Southeast Missouri (3-4, 2-1 OVC-Big South) at #8 Tennessee Tech (7-0, 4-0 OVC-Big South)

Game Information
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Kickoff: 12 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Tucker Stadium (16,500)
Surface: Stadia Turf
Series: SEMO leads, 17-16
Last Meeting: SEMO 34, TTU 3 | 10/12/24 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Meeting in Cookeville: SEMO 28, TTU 3 | 10/21/23

Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (67-67 overall; 66-67 at SEMO; 49-33 OVC-Big South)
Tennessee Tech: Bobby Wilder (91-61 overall; 14-5 at TTU; 10-2 OVC-Big South)

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Video: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: TTUSports.com
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
X: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF) 

Redhawks Head to OVC-Big South Leader #8 Tennessee Tech
•    Southeast Missouri (3-4, 2-1) travels to Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Association leader and #8 Tennessee Tech (7-0, 4-0) Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m., CT at  Tucker Stadium.
•    SEMO hits the road for the fourth time this season.
•    The Redhawks are presently 0-3 away from home in 2025 with road losses at Arkansas State (Aug. 30), #1 North Dakota State (Sept. 13) and UT Martin (Sept. 27).
•    #8 Tennessee Tech is the second top-10 ranked opponent SEMO squares off against this year.
•    TTU was voted this year's OVC-Big South preseason favorite.

Series History
•    This year marks the 34th meeting between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech.
•    SEMO holds a slight 17-16 edge in the all-time series which began in 1991.
•    The Redhawks won seven of the last eight matchups of the series, including the previous three.
•    SEMO is 5-10 all-time against the Golden Eagles in Cookeville. 
•    The Redhawks outscored TTU, 62-6 in the last two meetings between the teams.SEMO won, 28-3, in Cookeville during the 2023 season and, 34-3, in Cape Girardeau in 2024.
•    Tom Matukewicz is 8-3 against the Golden Eagles as head coach. The eight wins are Matukewicz's most against a OVC-Big South member in his 12 years at the helm.

Winning Streak
•    Southeast Missouri brings a two-game winning streak to Cookeville, Tennessee this weekend.
•    SEMO won back-to-back games for the first time this season with home victories over Tennessee State (28-12, Oct. 11) and Eastern Illinois (42-13, Oct. 18).
•    The Redhawks improved to 3-1 at Houck Field with their latest home wins over TSU and EIU.

Season-High Points
•    The Redhawks put up a season-high 42 points in their Homecoming win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    Southeast Missouri scored 35 points in the first half, including 21 in the second quarter.
•    It marked the third time SEMO scored 30 or more points in a game this season.
•    The Redhawks rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Association in scoring offense with 25.6 points per game.

Weber Takes OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week Honors Again
•    Johnny Weber was tabbed Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Association Freshman of the Week for the second-straight week.
•    Weber completed 21-of-31 passes for 283 yards and a career-high four touchdowns against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    The week before that, he threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-39 passes during his first career start vs. Tennessee State (Oct. 11).

Defense Rises
•    Southeast Missouri recorded a season-high six takeaways against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    SEMO had five interceptions and recovered a fumble in that contest.
•    It was the first time the Redhawks had six takeaways in a game since Oct. 9, 2021 (at Austin Peay).
•    Timothy Maxson recovered a fumble, while DJ Delmore, Landon Sylvie, David Jones and Justus Johnson (2) each had an interception.

Pick Six for Delmore
•    DJ Delmore returned his first career interception 95 yards for a touchdown vs. Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    After Southeast Missouri turned the ball over on the game's opening drive, Delmore picked off Connor Wolf and sprinted down the near sideline to the end zone.
•    It was the second-longest interception return for a touchdown in program history.

500th Win
•    With its 42-13 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct 18), Southeast Missouri picked up its 500th victory in program history.
•    SEMO's football program began in 1904 and moved to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 1991.
•    The school's all-time program record stands at 500-565-36.

Career Day for Cheers
•    Donnie Cheers finished with seven receptions for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    Cheers averaged 23.6 yards per catch in that game.
•    He had a 54-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and hauled in a career-long 67-yard touchdown catch in the second period.
•    Cheers is tied for first on the team with four receiving touchdowns through seven games.
•    He went over 100 receiving yards in a game for the second time in his career.

