#11 Southeast Missouri (9-2, 6-1 Big South-OVC) vs. Tennessee State (8-3, 5-2 OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Facility: Nissan Stadium (69,143)
Surface: Matrix Helix Turf
Series: SEMO leads, 16-14
Last Meeting: SEMO 42, TSU 0 | 11/5/22 Nashville, Tenn.

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (64-61 overall; 63-61 at SEMO; 47-31 Big South-OVC)
Tennessee State: Eddie George (23-21 overall; 23-21 at TSU; 12-12 Big South-OVC)

Follow the Redhawks
Video: ESPN+  
Live Stats: TSUTigers.com
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

Redhawks Head to Tennessee State
•    #11 Southeast Missouri travels to Tennessee State for its regular-season finale Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m., CT at Nissan Stadium.
•    SEMO will play TSU in a season-finale for the third time under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    The Redhawks also faced the Tigers at the end of the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
•    SEMO came up on the short end of a 32-31 home loss on Nov. 19, 2016 and beat TSU, 46-23, in Nashville on Apr. 11, 2020 during those contests. 
•    Both SEMO and TSU are in position to earn the automatic berth to the 24-team FCS Playoffs.

Series Notes
•    Saturday marks the 31st meeting between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State.
•    SEMO holds a 16-14 lead in the all-time series and is 5-9 against the Tigers in Nashville.
•    The Redhawks won each of the last five games of the series and shutout the Tigers, 42-0, the last time they faced TSU in Nashville on Nov. 5, 2022. 
•    Tom Matukewicz is 6-2 all-time against the Tigers as SEMO's head coach. 
•    Matukewicz is 3-1 against TSU in Nashville and the Redhawks have beaten the Tigers in their last three trips to the Music City.

Nissan Stadium
•    Southeast Missouri hooks up with Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
•    SEMO plays at that facility for just the second time with Tom Matukewicz as its head coach.
•    The Redhawks blanked the Tigers, 42-0, the last time they played there on Nov. 5, 2022.
•    Prior to that, SEMO played at the venue when it was named LP Field in 2013. 
•    Nissan Stadium seats 69,143 and is the largest stadium the Redhawks play in this year.

What's at Stake
•    A lot is riding on Saturday's game for Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State as both teams are in the hunt for the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Association's automatic berth for the FCS Playoffs.
•    If SEMO (6-1) defeats TSU, it will win the Big South-OVC title outright and lock down the league's automatic berth.
•    If TSU (5-2) beats SEMO and Tennessee Tech and UT Martin lose, it will be the league's automatic qualifier.

Undefeated at Home
•    Southeast Missouri went undefeated at home during the regular-season for the third time under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    SEMO posted a 5-0 record at Houck Field this season after beating UT Martin, 45-42, in double overtime (Sept. 7), Northwestern State (Sept. 28), 19-0, Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12), 34-3, Gardner-Webb (Oct. 26), 30-24, and Western Illinois (Nov. 16), 54-45.
•    The Redhawks also went unbeaten at home during the 2018 (5-0) and 2019 (6-0) regular-seasons.

Nine Wins
•    The Redhawks picked up their ninth win of the season when they defeated Western Illinois, 54-45, on Nov. 16.
•    Southeast Missouri won nine games in a season for the fourth time under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    The Redhawks' nine-win seasons with Matukewicz at the helm include 2018 (9-4), 2019 (9-4), 2022 (9-3) and 2024 (9-2). SEMO made the FCS Playoffs in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
•    SEMO is one of 12 NCAA Division I FCS teams with nine or more wins. Montana State (11-0), North Dakota State (10-1), Incarnate Word (9-2), UC Davis (9-2), South Dakota State (9-2), Richmond (9-2), Rhode Island (9-2), Mercer (9-2), Jackson State (9-2), Butler (9-2) and Delaware (9-1) are the others.

One Win for the Record
•    A win Saturday will break Southeast Missouri's program record in wins.
•    SEMO has never had 10 wins in a season during its program history.
•    Including 2024 (9-2) the Redhawks posted nine wins in a season a total of seven times also going 9-0 in 1937, 9-0 in 1955, 9-3 in 2022, 9-3 in 2010, 9-4 in 2018 and 9-4 in 2019.

Big South-OVC Champions
•    With its win over Western Illinois (Nov. 16), Southeast Missouri claimed at least a share of the 2024 Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Association title.
•    SEMO can win the championship outright and earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA FCS Playoffs with a victory over Tennessee State.
•    This year's Big South-OVC title is SEMO's fourth all-time in program history and third with Tom Matukewicz at head coach.
•    SEMO shared the Big South-OVC title in 2019 and 2022, so a win Saturday will give Matukewicz his first outright championship.
•    The Redhawks won Big South-OVC titles in 2010, 2019, 2022 and 2024.

Single-Season Records Fall
•    Paxton DeLaurent has broken four Southeast Missouri single-season records in 2024.
•    DeLaurent set new single-season marks in passing yards (3,287), completions (293), pass attempts (487) and total offense yardage (3,355).
•    DC Pippin established a new SEMO single-season records in field goals made (26).

Senior Day Shootout
•    Southeast Missouri honored its 13 seniors with a 54-45 shootout victory over WesternIllinois (Nov. 16).
•    Combined, there were 99 points, 1,152 total yards, 12 touchdowns and six field goals.
•    SEMO's 54 points, 559 total yards, 192 rushing yards and six total touchdowns marked new season-highs.

Great Recovery
•    Brandon Epton, Jr., who began the 2024 season as Southeast Missouri's starting running back, returned from an injury he sustained in a car accident during week three of the season.
•    Epton, Jr. was back on the field for the first time after missing seven games against Western Illinois (Nov. 16).
•    Epton, Jr. ran for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing) in the first 100-yard game of his career.
•    He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and led SEMO to a season-high 192 rushing yards against the Leathernecks. 

Pippin Wins First Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week Award
•    DC Pippin was named Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Nov. 18.
•    It was the first national weekly award for any Redhawk in 2024.
•    Pippin scored 18 points and did not miss a kick against Western Illinois (Nov. 16) going 4-of-4 in field goals and 6-of-6 in PATs.
•    He is the first Southeast Missouri player to win a Stats Perform FCS National Player of the Week honor since Geno Hess (Offensive Player of the Week) did it on Nov. 20, 2022. 

Redhawks Now #11 and #12 in FCS Polls
•    Southeast Missouri is #11 in the American Football Coaches Association and #12 in the Stats Perform Media polls this week (Nov. 18).
•    SEMO reached its highest ranking in program history at #6 this season and was in that spot in both polls for three-straight weeks.
•    The Redhawks were also a Top-10 team for five weeks this year. It was the first time SEMO cracked the Top-10 in 14 years.
•    It is the 10th-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.
•    The Redhawks have been ranked a total of 42 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
Oct. 21    #6    Oct. 21    #6
Oct. 28    #6    Oct. 28    #6
Nov. 4    #6    Nov. 4    #6
Nov. 11    #13    Nov. 11    #12
Nov. 18    #11    Nov. 18    #12