2024 FCS Kickoff - Southeast Missouri vs. North Alabama

Game Information
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Montgomery, Ala.
Facility: Cramton Bowl (25,000)
Surface: UBU Speed S5
Series: UNA leads, 1-0

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (55-59 overall; 54-59 at SEMO; 41-30 Big South-OVC)
North Alabama: Brent Dearmon (13-9 overall; 3-8 at UNA; 1-5 UAC)

Follow the Redhawks
TV: ESPN (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, Morgan Uber)
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

FCS Kickoff Classic
•    The 10th Annual FCS Kickoff features North Alabama and Southeast Missouri.
•    SEMO makes its first-ever appearance in the game that kicks off the 2024 football season.
•    North Alabama will be playing in the FCS Kickoff for the second-straight year.
•    The Redhawks are just the fourth Big South-OVC Association team to play in the event. Former OVC members Jacksonville State (2017, 2018, 2022) and Austin Peay (2020), and current Big South-OVC member Charleston Southern (2016) are the others.
•    This year is the seventh time Montgomery, Alabama hosts the FCS Kickoff at its historic Cramton Bowl.
•    North Alabama fell to Mercer, 17-7, in the 2023 FCS Kickoff.
•    Eastern Washington beat Sam Houston State, 56-35, during the inaugural FCS Kickoff game on Aug. 23, 2014. The FCS Kickoff was canceled in 2021 due to COVID.

It's Go Time
•    Southeast Missouri is in its 120th season of college football.
•    SEMO enters its 34th year at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
•    The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 143-229 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 2002, 9-3 in 2010, 9-4 in 2018, 9-4 in 2019, 9-3 in 2022) in their NCAA Division I tenure.

Series History
•    Southeast Missouri and United Athletic Conference member North Alabama meet for just the second time in 2024. 
•    North Alabama won the only matchup between the teams 68 years ago.
•    The Lions beat the Redhawks, 61-13, during the 1956 campaign.

National Exposure
•    Southeast Missouri's football team has never played a nationally-televised game on the ESPN mothership. 
•    SEMO football has played in other linear television games over the years.
•    Most recently, the Redhawks faced Montana in the first round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs on ESPN 2. Montana won, 34-24, on Nov. 26 that year.
•    SEMO's games air exclusivley on ESPN+ each season.

Season-Opening Games
•    North Alabama is just the third non-FBS opponent Southeast Missouri faces in a season-opening game under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. NAIA member Missouri Baptist (2014) and longtime rival Southern Illinois (2019, 2020, 2021) are the others.
•    SEMO is 10-23 all-time in season-openers during its NCAA Division I era. The Redhawks are 2-8 in such games with Matukewicz at the helm. Six of those losses were to FBS opponents.
•    The Redhawks are looking to snap a four-game losing streak in season-opening contests. 
•    SEMO's last season-opening win was on Aug. 29, 2019 vs. Southern Illinois (44-26).

Preseason Recognition
•    Center Zack Gieg and inside linebacker Bryce Norman were named to both the 2024 Stats Perform and Phil Steele Preseason All-America Teams.
•    Zack Gieg and quarterback Paxton DeLaurent represent Southeast Missouri on the 2024 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Gieg and DeLaurent are among 35 players on the preseason watch list. The Payton Award, which is in its 38th season, is presented annually to the National Offensive Player of the Year in Division I FCS football.
•    Bryce Norman made the 2024 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List. Thirty players are on the preseason watch list for the prestigious award given annually to National Defensive Player of the Year in Division I FCS football. This year is the 30th Anniversary for the Buck Buchanan Award.
•    Sophomore Logan Leftrick is one of 13 players that made the 2024 FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List. The FCS Punter of the Year Award is presented by The Augusta Sports Council.
•    Bryce Norman was tabbed the 2024 Big South-OVC Association Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Norman is SEMO's first Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
since fellow linebacker Zach Hall earned the honor in 2019.
•    Seven Redhawks, including quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, offensive lineman Zack Gieg, tight end Danny Joiner, kicker DC Pippin, defensive lineman Steven Lewis, defensive back Joedrick Lewis and linebacker Bryce Norman are among the Big South-OVC Players to Watch.

