's other Top-10 rankings were #7 (Stats Perform, Nov. 8, 2010), #8 (AFCA Coaches, Nov. 8, 2010; Nov. 22, 2010) and #9 (Stats Perform, Nov. 1, 2010; Nov. 12, 2010).
• It is the fifth-straight week where the Redhawks are ranked in both Top-25 polls.
• The Redhawks initially landed in the Top-25 in both polls on Sept. 16.
• SEMO and UT Martin are the only ranked Top-25 schools in the Big South-OVC.
• The Redhawks have been ranked a total of 37 weeks in either the AFCA or Stats Perform Top-25 polls under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
AFCA Coaches Stats Perform
Sept. 16 #21 Sept. 16 #21
Sept. 23 #14 Sept. 23 #13
Sept. 30 #13 Sept. 30 #13
Oct. 7 #9 Oct. 7 #11
Oct. 14 #8 Oct, 14 #8
Pippin Propels Redhawks
• DC Pippin kicked a career-high four field goals and scored 13 of Southeast Missouri's 19 points against Northwestern State (Sept. 28).
• Pippin scored the final 12 points of the game on kicks of 30, 38, 37 and 24 yards. His 13 points were also a career-high.
• That performance came three weeks after he kicked his first career game-winning field goal to beat UT Martin (Sept. 7) in double overtime.
• Pippin is SEMO's leading scorer this season with 61 points (13-of-19 field goals and 22-of-23 extra points).
• He leads the Big South-OVC and ranks 20th in the FCS in scoring with 8.7 points per game.
• Pippin made a field goal in seven-straight games.
• He is second all-time on SEMO's career point after touchdown list. Pippin (109-of-111) is behind Derek Kutz (136-of-143, 2001-04) on that list.
• He is the third kicker in program history to make 100 PATs in his career joining Kutz and Ryan McCrum (100-of-104, 2013-16).
• Pippin was named Big South-OVC Specialist of the Week on Sept. 30.
Anderson Excels
• Dorian Anderson went over 100 receiving yards in four of his last six starts.
• Anderson had 109 yards and a touchdown on seven catches at Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5).
• He also finished with 115 yards at New Mexico State (Aug. 31), a career-high 127 yards vs. UT Martin (Sept. 7) and 111 yards at Southern Illinois (Sept. 21).
• He is Southeast Missouri's top receiver with 43 receptions for 620 yards and seven touchdowns through seven starts.
• Anderson leads the Big South-OVC in receiving yards, receiving yards per game (88.5) and receptions per game (6.1).
• He is fifth in the FCS in receiving touchdowns, fifth in receiving yards, 12th in receiving yards per game and 13th in receptions per game.
• Anderson caught a touchdown pass in five of his last six games.
Offense Produces
• Southeast Missouri leads the Big South-OVC in scoring offense (32.4 ppg), total offensive plays (506), touchdowns scored (27), total offense (405.4 ppg), passing offense (312.4 ypg), pass attempts (313), pass completions (195), passing touchdowns (20) and pass efficiency (138.2 rating).
• Nationally, SEMO is fifth in the FCS in passing offense, 21st in scoring offense, 22nd in total offense, 24th in red zone offense, 15th in third-down conversion percentage (46 pct.) and second in fourth-down conversion percentage (90 pct.).
• Nine different Redhawks have scored a touchdown through seven games this season, including Payton Brown (4), Carter Hensley (1), Dorian Anderson (7), Cam Pedro (3), Tristan Smith (3), Mitchell Sellers (6), Kyron Downing (1), Cole Ruble (1) and Paxton DeLaurent (1).
Big South-OVC Weekly Honors
• For the fourth-straight week, Southeast Missouri earned multiple Big South-OVC Association weekly honors.
• Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent was named Offensive Player of the Week and Bryce Norman was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 14. • DeLaurent was named Offensive Player of the Week and DC Pippin was voted Co-Specialist of the Week on Oct. 7.
• Pippin was also named the league's Specialist of the Week on Sept. 30.
• DeLaurent was tabbed Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week and Payton Brown was the league's Freshman of the Week on Sept. 23.
• Prior to that, DeLaurent won Big South-OVC Offensive and Bryce Norman earned Big South-OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 9.
• SEMO has won a total of nine Big South-OVC weekly awards this season.
One-Score Games
• Since the start of the 2023 season, Southeast Missouri has been involved in eight one-score games.
• Two fo SEMO's last three contests were one-score affairs. The Redhawks fell to New Mexico State, 23-16, on Aug. 31 and beat UT Martin, 45-42, in double overtime on Sept. 7.
• The Redhawks are 3-5 in those games.
Air Raid
• In its 45-42 win over UT Martin (Sept. 7), Southeast Missouri threw for 376 yards.
• Through seven games, SEMO leads the Big South-OVC and ranks fifth in the FCS in passing offense with 312.4 yards per contest.
• The Redhawks have 20 passing touchdowns, all of which belong to Paxton DeLaurent.
