#21 Southeast Missouri (2-1) at #7 Southern Illinois (2-1)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Facility: Saluki Stadium (15,000)
Surface: Field Turf
Series: SEMO leads, 43-40-8
Last Meeting: SIU 26, SEMO 25 (9/16/23, Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Last Meeting in Carbondale: SEMO 34, SIU 31 (9/10/22)

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (57-60 overall; 56-60 at SEMO; 42-30 Big South-OVC)
Southern Illinois: Nick Hill (46-49 overall; 46-49 at SIU; 26-36 MVFC)

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

War for the Wheel
•    Longtime rivals #21 Southeast Missouri and #7 Southern Illinois hook up in the War for the Wheel Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT at Saluki Stadium.
•    In 2018, the football rivalry between SEMO and SIU was officially deemed "War for the Wheel."
•    It was named this in reference to the ship's wheel trophy which goes to the winner each year.
•    During the early years of the series, SEMO and SIU used to cross the Mississippi River by boat to play.
•    Since 2018, each team has won the wheel trophy three times. 
•    The trophy currently resides in Carbondale after the Salukis edged the Redhawks, 26-25, at Houck Field on Sept. 16, 2023.
•    The last two War for the Wheel matchups were decided by a combined four points. SEMO won, 34-31, in 2022 and SIU won, 26-25, in 2023.

Redhawks Crack Top-25
•    For the first time this season, Southeast Missouri is in the FCS Top-25. 
•    SEMO received votes in both the American Football Coaches Association and Stats Perform Media polls each of the last two weeks.
•    The Redhawks are #21 in the AFCA Coaches and Stats Perform Media polls this week.
•    SEMO is the first Big South-OVC team ranked in the Top-25 this year.
•    It is the first time the Redhawks have been a Top-25 team since they were ranked #16 in the Stats Perform and #20 in the AFCA polls on Sept. 18, 2023.
•    SEMO has been ranked a total of 33 weeks in either the AFCA or Stats Perform Top-25 polls under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.

Series Notes
•    This year marks the 92nd meeting between Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, schools separated 48 miles apart.
•    SEMO holds a 43-40-8 lead in the all-time series which dates all the way back to 1909.
•    It is the longest series for both schools.
•    The Redhawks are 24-19-4 against the Salukis in Carbondale.
•    SEMO beat SIU in two of its last three trips to Saluki Stadium, winning, 34-31, on Sept. 10, 2022 and, 48-44, on Sept. 15, 2018.
•    This year marks only the third time SEMO (#21) and SIU (#7) meet as ranked teams. The Redhawks and Salukis were also ranked when they faced each other in 2020 and 2023.

Matukewicz and Southern Illinois
•    Tom Matukewicz is 4-6 all-time against Southern Illinois, a place he worked as an assistant coach from 2001-07.
•    Three of Matukewicz's four wins over SIU came in the final 25 seconds of the game.
•    SIU Head Coach Nick Hill was the starting quarterback when Matukewicz was an assistant coach on Jerry Kill's staff.
•    All three Saluki teams Hill was a part of made the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
•    Matukewicz and Hill have coached against each other eight times. Hill holds a 5-3 advantage in those matchups.
•    SEMO beat SIU every season it has gone to the NCAA FCS Playoffs (2010, 2018, 2019, 2022).

Against the Missouri Valley Football Conference
•    Southern Illinois is the only Missouri Valley Football Conference member on Southeast Missouri's schedule this season.
•    Saturday marks the 189th time SEMO matches up with a MVFC opponent.
•    The Redhawks are 80-100-8 all-time against MVFC schools.
•    SEMO is 3-8 vs. Illinois State, 4-5 vs. Indiana State, 28-46 vs. Missouri State, 1-1 vs. Northern Iowa, 43-40-8 vs. SIU and 1-0 vs. Western Illinois (now in the Big South-OVC).
•    The Redhawks will travel to nine-time Football Championship Subdivision National Champion and MVFC member North Dakota State in 2025.

