CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Paxton DeLaurent threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, and Cole Ruble ran for a career-high 122 yards and one touchdown to lead #6 Southeast Missouri (8-1, 5-0) to a 30-24 victory over Gardner-Webb (2-6, 1-3) Saturday afternoon on Homecoming at Houck Field.
 
SEMO, which played in front of its largest crowd of the season (7,295), stayed unbeaten at home with a 4-0 record. The Redhawks posted their seventh-straight win giving Tom Matukewicz his longest winning streak as a head coach.
 
The Redhawks fell behind, 14-0, with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter before answering with the next 24 points to grab a 10-point lead.
 
DeLaurent threw an interception that led to the first points of the game.
 
Wendell McClain picked off DeLaurent at SEMO's 22-yard line and GWU took advantage. Three plays later, the Runnin' Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead on a 17-yard run by Edward Saydee with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.
 
On the first play of SEMO's next possession, DeLaurent's pass went off the hands of Cam Pedro and was intercepted by Jackson Marshall setting up GWU at the Redhawks 15-yard line.
 
Two plays in, Tyler Ridell threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Lowe extending GWU's lead to 14-0. The Runnin' Bulldogs scored 14 points in a quick 1:28 to get their early two-score lead.
 
SEMO wasted no time getting back in the game and did so by scoring twice in the first 2:29 of the second quarter.
 
DeLaurent completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Anderson to finish off a 14-play, 75-yard drive making it a one-score contest at 14-7 with 14:06 to go.
 
On the first play following a GWU punt, Ruble ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 with 12:37 remaining. Ruble scored his second career touchdown on the longest rush by any Redhawk through nine games this season.
 
SEMO took its first lead marching 94 yards and scoring on a 20-yard pass from DeLaurent to Tristan Smith. Smith caught the ball and sprinted to the end zone after a GWU defender fell down to make it 21-14 in favor of the Redhawks with a little over a minute left.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs managed to get to SEMO's 2-yard line when Ty Leonard intercepted Ridell's pass in the end zone to end the first half.
 
SEMO scored 21 points in the second quarter for its most second-quarter points in a game this season.
 
DC Pippin's 45-yard field goal pushed the Redhawks lead to 24-14 with 12:02 left in the third quarter. The made field goal was the third consisting of 45 or more yards for Pippin this year.
 
GWU countered with a 6-play, 77-yard drive culminating with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ridell to Saydee getting the Runnin' Bulldogs within three (24-21) at the 9:28 mark.
 
Another field goal, this time a 28-yarder by Pippin, gave SEMO a 27-21 advantage with 5:03 left in the third quarter.
 
GWU got within three points on a 35-yard field goal by Jay Billingsley a little under five minutes into the fourth period.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs had two more chances, but SEMO's defense kept them off the scoreboard. The Redhawks forced GWU to punt and Leonard got his second interception to put the exclamation point on the win when the Runnin' Bulldogs were deep in their own territory.
 
DeLaurent completed 35-of-58 passes and broke SEMO's all-time career record in total offense along the way. His 7,583 yards surpassed Matt Scheible's previous record of 7,436 yards from 2008-11.
 
Ruble carried the ball 16 times and averaged nearly eighth yards per attempt (7.6). He also caught 12 passes for 68 yards out of the backfield.
 
Anderson finished with seven catches for 80 yards.
 
Bryce Norman had a big game for SEMO's defense leading the way with 14 tackles, one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
With its win today, SEMO improved to 18-15 in Homecoming games during its NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision era. The Redhawks are 7-3 in such games with Matukewicz at the helm.
 
The Redhawks will be idle next week before heading to Lindenwood on Nov. 9.