Southeast Missouri (1-0) at New Mexico State

Game Information
Date: Saturday, August 31, 2024
Kickoff: 8 p.m., CT
Location: Las Cruces, N.M.
Facility: Aggie Memorial Stadium (28,853)
Surface: Artificial Turf
Series: First Meeting

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (56-59 overall; 55-59 at SEMO; 41-30 Big South-OVC)
New Mexico State: Tony Sanchez (20-40 overall: First Year at NMSU)

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

Redhawks vs. New Mexico State
•    Southeast Missouri meets Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA member New Mexico State for the first time in 2024.
•    Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 8 p.m., CT at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
•    Las Cruces is the furthest trip SEMO will make on its 12-game schedule this year. Las Cruces is 1,221 miles away from Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
•    New Mexico State is the fifth team the Redhawks face out of the current nine-member Conference USA footprint in their program history.
•    SEMO is 10-40 all-time against Conference USA schools with a 2-9 record against Middle Tennessee, 7-18 record against former Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State, 1-10 mark versus Western Kentucky and 0-3 record against Sam Houston State.
•    The Redhawks only FBS win in program history came against a Conference USA opponent (at Middle Tennessee, 2002).

FBS Games
•    Southeast Missouri is 1-27 all-time against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.
•    Hawai'i was SEMO's first-ever FBS opponent on Nov. 12, 1994. The Redhawks dropped that contest by a score of 34-0 in Honolulu.
•    SEMO is looking to snap a 22-game losing streak against FBS schools.
•    The Redhawks only win over a FBS opponent was at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 28, 2002 (24-14).
•    Future FBS foes the Redhawks will play include Arkansas State (2025), Iowa State (2026), Missouri (2028 & 2030) and Ole Miss (2029).

About New Mexico State
•    New Mexico State hosts Southeast Missouri in its season-opener Saturday.
•    NMSU is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Tony Sanchez. Sanchez was hired as the program's 36th head coach on Dec. 23, 2023.
•    The Aggies were picked tied for fifth in the 2024 Conference USA Preseason Poll behind Liberty, Western Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Middle Tennessee.
•    In 2023, NMSU went 10-5 and made it to the Conference USA championship game, where it fell to Liberty, 49-35.
•    SEMO is the 26th Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team the Aggies play.
•    The Redhawks are also only the second Big South-OVC school to face NMSU in its football history.
•    Mario Moccia, who is in his eighth year as Director of Athletics at NMSU, was AD at Southern Illinois when current SEMO Head Coach Tom Matukewicz was an assistant coach for the Salukis (2001-07).
•    Former NMSU Head Coach Jerry Kill (2022-23) was also at SIU during the time Moccia and Matukewicz were there. Kill is now the Chief Consultant to the Head Coach and Senior Offensive Advisor at Vanderbilt.

Brickyard Games
•    When Tom Matukewicz took over as Southeast Missouri's head coach, he immediately installed a Brick-by-Brick mantra for his process-driven program that remains at the forefront today.
•    Every time SEMO upsets a FBS or ranked FCS opponent, it displays the winning scores of those games permanently in the "Brickyard."
•    The Brickyard resides in the Redhawks locker room located in the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.
•    Matukewicz has a program record eight wins over ranked FCS opponents, but has never upended a FBS foe as SEMO's coach.
•    Tim Billings has the school's only win over a FBS opponent when his 2002 team took down Middle Tennessee by a score of 24-14.

Redhawks Win FCS Kickoff
•    In its first ever appearance at the Week Zero FCS Kickoff, Southeast Missouri defeated North Alabama, 37-15, on Aug. 24.
•    SEMO, which trailed 15-7 with 4:11 remaining in the second quarter, scored 30 unanswered points en route to its season-opening victory.
•    The Redhawks grinded out the win without starting quarterback Paxton DeLaurent who left the game with a shoulder injury late in the second quarter.
•    Freshman running back Payton Brown was named the game's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Brown scored 18 of SEMO's final 30 points.
•    Brown tied a FCS Kickoff single-game record in touchdowns and SEMO's defense tied a FCS Kickoff single-game record with four takeaways, including two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
•    SEMO played and won a football game on the ESPN mothership for the first time in program history.
•    The Redhawks beat North Alabama for the first time in just the second meeting between the teams. SEMO and UNA last met 68 years ago during the 1956 season in Florence, Alabama.
•    This year marked the seventh time Montgomery Alabama's Cramton Bowl played host to the FCS Kickoff.

Season-Opening Victory
•    Southeast Missouri snapped a four-game losing streak in season-opening games with its win over North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    SEMO improved to 11-23 all-time in season-openers during its NCAA Division I era.
•    Tom Matukewicz is now 3-8 in such games with six of those losses coming against FBS opponents.
•    North Alabama marked just the third non-FBS opponent SEMO faced in a season-opening game with Matukewicz at the helm.
•    The 37-15 (+22) win over UNA was SEMO's largest margin of victory in a season-opener since the Redhawks blanked Missouri Baptist, 77-0, in Matukewicz's first game as a head coach on Aug. 28, 2014.
•    It was only the fifth time in the Redhawks NCAA Division I FCS era where they won a season-opener by more than 20 points.

Impressive Debuts
•    Freshmen running back Payton Brown and redshirt-freshman quarterback Carter Hensley carried Southeast Missouri to victory in their first college game against North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    Brown, a true freshman from Festus, Missouri, ran for 97 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
•    He scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter before hitting paydirt on runs of 25 and 1 yards, respectively.
•    Hensley, who entered the game late in the second quarter for the injured Paxton DeLaurent, completed 10-of-14 passes for 100 yards and ran for 26 yards and one touchdown on four carries.
•    A native of Rogers, Arkansas, Hensley engineered the last five scoring drives of the contest.