Record Performance
•    Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw for a career-high 376 yards and Southeast Missouri record six touchdowns against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    DeLaurent completed passes to seven different receivers.
•    He completed 34-of-63 passes at a 53.9 percent clip. DeLaurent also established new career-highs in completions and attempts. DeLaurent's 63 passing attempts were also a school record.
•    DeLaurent threw touchdown passes of 17, 18, 20, 5, 10 and 11 yards in the Redhawks come-from-behind double overtime thriller against the Skyhawks.
•    It was the sixth time DeLaurent threw for over 300 yards in his career.
•    DeLaurent started under center against UT Martin for the first time in his career. He was injured when SEMO played UTM in 2023 and the schools did not face each other in 2022.

DeLaurent and Norman Reach Milestones
•    Paxton DeLaurent went over 5,000 passing yards and Bryce Norman surpassed 300 career tackles against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    DeLaurent now has 5,243 passing yards and is fourth all-time among SEMO's career leaders.
•    He is just the fourth quarterback in program history to throw for over 5,000 yards.
•    Norman became the 10th player in program history to get 300 career tackles.
•    He currently ranks 10th among the school's career leaders with 301 tackles. 

What a Game!
•    The Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Association opener between Southeast Missouri and UT Martin was a monumental matchup at Houck Field on Sept. 7.
•    In a game with a playoff like feel, SEMO overcame a two-touchdown deficit to take down the preseason Big South-OVC favorite Skyhawks, 45-42, in double overtime.
•    UTM was ahead, 35-21, with 12:35 remaining in the fourth quarter when the Redhawks mounted their ferocious comeback.
•    The game featured 87 combined points, 12 touchdowns, two overtimes, five lead changes, five ties, three 100-yard receivers, one 100-yard rusher, two 250-plus yard passers and
one single-game record.

Mr. Clutch
•    Wide receiver Mitchell Sellers, who did not play the first three quarters of the game, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and another in overtime against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    Sellers made a 5-yard touchdown reception to narrow UTM's lead to 35-28 with 8:30 left to play. He then caught a game-tying 10-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds to force overtime.
•    His other touchdown came on a diving catch from 11 yards out to give SEMO a 42-35 lead in the first OT.
•    Sellers finished with career-highs in receptions (6), receiving yards (60) and receiving touchdowns (3) against the Skyhawks.
•    He missed the last five games of the 2023 season with a back injury.

DeLaurent and Norman Earn Big South-OVC Weekly Honors
•    Southeast Missouri quarterback Paxton DeLaurent and inside linebacker Bryce Norman earned Big South-OVC weekly honors for the first time this season.
•    DeLaurent was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week and Norman was tabbed Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9.
•    DeLaurent threw for a career-high 376 yards and SEMO single-game record six touchdowns, and Norman registered a game-high 13 tackles, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    For DeLaurent, it was the second time he won the honor. For Norman, it was his third Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Pippin Kicks Game-Winner
•    DC Pippin kicked the first game-winning field goal of his college career against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    Pippin's 37-yard field goal sailed through the uprights to send Southeast Missouri to its thrilling 45-42 double overtime win.
•    He scored nine points in the contest on one field goal and a perfect 6-of-6 PATs.
•    Pippin is SEMO's leading scorer this season with 24 points (5-of-7 field goals and 9-of-9 extra points).
•    He leads the Big South-OVC in scoring with eight points per game and is 11th in the Football Championship Subdivision in field goals per game (1.67).

One-Score Games
•    Since the start of the 2023 season, Southeast Missouri has been involved in eight one-score games.
•    Each of SEMO's last two contests were one-score affairs. The Redhawks fell to New Mexico State, 23-16, on Aug. 31 and beat UT Martin, 45-42, in double overtime on Sept. 7.
•    The Redhawks are 3-5 in those games.
•    SEMO's first one-score game of the 2023 season was a 26-25 loss to Southern Illinois on Sept. 16.
•    The Salukis got by the Redhawks when Nic Baker threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Izaiah Hartrup on fourth down with 11 seconds left.

