CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – #12 Southeast Missouri (9-2, 6-1) earned its share of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Association title with a 54-45 win over Western Illinois (3-8, 2-5) Saturday in a shootout at Houck Field.
 
Paxton DeLaurent threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another score, Brandon Epton, Jr. rushed for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns and Dorian Anderson added five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown to lead SEMO to its ninth win of the season.
 
With its ninth win, SEMO tied a program record for most victories in a season. The victory gave Tom Matukewicz his fourth nine-win season as a head coach and the Redhawks their seventh nine-win campaign all-time.
 
Combined, there were 99 points, 1,152 total yards, 12 touchdowns and six field goals in today's regular-season home finale.
 
It all started with a 55-point first half that included 24 points in the first quarter and 31 in the second.
 
On its second drive of the game, SEMO got on the board first when DeLaurent connected with Epton, Jr. on a 21-yard touchdown reception. Epton, Jr., who missed the last seven games with a wrist injury, scored his first career touchdown to give the Redhawks a 7-0 lead with 7:44 remaining in the first quarter.
 
WIU answered capping a 5-play, 75-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Lamb to a wide open Brandon Lanier. Lanier's score tied the game at 7-7 with 5:25 remaining.
 
After DC Pippin kicked a 43-yard field goal to put SEMO ahead by three points, the Leathernecks countered to take their first lead of the contest.
 
Lamb threw a short pass to his left to Cameron Smith who made a move past his defender and sprinted to the end zone. The pass play covered 81 yards with Smith getting 76 of those after the catch to give WIU a 14-10 edge with 1:17 left in the opening period.
 
SEMO, however, quickly regained the lead on its next possession.
 
The Redhawks put together a 8-play, 77-yard march that ended with DeLaurent throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass to Cam Pedro. Pedro's fourth touchdown reception gave SEMO a 17-14 lead with 12:17 to go in the second quarter.
 
Three minutes and 41 seconds later, WIU went ahead again when backup quarterback Tanner Zolnosky threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Demari Davis. Davis' score gave the Leathernecks a 21-17 advantage at the 8:36 mark.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Darrell Smith fumbled the ball and the Leathernecks recovered at SEMO's 30-yard line. 
 
WIU tacked on three more points when it settled for a 46-yard field goal by Antonio Chadha the made it a 24-17 game with seven minutes on the clock. 
 
Shortly after DeLaurent completed a 24-yard pass to Anderson on a third-and-17 to keep SEMO's drive alive, Epton, Jr. broke free for a 27-yard run to set up the Redhawks next touchdown, a 10-yard rush by DeLaurent that tied the game at 24-24 with 2:05 left.
 
Mali Walton picked off Lamb's pass for his first interception of the season and SEMO capitalized on the takeaway.
 
Five plays following the turnover, Tristan Smith made a highlight-reel catch on a 17-yard pass from DeLaurent just inside the front left corner pylon to put SEMO up, 31-24, with 1:08 remaining.
 
A 50-yard field goal by Chadha closed out the high scoring first half bringing the score to 31-27 at the intermission. 
 
WIU and SEMO piled up a combined 633 total yards, 498 passing yards, six passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdowns in the game's first 30 minutes.
 
The Redhawks wasted no time stretching their lead covering 70 yards on just four plays. SEMO scored in less than two minutes to start the second half on a 48-yard touchdown pass from DeLaurent to Anderson. Anderson's team-high ninth receiving touchdown increased the Redhawks lead to 38-27 with 13:09 left in the third quarter.
 
Following a WIU punt, SEMO came away with points again, this time with a 20-yard field goal by Pippin to make it 41-27 in favor of the Redhawks.
 
A quick answer by the Leathernecks by way of a 81-yard touchdown pass from Lamb to Matt Henry lowered SEMO's lead to 41-33 and the PAT kick was blocked by Justus Jefferson.
 
After Pippin's third field goal of the game, from 40 yards out, made it a two-score contest again, Smith scored on a three-yard plunge. WIU failed on the 2-point conversion dropping the Redhawks margin to 44-39 with 12:21 in the fourth quarter.
 
On the first play of SEMO's next drive, Christian Pierce intercepted DeLaurent's pass at the SEMO 37-yard line. Fortunately for the Redhawks, nothing came of that turnover as the Leathernecks gave the ball right back to SEMO when Smith's fumble was recovered by Johnson.
 
Epton, Jr.'s first career rushing touchdown came on a 5-yard run and Pippin made a 34-yard field for SEMO's final points of the contest.
 
SEMO established season-highs in points, total yards (559), rushing yards (192) and total touchdowns (6).
 
DeLaurent completed 24-of-39 passes at a 62 percent clip. He broke SEMO's single-season records in passing yards (3,287), pass completions (293), pass attempts (487) and total offense (3,355) along the way.
 
Epton, Jr. ran the ball 22 times and averaged nearly six yards per carry (5.7). He also caught three passes for 26 yards.
 
Anderson went over 100 receiving yards for fifth time this year.
 
Defensively, SEMO won the turnover margin getting three interceptions to go along with one fumble recovery. Walton led the way with 10 tackles.

Pippin did not miss a kick scoring a career-high 18 points on 4-of-4 field goals and 6-of-6 PATs. His four field goals and six PATs matched career-bests in those areas.
 
Lamb threw for 449 yards and three touchdowns to lead WIU.
 
The Redhawks are atop the Big South-OVC standings with UT Martin, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech behind them at 5-2.
 
SEMO travels to Tennessee State for its final regular-season game on Nov. 23.