Roster Notes
•    Southeast Missouri's 2024 roster consists of 103 players.
•    SEMO has 16 seniors, seven graduates, 29 juniors, 22 sophomores and 29 freshmen.
•    Ty Leonard, Darrell Smith, Zy'ier Thornton, Jared Pedraza, Peyton Knight, Zack Gieg and Steven Lewis are the graduates.
•    The Redhawks return 12 starters, including seven on offense and five on defense.
•    Returning offensive starters are Paxton DeLaurent (QB), Zack Gieg (OL), Kobe Sixkiller (OL), Jamarcus Hill (OL), Tyson Miller (OL) and Jack Clinkenbeard.
•    Returning defensive starters are Bryce Norman (ILB), Sam Cook (OLB), Steven Lewis (DL), Joedrick Lewis (DB) and Ty Leonard (DB).
•    Bryce Norman (First-Team), Zack Gieg (First-Team) and kicker DC Pippin (Second-Team) are SEMO's returning All-Conference players from 2023.

Let's Talk Tuke
•    Tom Matukewicz begins his 11th year as head coach at Southeast Missouri.
•    Matukewicz has been at SEMO his entire career as a head coach.
•    He is 54-59 overall and 41-30 in Big South-OVC play.
•    Matukewicz guided the Redhawks to two conference regular-season titles (2019, 2022) and three FCS Playoff berths (2018, 2019, 2022), both program bests.
•    He also has a program record eight 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 54 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.

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.
•    Three-time First-Team All-Big South-OVC selection Zack Gieg has made 25-consecutive starts at center.
•    Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 14-straight starts on the offensive line.
•    DC Pippin made 20-straight PATs. The last time Pippin missed an extra point was at Central Arkansas (Oct. 7, 2023).
•    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).

Feature Back
•    Hutchinson Community College transfer Brandon Epton, Jr. takes over as the Redhawks starting running back in his first year at SEMO in 2024.
•    Epton, Jr. ran for 535 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games at Hutchinson CC in 2023.
•    Prior to that, he was at SMU, where he redshirted after playing in four games in 2022 and ran for 94 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in 2021.
•    Geno Hess was SEMO's starting running back from 2018-23. Hess broke seven career records and finished as the school's all-time leading rusher with 5,119 yards.

QB 1
•    Paxton DeLaurent is in his third year as Southeast Missouri's starting quarterback.
•    DeLaurent completed 159-of-247 passes for 1,792 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He also ran for 75 yards and four more touchdowns.
•    A native of Camdenton, Missouri, DeLaurent started the first seven games fo the 2023 campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder in injury early in the second quarter at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 21).
•    This preseason, DeLaurent was ranked as the #8 returning quarterback in the FCS by HERO Sports.
•    DeLaurent also made the 2024 State Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. A total of 35 players were selected to the initial list entering the season.
•    In his career as SEMO's starting quarterback, DeLaurent has started 17 games and thrown for 4,476 yards and 30 touchdowns.
•    DeLaurent was among 20 quarterbacks across all divisions of college football invited to participate as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy from June 27-30, 2024.

Sweet Home Alabama
•    Three players on Southeast Missouri's roster are from Alabama.
•    Montgomery is home to senior safety JaQori Williams. Williams attended Stanhope Elmore High School.
•    Freshman tight end Logan Eggart (Madison, Ala.) and freshman inside linebacker Jayden Davis (Alabaster, Ala.) are from towns less than three hours away from Montgomery. Eggart went to James Clemens High School and Davis went to Thompson High School.
•    Southeast Missouri has played four NCAA Division I schools in Alabama, including Jacksonville State (7-18), North Alabama (0-1), Samford (3-5) and Troy (1-1). The Redhawks have a record of 11-25 against Alabama schools.