Air Raid
•    In its recent 45-42 win over UT Martin (Sept. 7), Southeast Missouri threw for 376 yards.
•    Through three games, SEMO leads the Big South-OVC and ranks eighth in the FCS in passing offense with 289 yards per contest.
•    The Redhawks have eight passing touchdowns, all of which belong to Paxton DeLaurent. 
•    DeLaurent leads the nation in passing touchdowna and is second with 767 passing yards. He also tops the FCS in points responsible for (48).
•    On the flipside, SEMO ran the ball only 10 times for -11 yards against the Skyhawks.
•    The -11 rushing yards are the fewest the Redhawks had in a game during their NCAA Division I FCS era. 

Home-Opening Victory
•    With its home-opening win over UT Martin (Sept. 7), Southeast Missouri improved to 7-4 in such games under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    The Redhawks picked up their third-straight home-opening win after beating Nicholls, 42-16, on Sept. 17, 2022 and Lindenwood, 45-7, on Sept. 9, 2023.
•    SEMO is now 21-13 all-time in home-openers during its NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision era.
•    The Redhawks moved to 14-19 all-time in Big South-OVC home-openers.
•    SEMO won nine of 11 conference home-openers with Matukewicz as its head coach.

First-Year Starters
•    Four players have started every game in their first year at Southeast Missouri this season.
•    Wide receiver Cam Pedro, cornerback Justus Johnson, left guard Carter Guillaume and left tackle Tyler McMillan started all three games thus far.
•    Other first-year players with at least one start, include Tristan Smith (WR), Brandon Epton, Jr. (RB), Adrian Patterson (DB), Payton Brown (RB), Chris Daigre (DB) and Jalen Nettles (OL).  
•    Smith caught seven passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in his first career start against UT Martin (Sept. 7).

100-Yard Receivers Please Stand Up
•    Dorian Anderson and Cam Pedro each had over 100 receiving yards vs. UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    Pedro made a game-high nine receptions for 126 yards and Anderson had eight catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
•    It was Anderson's second-straight 100-yard receiving game with a touchdown. He also had six catches for 115 yards and a score at New Mexico State (Aug. 31).
•    Anderson's eight catches and 127 receiving yards are both career-highs.
•    Pedro went over 100 receiving yards for the first time in his Southeast Missouri career.
•    It was the first time SEMO had a pair of 100-yard receivers in a game since Sept. 10, 2022. That year, Ryan Flournoy had 145 yards and Johnny King added 125 at Southern Illinois.
•    Anderson lead the team in receving yards (313) and receiving touchdowns (3), and Pedro tops the team with 24 catches.

Double-Digit Tacklers
•    Southeast Missouri had its first players reach double-digits in tackles against UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    Bryce Norman paved the way with 13 tackles, while Khalani Riddick and Mali Walton followed with 11 and 10, respectively.
•    For Riddick and Walton, it marked the first time they finished with 10 or more tackles in a game.
•    Norman registered double-digit tackles for the 15th time in his career.

Pulling Rank
•    Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 10 teams in the FCS in four statistical categories. 
•    The Redhawks are second in first down offense (62), third in turnovers gained (6), fifth in fumbles recovered (3) and eighth in passing offense (289 ypg).
•    Individually, three SEMO players lead the nation in at least one area. 
•    Paxton DeLaurent leads the FCS in passing touchdowns (8) and points responsible for (48). Dorian Anderson leads the nation in receiving yards (313) and receiving touchdowns (3). Mitchell Sellers is tied for first with Anderson in receiving TDs. 

Take it Away
•    The Redhawk defense has six takeaways through three games this season.
•    SEMO has three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
•    The Redhawks rank first in the Big South-OVC in turnovers gained.
•    SEMO won the turnover margin in two of its first three games this season and has forced a turnover in six-straight contests dating back to 2023.