Defense Delivers
•    Southeast Missouri's defense put together an outstanding performance against North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    SEMO had four takeaways on two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
•    It was the most turnovers forced by the Redhawks in a season-opener in 16 years since Southwest Baptist turned the ball over five times on Aug. 28, 2008.
•    Jared Pedraza and McCoy Casey each recovered a fumble and Adrian Patterson and Justus Johnson added one interception apiece.
•    The Redhawk defense also had a pair of big fourth-down stops.
•    Additionally, SEMO finished with three sacks and five tackles for loss.

First SEMO Action
•    Thirteen players saw their first action in a Southeast Missouri uniform against North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    Newcomers Adrian Patterson (DB), Justus Johnson (DB), McCoy Casey (OLB), Brandon Epton, Jr. (RB), Cam Pedro (WR), Carter Guillaume (OL), Tyler McMillan (OL) and Jalen Nettles (OL) made their first career starts.
•    Carter Hensley, Jared Pedraza, Landon Sylvie, Payton Brown and Chris Daigre saw action, as well.
•    Cam Pedro scored the first touchdown of the 2024 season on a 4-yard pass from Paxton DeLaurent with 9:29 left in the first quarter.

Week One
•    All nine Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association teams will be in action for the first time this week.
•    Southeast Missouri (at New Mexico State), Lindenwood (at Kansas), Eastern Illinois (at Illinois), Western Illinois (at Northern Illinois), UT Martin (at Kansas State) and Tennessee Tech (at Middle Tennessee) all face Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.
•    The other games slated for this week include Gardner-Webb vs. Wofford, Mississippi Valley State at Tennessee State and The Citadel at Charleston Southern.

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 104 players.
•    SEMO has 16 seniors, seven graduates, 29 juniors, 22 sophomores and 30 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 55-59 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 55 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 26-consecutive starts at center.
•    Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 15-straight starts on the offensive line.
•    DC Pippin made 22-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
•    Brandon Epton, Jr. made his first career start as Southeast Missouri's tailback vs. North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    Epton, Jr. gained 48 yards on 16 carries and caught six passes for 22 yards. He also returned one kickoff 53 yards.
•    Epton, Jr. takes over for Geno Hess who was SEMO's tailback for the last six years.
•    At Hutchinson Community College, 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, who was SEMO's running back from 2018-23, broke seven career records and finished as the school's all-time leading rusher with 5,119 yards.
•    Hess is presently a graduate assistant in the SEMO Athletics compliance office.

QB 1
•    Paxton DeLaurent, Southeast Missouri's third-year starting quarterback, suffered a shoulder injury late in the second quarter during the Redhawks season-opener against North Alabama (Aug. 24).
•    DeLaurent is being medically evaluated and his status for Saturday is undetermined at this time.
•    DeLaurent completed 14 of his first 17 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown prior to his injury.
•    A native of Camdenton, Missouri, DeLaurent started the first seven games of the 2023 campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder 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 Stats 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 18 games and thrown for 4,572 yards and 31 touchdowns.
•    DeLaurent was one of 20 quarterbacks across all divisions of college football invited to participate as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy from June 27-30, 2024.

Receiving Votes
•    Southeast Missouri received two votes in the 2024 AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl.
•    No Big South-OVC team was ranked in either the AFCA Coaches or Stats Perform Top-25 preseason polls.
•    Eastern Illinois and UT Martin also received votes in the polls.
•    SEMO has been ranked a total of 32 weeks in either the AFCA or Stats Perform Top-25 polls under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.

New Mexico Ties
•    Ethan Heifner, who oversees defensive quality control on Southeast Missouri's football staff, was a football intern at New Mexico State in 2023.
•    Heifner is a graduate of Central Florida and also worked at Fort Hays State prior to SEMO.

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 279 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 (14th, 279), 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 21 tackles away from reaching 300 in his career. Norman currently has 279 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 428 yards away from 5,000 passing yards in his career as SEMO's quarterback. His 4,572 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 31 career passing touchdowns. DeLaurent needs 16 to break SEMO's all-time career record of 46 set by Daniel Santacaterina (2018-19).
•    Paxton DeLaurent needs 1,608 passing yards to break the school's all-time career record in that category. DeLaurent has 4,572 yards and is chasing Jason Liley who threw for 6,179 yards from 1989-92.  

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 144-229 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 2022, 9-3 in 2010, 9-4 in 2018, 9-4 in 2019, 9-3 in 2022) in their NCAA Division I tenure.

Remarkable Success
•    Southeast Missouri Athletics has reached unprecedented success.
•    Since 2019-20, SEMO has won 30 conference titles with every sport winning at least one along the way.
•    Academically, SEMO broke a department record when it finished the 2023-24 academic year with a 3.44 spring grade point average.
•    The football team set its highest spring GPA ever with a 3.18 mark.
•    SEMO most recently earned a school record 45 Ohio Valley Conference Medals of Honor for the 2023-24 academic year. The OVC Academic Medal of Honor is given annually to the student-athletes who achieve the highest grade point average in a Conference-sponsored sport. Every Redhawk that won the OVC Medal of Honor achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA.
•    Redhawk teams won five NCAA Public Recognition Awards based on their perfect 1,000 scores in the most recent multiyear Academic Progress Rates (APR). The report is based on NCAA Division I APR data submitted by the institution for the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.
•    SEMO won the OVC Commissioner's Cup in two of the last four years. The Redhawks garnered the honor in 2020-21 and 2022-23. The OVC Commissioner's Cup is a symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference-sponsored championships and is awarded annually to one member institution. The Redhawks never won the prestigious honor until 2020-21.