#13 Southeast Missouri (4-1, 1-0 Big South-OVC) at Eastern Illinois (1-4, 0-1 Big South-OVC)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Kickoff: 2 p.m., CT
Location: Charleston, Ill.
Facility: O'Brien Field (10,000)
Surface: Hellas Fieldturf
Series: EIU leads, 18-13
Last Meeting: SEMO 35, EIU 28 (10/14/23)
Last Meeting in Charleston: SEMO 31, EIU 7 (11/12/22)

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (59-60 overall; 58-60 at SEMO; 42-30 Big South-OVC)
Eastern Illinois: Chris Wilkerson (62-43 overall; 11-16 at EIU; 5-7 Big South-OVC)

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

Redhawks Travel to Eastern Illinois
•    #13 Southeast Missouri heads to Eastern Illinois for its first Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Association road matchup Saturday.
•    Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., CT at O'Brien Stadium.
•    SEMO looks to end a two-game losing streak in Big South-OVC road contests dating back to the 2023 season.
•    The Redhawks dropped a 41-14 decision at UT Martin (Nov. 11, 2023) and fell, 45-21, at Bryant (Nov. 18, 2023) in those matchups.
•    SEMO's only Big South-OVC road win in 2023 came at Tennessee Tech (28-3, Oct. 21).
•    The Redhawks beat the Panthers in each of their last three trips to Charleston, Illinois. SEMO averaged 34.6 points per game in those meetings.

Series Notes
•    Saturday marks the 32nd meeting between Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois.
•    EIU leads the all-time series which began in 1956, 18-13.
•    SEMO is 5-11 all-time at O'Brien Stadium, where it picked up three of those victories since the 2019 season.
•    The Redhawks won the last six games in the series.
•    Tom Matukewicz is 7-3 all-time against EIU as SEMO's head coach. 
•    Matukewicz has the most wins against the Panthers and fellow Big South-OVC member Tennessee Tech (7-3) in his 11 years at the helm.

Conference Games the Rest of the Way
•    The Redhawks will be in Big South-OVC play for the rest of the season.
•    Eastern Illinois is the second team Southeast Missouri faces ahead of the Redhawks in the 2024 Big South-OVC Preseason Poll.
•    EIU was tabbed second with 53 points and two first-place votes. SEMO was right behind the Panthers with 51 points and two first-place nods.
•    The Redhawks took down Big South-OVC preseason favorite UT Martin, 45-42, in double overtime to start Big South-OVC action on Sept. 7.

Non-Conference Wrap
•    With its 19-0 win over Northwestern State (Sept. 28), Southeast Missouri finished with a 3-1 record in non-conference games.
•    The 3-1 mark is the Redhawks best non-conference record under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    It is the third time SEMO posted a winning non-conference record with Matukewicz at the helm.
•    The Redhawks also compiled winning records against non-league foes in 2018 (3-2) and 2022 (4-3).
•    SEMO's only non-conference loss was to Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA member New Mexico State (23-16, Aug. 31).
•    The Redhawks picked up their non-conference wins against North Alabama (37-15, Aug. 24) in the FCS Kickoff, at then-#7 Southern Illinois (38-21, Sept. 21) and vs. Northwestern State (19-0, Sept. 28). 

Big South-OVC Update
•    Southeast Missouri (4-1) and Tennessee State (3-2) are the only Big South-OVC teams with winning overall records thus far.
•    SEMO leads the conference with four victories.
•    Six teams in the league, including Lindenwood (2-3), Western Illinois (1-3), Eastern Illinois (1-4), Charleston Southern (1-3), Gardner-Webb (1-4) and UT Martin (2-3) have three or more losses.
•    Tennessee Tech (2-0), Southeast Missouri (1-0) and Lindenwood (1-0) are at the top of the standings.

Poll Position
•    Southeast Missouri is ranked in both the American Football Coaches Association Coaches and Stats Perform Media Top-25 polls for the third-straight week.
•    SEMO is up one spot to #13 in the AFCS Coaches Poll and remains at #13 in the Stats Perform Poll.  
•    The Redhawks cracked the Top-25 in both polls for the first time this season on Sept. 16.
•    SEMO is the only Big South-OVC team ranked in the Top-25 this year.
•    The Redhawks have been ranked a total of 35 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

Three-Game Winning Streak
•    The Redhawks carry a three-game winning streak to Charleston, Illinois this weekend.
•    That stretch started with a 45-42 double overtime victory over Big South-OVC preseason favorite UT Martin on Sept. 7.
•    SEMO followed that up with a 38-21 road win at #7 Southern Illinois (Sept. 21) and 19-0 home victory over Northwestern State (Sept. 28).
•    One more win will give the Redhawks their longest winning streak since they won six in a row during the 2022 campaign.    

Shut 'Em Out
•    Southeast Missouri recorded its first shuout of the season with a 19-0 win over Southland Conference member Northwestern State (Sept. 28).
•    It was SEMO's first shutout at home over an NCAA Division I opponent in 30 years. The last was a 10-0 win over UT Martin on Sept. 24, 1994.
•    The shutout marked the Redhawks second at Houck Field under Tom Matukewicz. His other was a 77-0 thrashing of Missouri Baptist in his first career game as a head coach on Aug. 28, 2014.
•    It was SEMO's fifth during the Redhawks NCAA Division I era. 