High Five!
•    Southeast Missouri's defense registered a season-high five interceptions against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    David Jones, DJ Delmore and Landon Sylvie each came away with their first career interception, while Justus Johnson had a career-best two picks.
•    It was the fourth time in its NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision era, where SEMO had five or more interceptions in a game.
•    The Redhawks defense also accomplished that feat vs. UT Martin (5 INT, Sept. 24, 1994), vs. Mars Hill College (5 INT, Sept. 8, 2012) and at Tennessee Tech (6 INT, Nov. 15, 2003).

Homecoming Dub
•    With its 42-13 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18), Southeast Missouri improved to 19-15 all-time in Homecoming games since moving to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 1991.
•    SEMO won seven of its last eight Homecoming matchups.
•    The 42 points were the Redhawks second-most in a Homecoming game in program history behind the 52 points scored against Murray State on Oct. 29, 2005.

Walton Delivers
•    Outside linebacker Jeremy Walton posted a season-high seven tackles vs. Eastern Illinois (Oct. 18).
•    Walton added a sack, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a quarterback hurry, as well.

Air Raid Ahead
•    This weekend's matchup between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech will feature the top two passing offenses in the Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Association.
•    SEMO is first in the league with 263.8 yards per game and TTU follows with 245.8 yards per contest.
•    The two teams have combined for a total of 3,568 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns this year.

Ranked Opponents
•    #8 Tennessee Tech is the third ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponent Southeast Missouri faces this season.
•    SEMO has a total of 12 wins over ranked FCS opponents during its NCAA Division I tenure, nine of which have come with Tom Matukewicz at the helm.
•    The Redhawks upended then-#3 Southeastern Louisiana (24-23) in Cape Girardeau on Sept. 20, 2014. It was the highest ranked opponent SEMO defeated in program history.
•    SEMO also played at #1 North Dakota State (L, 41-14, Sept. 13) and hosted #11 Southern Illinois (L, 59-31, Sept. 20) this season.
•  The Redhawks wins over ranked FCS foes are:
#17 Illinois State - W, 28-25 (Sept. 16, 2000)
#19 Tennessee State - W, 27-20 (Oct. 25, 2008)
#5 Southern Illinois - W, 24-21 (Sept. 18, 2010)
#3 Southeastern La. - W, 24-23 (Sept. 20, 2014)
#20 Tennessee State - W, 28-21 (Oct. 4, 2014)
#13 Eastern Illinois - W, 21-14 (Oct. 1, 2016)
#4 Jacksonville State - W, 37-14 (Oct. 19, 2018)
#15 Stony Brook - W, 28-14 (Nov. 24, 2018)
#14 Jacksonville State - W, 24-21 (Oct. 19, 2019)
#8 UT Martin - W, 31-14 (Nov. 20, 2021)
#17 Southern Illinois - W, 34-31 (Sept. 10, 2022)
#7 Southern Illinois - W, 38-21 (Sept. 21, 2024)

Brickyard Game
•     Saturday is another "Brickyard" game for the Redhawks.
•     Anytime 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 at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.
•     Against ranked FCS opponents, Matukewicz has a program record nine victories. His last "Brickyard" win was at then-#7 Southern Illinois (38-21, Sept. 21, 2024).

OVC-Big South Update
•    Southeast Missouri is in a three-way tie for third in the OVC-Big South standings.
ª    SEMO, Gardner-Webb and Lindenwood are all 2-1 behind Tennessee Tech (7-0) and UT Martin (3-1).
•    The Redhawks play at Gardner-Webb (Nov. 8) and host Lindenwood (Nov. 22).

About Tennessee Tech
•    Tennessee Tech is on a program record 12-game winning streak and is one of eight undefeated teams left in the Football Championship Subdivision this season.
•    TTU's winning streak is currently the longest in the FCS.
•    The Golden Eagles last loss was at Western Illinois (37-21) on Oct. 19, 2024.
•    TTU leads the OVC-Big South in scoring offense (51.1 ppg), total defense (252.7 ypg allowed), scoring defense (14.2 ppg allowed), touchdowns scored (50), total offense (506 ypg), rushing offense (260.1 ypg), rushing defense (46.2 ypg allowed), pass efficiency (168.5) and pass defense (206.4) among other categories.
•    Quarterback Kekoa Visperas is second in the league in passing average (215.8 ypg) and total offense (262.1 ypg), and Dom LeBlanc (8.5 ppg) is the conference's leading scorer.
ª    Second-year Head Coach Bobby Wilder is 10-2 in OVC-Big South play with one of those losses coming against Southeast Missouri in 2024.
•    The 2025 season is TTU's last as a member of the OVC-Big South. The Golden Eagles will join the Southern Conference in 2026-27.