Mr. SEMO
•    Nearby Jackson native Bryce Norman is back to lead Southeast Missouri's defense. Norman's hometown is just eight miles north of Cape Girardeau.
•    The inside linebacker is the 2024 Big South-OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
•    He is the first SEMO player tabbed the league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year since fellow linebacker Zach Hall earned the honor in 2019.
•    Norman has become the household name of SEMO's defense and accumulated 272 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his career.
•    He ranks among SEMO's career leaders in tackles (16th, 272), sacks (12th, 9) and tackles for loss (15th, 22.5).
•    Norman was rated as the #8 returning linebacker in the FCS by HERO Sports and the #10 top returning linebacker in the FCS by Sports Illustrated.
•    He is also among 30 players selected to the 2024 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List. This year marks the 30th Anniversary for the Buck Buchanan Award which is presented to the National Defensive Player of the Year in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision each season.
•    Norman is looking to become the first player in SEMO football history to lead the team in tackles four-straight seasons.

Watch This
•    Bryce Norman is 28 tackles away from reaching 300 in his career. Norman currently has 272 tackles. If he hits that mark, he will become the 10th player in program history to get 300 or more career tackles.
•    Paxton DeLaurent is 524 yards away from 5,000 passing yards in his career as SEMO's quarterback. His 4,476 passing yards rank seventh among the Redhawks all-time career leaders. DeLaurent is on pace to become the fourth SEMO quarterback to throw for 5,000 or more yards.
•    Paxton DeLaurent has 30 career passing touchdowns. DeLaurent needs 17 to break SEMO's all-time career record of 46 set by Daniel Santacaterina (2018-19).
•    Paxton DeLaurent needs 1,704 passing yards to break the school's all-time career record in that category. DeLaurent has 4,476 yards and is chasing Jason Liley who threw for 6,179 yards from 1989-92.  

Welcome to Cape Girardeau
•    Southeast Missouri has three new coaches on its football staff this season.
•    Todd Drury is in his first year as safeties coach, Morris Lolar is in his first season coaching the cornerbacks and Madison Bunch is in his first year coaching the running backs.
•    Drury joins the Redhawks after spending the 2023 season as defensive coordinator at Western Illinois. Before that, he was head coach at Missouri S&T from 2019-22.
•    Lolar worked with the defensive backfield at Missouri Valley College in 2023. He, too, has previous head coaching experience working three years at the helm of NAIA member Bethel College (Kan.). Lolar played college football at Minnesota and Friends University before going on to  spend six years in the CFL between the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Bombers organizations.
•    Bunch was the offensive analyst and assistant running backs coach at Rutgers in 2023. He returns to SEMO's coaching staff where he once worked as the Redhawks recruiting coordinator and assistant wide receivers coach in 2022.

2024 Schedule Notes
•    Southeast Missouri begins its 2024 season a week earlier with its first-ever appearance in the FCS Kickoff vs. North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    SEMO will play a 12-game schedule with five home games.
•    The Redhawks travel over 1,200 miles west to play Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA member New Mexico State (Aug. 31).
•    Longtime rival Southern Illinois (Sept. 21) and Northwestern State (Sept. 28) are SEMO's other non-conference foes.
•    The Big South-OVC Association slate features nine league teams playing an eight-game conference schedule in 2024.
•    SEMO opens conference play at home against reigning Big South-OVC Co-Champion UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12), reigning Big South-OVC Co-Champion and 2023 FCS Playoff participant Gardner-Webb (Oct. 26) and first-year Association member Western Illinois (Nov. 16) complete the Redhawks home portion of the schedule.
•    The remainder of the Big South-OVC schedule includes trips to Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5), Charleston Southern (Oct. 19), Lindenwood (Nov. 9) and Tennessee State (Nov. 23).
•    SEMO faces Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern for the first time in 2024.
•    Big South-OVC Association games will primarily take place between weeks five and 13, with one game apiece during weeks two and four. Seven weeks will feature four
Association matchups.
•    SEMO has two bye weeks (Sept. 14 & Nov. 2) this season.

Redhawks Third in 2024 Big South-OVC Preseason Poll
•    Southeast Missouri was picked third in the 2024 Big South-OVC Association Preseason Poll released on July 17.
•    SEMO accumulated 51 points and two first-place votes in the balloting by the Association's head coaches.
•    UT Martin was tabbed this year's preseason favorite and Eastern Illinois was voted second.