About Southern Illinois
•    Southern Illinois is #8 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and #9 in the Stats Perform Media Poll this week.
•    The Salukis are 2-1 this season with a 41-13 loss at Football Bowl Subdivision BYU (Aug. 31), a 31-17 win at former Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay (Sept. 7) and 35-28 victory over #12 Incarnate Word (Sept. 14).
•    SIU leads the FCS in sacks (13). 
•    Ben Bogle leads the Saluki defense with 28 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through three games.
•    Bogle was named Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7 after getting 12 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks against Austin Peay.
•    Offensively, DJ Williams is SIU's top rusher with 242 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries.
•    SIU was picked to finish fourth in this year's Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Poll behind reigning FCS National Champion South Dakota State, North  Dakota State and South Dakota.
•    Vinson Davis III, Chase Evans, Colin Bohanek, Ubayd Steed, Aidan Quinn and Jake Green earned Preseason All-MVFC honors.
•    Nick Hill is in his ninth year as SIU's head coach. 

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 28-consecutive starts at center.
•    Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 17-straight starts on the offensive line.
•    DC Pippin made 29-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).

Good to Know
•    Bryce Norman ranks 10th among Southeast Missouri's career leaders in tackles (301) and 13th in tackles for loss (24.5). Norman became the 10th player in program history to go over 300 career tackles. 
•    Paxton DeLaurent ranks fourth all-time in program history with 5,243 passing yards. DeLaurent is the fourth quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards. He surpassed Jack Tomco (4,946 yards, 2002-03) for the fourth-place spot.
•    DeLaurent has 38 career passing touchdowns and needs nine more to break SEMO's all-time career record of 46 set by Daniel Santacaterina (2018-19).
•    DeLaurent needs 937 passing yards to break the school's all-time career record in that category. DeLaurent has 5,243 yards and is chasing Jason Liley who threw for 6,179 yards from 1989-92. 
•    DeLaurent's 376 passing yards against UT Martin (Sept. 7) rank seventh in program history for most passing yards in a game. 
•    His 63 passing attempts against the Skyhawks surpassed Mike Haley (61, at Kent State, Sept. 10, 2005) for a new single-game record.
•    DeLaurent's six touchdown passes against UT Martin (Sept. 7) surpassed SEMO's previous single-game record of five thrown by Kyle Snyder (vs. Austin Peay, 2014) and Jack Tomco (vs. UT Martin, 2002).
•    His 34 completions tied the school's single-game record.

Brickyard Game
•     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.
•    The Redhawks are 10-33 against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents since 2004. 
•    SEMO last beat a ranked FCS team when it upended then-#17 Southern Illinois, 34-31, on Sept. 10, 2022.

QB 1
•    Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent has started all three games under center for the Redhawks this year. 
•    After leaving the FCS Kickoff game vs. North Alabama (Aug. 24) late in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, DeLaurent has since thrown for 295 yards and one touchdown at New Mexico State (Aug. 31) and 376 yards and a school record six touchdowns vs. UT Martin (Sept. 7).
•    He has thrown a touchdown pass to four different receivers in three starts.
•    DeLaurent leads the FCS in passing touchdowns (8) and points responsible for (48).
•    He has thrown for 5,243 yards and 38 touchdowns in his career.
•    DeLaurent is 12-8 as SEMO's three-year starting quarterback.
•    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).
•    During the 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.
•    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.    

Roster Notes
•    Southeast Missouri's 2024 roster consists of 103 players.
•    SEMO has 16 seniors, six graduates, 29 juniors, 22 sophomores and 30 freshmen.
•    Ty Leonard, Darrell Smith, 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 is in his 11th year as Southeast Missouri's head coach.
•    Matukewicz has been at SEMO his entire head coaching career.
•    He is 56-60 overall and 42-30 in Big South-OVC play.
•    Matukewicz guided the Redhawks to two conference 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 56 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.

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 301tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his career.
•    He ranks among SEMO's career leaders in tackles (10th, 301), sacks (9th, 10) and tackles for loss (13th, 24.5).
•    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.

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 145-230 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.