Redhawks Travel to Big 12 and FBS Member Iowa State Saturday
8/31/2026 10:29:00 AM | Football
Game Information
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Kickoff: 12 p.m., CT
Site: Ames, Iowa
Facility: Jack Trice Stadium (61,500)
Surface: Grass
Series Record: ISU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: ISU 42, SEMO 10 | 9/3/22 | Ames, Iowa
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Redhawks Head to Iowa State
• Southeast Missouri (1-0) travels to Big 12 Conference and Football Bowl Subdivision member Iowa State Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m., CT at Jack Trice Stadium.
• SEMO is on the road for its first three games of the 2026 season. The Redhawks opened the year at Indiana State (Aug. 29) and will make a short trip to #25 Southern Illinois (Sept. 12) after this weekend's matchup.
• The seven-and-a-half hour drive to Ames, Iowa is the longest for the Redhawks this year.
• SEMO's other non-conference foes are Central Arkansas (Sept. 19) and West Florida (Sept. 26), both of which come to Cape Girardeau later this month.
Series Tidbits
• Southeast Missouri and Iowa State meet for just the second time in 2026.
• SEMO and ISU last played on Sept. 3, 2022.
• The Cyclones won that game, 42-10, in Ames.
FBS History
• The Redhawks hook up with a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent for the 31st time in program history.
• Southeast Missouri is 1-29 all-time against FBS schools.
• The Redhawks only victory came at Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 28, 2002 (24-14).
• SEMO is looking to end a 24-game losing streak against FBS opponents.
• Hawai'i was the first FBS team the Redhawks played on Nov. 12, 1994.
• All 30 of SEMO's matchups with FBS opponents were on the road.
Against the Big 12
• Southeast Missouri is 0-3 all-time against Big 12 Conference teams.
• SEMO is 0-1 vs. Iowa State and 0-2 vs. Kansas.
• All three of those games were played with Tom Matukewicz as head coach.
• The Redhawks played Kansas in 2014 and 2017 and Iowa State in 2022.
Redhawks Win Season-Opener
• The Redhawks began their 2026 season with a 23-21 road win over Missouri Valley Football Conference member Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Southeast Missouri won its season-opener for the second time in three years and 12th overall since joining the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
• It was SEMO's fourth season-opening victory under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz.
• Matukewicz also beat Indiana State for the first time at the helm. He faced the Sycamores three times as the Redhawks head coach and is in 1-2 in those matchups.
• Combined, those three games against Indiana State were decided by just six points.
• SEMO also earned its 82nd win all-time against MVFC teams.
Keller and Delmore Nab OVC Weekly Honors
• Southeast Missouri took two of the Ohio Valley Conference weekly honors during the first week of the 2026 season.
• Kicker Justin Keller was named OVC Specialist of the Week and safety DJ Delmore secured the league's Defensive Player of the Week accolade on Aug. 31.
• For Keller, it is the third OVC Specialist of the Week award of his career.
• For Delmore, it marks his first OVC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Difference Maker
• Kicker Justin Keller scored 11 of Southeast Missouri's 23 points against Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Keller made 3-of-4 field goals and was 2-of-2 on PATs.
• He made kicks of 42, 43 and 45 yards, respectively.
• Keller's 45-yard field goal with 7:04 remaining in the fourth quarter reclaimed the lead for SEMO and held up as the decisive points in the victory.
• Additionally, he kicked off six times for 371 yards and two touchbacks, averaging 61.8 yards per kickoff.
• It was the third time Keller scored 11 or more points in a game during his career.
• He currently has 83 points in his two-year stint as the Redhawks kicker.
• Keller has not missed a PAT in his career going a perfect 35-of-35.
Delmore Reaches New Career-High
• Safety DJ Delmore recorded a career-high 13 tackles in his first start of the season at Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Delmore had seven solo tackles and assisted on six others.
• He added three tackles for loss, one sack and a pass breakup.
• Delmore led a Southeast Missouri defense that had 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and one takeaway.
Nice Start for Ragland
• Alabama State transfer quarterback Braylen Ragland made his first career start for Southeast Missouri at Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Ragland, who is at his third NCAA Division I school (was previously at Georgia State and Alabama State), completed 26-of-36 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown against the Sycamores.
• He completed passes to nine different receivers and did not throw an interception.
• Ragland threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to John Anthony, Jr. giving SEMO its largest lead of the game (17-7) with 12:16 left to play in the third quarter.
Anthony, Jr. Excels
• Lindenwood transfer wide receiver John Anthony, Jr. made an impressive Southeast Missouri debut at Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Anthony, Jr. caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown to lead the Redhawks.
• He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Braylen Ragland in the third quarter giving SEMO a 10-point lead (17-7) at the time.
• Anthony, Jr.'s longest reception went for 23 yards.
First Career Starts
• Thirteen different players made their first career starts for Southeast Missouri at Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• John Anthony, Jr. (WR), Braylen Ragland (QB), Jobe Bryant (WR), Khylen Harris-Norman (WR), Hudson Brewer (C), Nehemiah Scott (NB), Josian Raven (OLB), LJ Minner, Jr. (ILB), Josh Stone (S), KJ McRae (ILB), Adam Camphor (NT), Ashton Jones (DE) and Teagan Cobb (P) formed that group.