Pippin Propels Redhawks
•    DC Pippin kicked a career-high four field goals and scored 13 of Southeast Missouri's 19 points against Northwestern State (Sept. 28).
•    Pippin scored the final 12 points of the game on kicks of 30, 38, 37 and 24 yards. His 13 points were also a career-high.
•    That performance came three weeks after he kicked his first career game-winning field goal to beat UT Martin (Sept. 7) in double overtime.
•    Pippin is SEMO's leading scorer this season with 43 points (10-of-15 field goals and 13-of-14 extra points).
•    He leads the Big South-OVC in scoring (kick) and field goals made. Pippin is second in the FCS in field goals made per game (2.0) and 20th in scoring (8.6 ppg).
•    Pippin was named Big South-OVC Specialist of the Week on Sept. 30.

Another Big Defensive Effort
•    Southeast Missouri's defense held Northwestern State (Sept. 28) to only 120 total yards.
•    It was the third-fewest total yards SEMO held an opponent to in its NCAA Division I era.
•    The Redhawks allowed 53 rushing yards and 67 passing yards.
•    SEMO also stopped NSU twice on fourth down, as well.

Tough Defense
•    Southeast Missouri leads the Big South-OVC in scoring defense and total defense through five games this season.
•    SEMO is allowing just 20.2 points and 313.4 total yards per contest.
•    The Redhawks have held opponents scoreless in five-straight quarters and have one shuout this year.
•    Nationally, SEMO is 20th in scoring defense and 21st in total defense.
•    With 13 sacks so far, the Redhawks are close to reaching their season total of 14 in 11 games last year.
•    SEMO also has six turnovers gained and stopped opponents seven times on fourth down.
•    Three Redhawks, including Bryce Norman (2nd, 9.4), Khalani Riddick (5th, 8.6) and Mali Walton (10th, 6.6) are among the Big South-OVC's top 10 leaders in tackles per game.

Great Start
•    At 4-1, Southeast Missouri is off to its second-best start under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
•    SEMO's best start with Matukewicz at the helm came during the Redhawks' 2022 Ohio Valley Conference championship season. The Redhawks began that season with a 6-1 record.
•    The Redhawks already matched their total number of wins from 2023 (4-7).

Career Day for Smith
•    Backup running back Darrell Smith ran for a career-high 127 yards on 31 carries in Southeast Missouri's win over Northwestern State (Sept. 28).
•    Smith's 31 carries tied for sixth-most in a game in program history.
•    He became the second Redhawk player to rush for over 100 yards this season.

Offense Produces
•    Southeast Missouri leads the Big South-OVC in scoring offense (31 ppg), total offensive plays (370), touchdowns scored (18), total offense (391.6 ppg) and passing offense (281 ypg).
•    Nationally, SEMO is seventh in passing offense and 26th in scoring.
•    Seven different Redhawks have scored a touchdown through five games this season, including Payton Brown (4), Carter Hensley (1), Dorian Anderson (5), Cam Pedro (2), Tristan Smith (1), Mitchell Sellers (4) and Kyron Downing (1).

Pulling Rank
•    Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 10 teams in the FCS in four statistical categories. 
•    The Redhawks are fifth in fourth down conversion percentage (90 pct.), ninth in first downs offense (110), seventh in passing offense (281.0 ypg) and seventh in winning percentage (.800).

About Eastern Illinois
•    After going 8-3 in 2023, Eastern Illinois has slipped to a 1-4 start this season.
•    EIU has dropped three in a row and recently fell to Lindenwood, 28-25, in its Big South-OVC opener on Sept. 28.
•    The Panthers are last in the Big South-OVC in scoring putting up just 13.2 points per game. EIU's defense has given up 155 points in five games, third-most in the league this year.
•    Defensive back Elijawah Tolbert leads the Big South-OVC with 9.5 tackles per game.
•    Quarterback Pierce Holley, tabbed the Big South-OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, ranks fourth among league leaders in passing average (196 ypg).

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 30-consecutive starts at center.
•    Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 19-straight starts on the offensive line.
•    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 ninth among Southeast Missouri's career leaders in tackles (319) and 10th in tackles for loss (27.0). Norman became the 10th player in program history to go over 300 career tackles. 
•    Paxton DeLaurent ranks third all-time in program history with 5,781 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 43 career passing touchdowns and needs four more to break SEMO's all-time career record of 46 set by Daniel Santacaterina (2018-19).
•    DeLaurent needs 399 passing yards to break the school's all-time career record in that category. DeLaurent has 5,781 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) ranked 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.

QB 1
•    Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent has started all five 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 five different receivers in five starts.
•    DeLaurent ranks second in the FCS in passing touchdowns (13), third in points responsible for (80), seventh in completions per game (24.2) and fifth in passing yards (1,305). 
•    He has thrown for 5,781 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career.
•    DeLaurent is 14-8 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.    

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 58-60 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 nine 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 58 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.

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 147-230 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.

Big South-OVC Weekly Honors
•    For the third-straight week, Southeast Missouri earned at least one of the Big South-OVC Association's weekly honors.
•    Kicker DC Pippin was named the league's Specialist of the Week on Sept. 30.
•    Paxton DeLaurent was named Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Week and Payton Brown was tabbed the league's Freshman of the Week on Sept. 23.
•    Prior to that, DeLaurent won Big South-OVC Offensive and Bryce Norman earned Big South-OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 9.