• DeLaurent leads the FCS in passing touchdowns, ranks third in passing yards (2,087), stands fifth in passing yards per game (298.1) and is third in points responsible for (128).
Double-Digit Tacklers
• Southeast Missouri had its first players reach double-digits in tackles against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
• Bryce Norman paved the way with 13 tackles, while Khalani Riddick and Mali Walton followed with 11 and 10, respectively.
• For Riddick and Walton, it marked the first time they finished with 10 or more tackles in a game.
• Norman and Walton turned in 12 and 10 tackles, respectively at #7 Southern Illinois (Sept. 21).
• Norman most recently finished with 15 tackles vs. Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12) for the 17th double-digit tackle game of his career.
Pulling Rank
• Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 10 teams in the FCS in six statistical categories.
• The Redhawks are second in fourth-down conversion percentage (90 pct.), eighth in first downs offense (159), fifth in passing offense (312.4 ypg), 10th in punt return defense (3.3 ypr), ninth in sacks (20) and fifth in winning percentage (.857).
Take it Away
• The Redhawk defense has nine takeaways through seven games this season.
• SEMO has five interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
• SEMO won the turnover margin in two games this season and forced a turnover in seven of its last 11 contests dating back to 2023.
About Charleston Southern
• Charleston Southern is one of three teams in the Big South-OVC with only one win and no league victories.
• CSU enters Saturday's game at 1-5 overall and 0-3 in Big South-OVC action.
• The Buccaneers have lost four in a row after getting their only win of the season at then-#15 Furman (24-20) on Sept. 7.
• CSU is last in the Big South-OVC in several categories, including scoring offense (14.6 ppg),touchdowns (11), total offense (284.7 ypg), rushing touchdowns (5), passing offense (136.6 ypg), passing TDs (4), field goals made (4) and PAT kicking (8-of-10).
• The Buccaneers do, however, have the Big South-OVC's top passing defense allowing 169.3 yards per game.
Notable Streaks
• Bryce Norman led Southeast Missouri in tackles for three-straight seasons. If Norman does that again in 2024, he will become the first player in program history to lead the team in tackles four years in a row.
• Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 21-straight starts on the offensive line.
• The Redhawks have not had a losing record in Big South-OVC play for six-straight seasons. The last time that happened was in 2017 (3-5).
Good to Know
• Bryce Norman ranks seventh among Southeast Missouri's career leaders in tackles (340), tackles for loss (29.5) and sacks (11.5).
Norman became the 10th player in program history to go over 300 career tackles.
• Paxton DeLaurent broke SEMO's all-time career records in passing yardage (6,563), passing touchdowns (50) and completions (554). DeLaurent is only the second quarterback in program history to throw for over 6,000 yards.
• DeLaurent's 376 passing yards against UT Martin (Sept. 7) ranked seventh in program history for most passing yards in a game.
• His 63 passing attempts against the Skyhawks surpassed Mike Haley (61, at Kent State, Sept. 10, 2005) for a new single-game record.
• DeLaurent's six touchdown passes against UT Martin (Sept. 7) surpassed SEMO's previous single-game record of five thrown by Kyle Snyder (vs. Austin Peay, 2014) and Jack Tomco (vs. UT Martin, 2002).
• His 34 completions tied the school's single-game record.
• DeLaurent needs 504 yards to break SEMO's all-time career record in total offense. He has 6,933 yards and is behind Matt Scheible (7,436, 2008-11) on that list.
Let's Talk Tuke
• Tom Matukewicz is in his 11th year as Southeast Missouri's head coach.
• Matukewicz has been at SEMO his entire head coaching career.
• He is 60-60 overall and 44-30 in Big South-OVC play.
• Matukewicz guided the Redhawks to two conference titles (2019, 2022) and three FCS Playoff berths (2018, 2019, 2022), both program bests.
• He also has a program record nine wins over ranked FCS opponents.
• Matukewicz's 2018 (9-4), 2019 (9-4) and 2022 (9-3) teams each tied the school record in wins.
• He is the 13th head coach in SEMO football history and ranks third all-time in wins behind Kenneth Knox (88-59-4, 1952-67) and Abe Stuber (72-42-6, 1932-46).
• Matukewicz's 60 wins are the most of any head coach in the Redhawks Division I era.
• He was named the Roy Kidd Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2022.
• Matukewicz has 61 total wins as a head coach, including 60 at SEMO and one as Northern Illinois' interim head coach.
About the Program
• Southeast Missouri is in its 120th year of college football.
• The 2024 campaign marks SEMO's 34th year at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
• The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 149-230 all-time in their Division I era.
• SEMO won three conference titles (2010, 2019, 2022) and made four NCAA FCS Playoff appearances (2010, 2018, 2019, 2022) in program history.
• The Redhawks have a total of six winning seasons (7-5 in 1994, 8-4 in 2022, 9-3 in 2010, 9-4 in 2018, 9-4 in 2019, 9-3 in 2022) in their NCAA Division I tenure.