Year 122
• Southeast Missouri is in its 122nd season of college football.
• The 2026 campaign is SEMO's 36th year at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
• The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 157-241 all-time in their Division I era.
Receiving Votes
• Southeast Missouri received votes in both the Stats Perform and American Football Coaches Association polls on Aug. 31.
• SEMO earned 19 votes in the Stats Perform Media Poll and 24 votes in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
• The last time the Redhawks were nationally ranked was the end of the 2024 campaign.
• SEMO finished that year #16 and #17 in the final Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Polls, respectively.
Roster Breakdown
• Southeast Missouri's 2026 roster consists of 107 players with a program record 53 newcomers.
• SEMO has 10 graduates, 10 fifth-year players. 21 seniors, 23 juniors, 20 sophomores and 23 freshmen.
• The Redhaks also have 11 new transfers from Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools.
• Tymere Burton (Utah State), Khyair Spain (Memphis), EJ Fisk (Utah State), Terrelle Elmore (Eastern Michigan), Josh Stone (Arkansas State), Teagan Cobb (Kansas State), KJ McRae (Northern Illinois), Toby Moore (UNLV), Clayton Leonard (Illinois), Titus Miller (Washington State) and Delano Brown (UConn) are in that group.
From the Hawkeye State
• Freshman long snapper TJ Nettles is the only player on Southeast Missouri's roster from Iowa.
• Nettles is from Council Bluffs and graduated from Lewis Central High School.
• He initially committed to Iowa Western, but chose to go the NCAA Division I route with SEMO.
Closing in on 70 Wins
• Tom Matukewicz, the third-longest tenured head coach in Southeast Missouri football history, is his 13th year.
• Matukewicz has led SEMO to program records in Ohio Valley Conference championships (3), NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff appearances (4), nine-win seasons (4), victories over ranked FCS opponents (9) and OVC wins (50).
• He is 68-71 overall and 50-37 in the OVC with the most overall and league victories of any head coach in the school's Division I era.
• Matukewicz's 13-year tenure ranks behind Kenneth Knox (16 years, 1952-67), Abe Stuber (15 years, 1932-46) and J.F. Corleux (15 years, 1915-29).
• His career record stands at 69-71 and includes one win while he was interim head coach at Northern Illinois in 2010.
First Turnover Goes to Jones
• Cornerback David Jones had Southeast Missouri's first takeaway of the season when he intercepted Elijah Jones in the third quarter at Indiana State (Aug. 29).
• Jones finished the game with five tackles.
• The interception was the second of Jones' career.
Transfer Quarterbacks
• Braylen Ragland (Alabama State) is the ninth transfer quarterback to start for the Redhawks during Tom Matukewicz's stint as head coach.
• Jax Leatherwood (San Diego Mesa College, 2025), Paxton DeLaurent (Central Methodist, 2022-24), CJ Ogbonna (Hutchinson CC, 2021), Andrew Bunch (Nebraska, 2021), Daniel Santacaterina (Northern Illinois, 2018-19), Jesse Hoskett (East Central CC, 2016-17), Tay Bender (Iowa Western CC, 2015) and Kyle Snyder (Ohio University, 2014) are SEMO's other transfer starting quarterbacks under Matukewicz.
Week Zero Win
• Southeast Missouri played a Week Zero game for only the second time in its program history in 2026.
• The 2026 season was the first year that all Football Championship Subdivision programs were permitted to begin play during Week Zero.
• A total of 69 games involved FCS teams during Week Zero.
• All eight Ohio Valley Conference schools were in action with Eastern Illinois (at Murray State), Lindenwood (vs. Charleston Southern), Western Illinois (vs. Northwestern College (Iowa) and Southeast Missouri (at Indiana State) each getting a win.
• SEMO moved to 2-0 in Week Zero games. Its other win was vs. North Alabama (37-15) in the FCS Kickoff Classic in Montgomery, Alabama on Aug. 24, 2024.
Experienced Offensive Line
• The bulk of Southeast Missouri's starting experience is on the offensive line.
• Rashad Turner (LT, 5th), Demoni Taylor (LG, Sr.), Sam Reynolds (C, Jr.), Jalen Nettles (RG, Gr.) and Wilbert Phillips (RT, 5th) all started the season-opener at Indiana State.
• Nettles, Phillips, Reynolds, Turner and Taylor combined for 42 starts up front last season.
• That group also has a total of 59 starts between them in their SEMO careers.
About Iowa State
• Iowa State begins a new era under Head Coach Jimmy Rogers in 2026.
• Rogers took over after Matt Campbell left to become head coach at Penn State.
• The Cyclones, coming off an overall 8-4 record and 5-4 mark in the Big 12, host Southeast Missouri in their season-opener Saturday.
• Following Campbell's departure, a mass exodus in the transfer portal left Iowa State's roster with approximately 80 new players.
• Jaylen Raynor (transferred from Arkansas State) steps in as the Cyclones' dual-threat quarterback.
• Running back Cameron Pedaway (transferred from Bowling Green) and wide receiver Amari Hayes (transferred from Tulane) are other pieces on offense.
