Southeast Missouri State football team gets final non-conference test against Division II Shorter

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz rarely made the trek up to the top field of the Rosengarten Athletic Complex during the Redhawks practices this week.

In the days leading up to Southeast's game against Division II Shorter University on Saturday, Matukewicz spent his time on the lower field with the defense as it prepared for the visiting Hawks' triple-option offense.

When Matukewicz was an assistant under Jerry Kill at Northern Illinois, he faced Navy's triple-option, and he isn't thrilled about facing the scheme again.

"They're a triple-option offense and just a game that you don't really want to play because you don't play anybody like it, and it's difficult to prepare for," Matukewicz said. "I've played Navy twice as a defensive coordinator, and it's not a lot of fun. So if I got to pick, I'd a lot rather be on offense this week."

The Redhawks' first-half defense against nationally-ranked Indiana State last week impressed Matukewicz as they were the first team to shut out the Sycamores in the first half of a game since 2013.

Southeast Missouri State University quarterback, Dante Vandeven, is seen wearing the number one jersey during the Redhawks practice, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

They recorded five sacks in the first half but didn't get any in the second, and they allowed three second-half touchdowns in the 29-28 loss.

Southeast Missouri State's Tremane McCullough runs the ball against Mizzou in the first quarter, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. Mizzou defeated Southeast 34-3. (Laura Simon)

"It's just all about being consistent," Matukewicz said. "Defensively we put (together) as good of a first half of football since I've been here. Shut a top 25 offense out. Then the second half wasn't as good. Offensively it was kind of the reverse of that."

True freshman Dante Vandeven led the Redhawks on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives in the second half in his collegiate debut. He replaced starter Tay Bender after Bender was picked off in the end zone for a 100-plus yard touchdown return.

Vandeven will make his first start at Southeast against the Hawks. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference newcomer of the week and the STATS FCS freshman of the week for his performance.

The Jackson graduate completed 12 of 17 passes for 115 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to receiver Paul McRoberts as time expired to pull within one. He also was intercepted on a pass into the end zone on his second drive.

He rushed for 28 yards on four carries.

"He came in and sparked our offense, and that's what we needed," offensive coordinator Sherard Poteete said. "We needed a little boost to kind of get us jumpstarted, and he provided that."

The Redhawks offense will be without leading rusher DeMichael Jackson, who tore his ACL against the Sycamores and will be out for the season.

Jackson did not have a carry in the second half, and in his absence, junior transfer Tremane McCullough rushed for a career-high 114 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Houck Stadium. It is "Take a Kid to the Game Day," and kids 14 and under will receive free admission with an adult.

The Hawks, who are in their second year as a full Division II member and the Gulf South Conference, are the Redhawks' final non-conference opponent before they begin OVC play against Murray State on Oct. 3.

"We built this thing and talked all about the OVC, and we want to hit the OVC feeling good, hopefully staying healthy and all those things," Matukewicz said. "We've got one more game to just try and make sure we're the best football team we can be by the time we open OVC play."

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By the numbers

9.3 -- The Southeast football team ranks tied for second in the nation with an average of 9.3 tackles for loss per game. Columbia is No. 1 with 10 tackles for loss in one game. The Redhawks have recorded 28 tackles for loss, including 11 in their loss to ISU. Sophomore linebacker Chad Meredith leads Southeast with 4 TFLs while junior linebacker Roper Garrett has 3.5 and junior defensive tackle John Popovich has 3.

15 -- The Redhawks are 15-0 against non-Division I teams since they moved to the Football Championship Subdivision. Southeast has never played Shorter, which is located in Rome, Georgia. The Redhawks' last win over a non-Division I foe came in last year's season opener against NAIA Missouri Baptist. Southeast won that game 77-0, which was the most points scored by Southeast in its Division I era.

46.3 -- Junior punter Alex Knight ranks first in the OVC and fifth in the nation with an average punt of 46.3 yards. Knight has punted 23 times through three games with three 50 yards or more, including a 60-yarder. Two of his punts against ISU were downed inside the Sycamores' 5-yard line.

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Stat leaders

Indiana State

Passing: Aaron Bryant 135 yards, Devante James 70

Receiving: Cody Simpson 88, Maurice Sutton 42, Aaron Bryant 31

Rushing: B.J. McCoy 161, Maurice Sutton 23, Aki Coles 10

Tackles: Zach Butts 31, Dominique Henfield 19, Jordan Shaw 16

Southeast

Passing: Tay Bender 298 yards, Dante Vandeven 115

Receiving: Paul McRoberts 191, Adrian Davis 55, Peter Lloyd 44

Rushing: DeMichael Jackson 265, Tay Bender 168, Tremane McCullough 136

Tackles: Roper Garrett 30, Ryan Moore 18, Mike Ford 17

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Shorter coach Phil Jones (Photo courtesy Rome News-Tribune)

Opposing coach's view: "I'm an old coach. Probably too old. What I mean by that is just being around it for a long, long time, and I tell you (their) team is very, very good. Just everybody does what they're supposed to do, and the amount of effort that they put in every snap -- there's a lot of teams that it doesn't happen like that so it means that your coaches have really, really done a great job."

-- Phil Jones, Shorter coach

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Scouting the opponent

Shorter University's B.J. McCoy carries the ball against University of Faith during an exhibition game at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. (Photo courtesy Rome News-Tribune)

Shorter comes to Houck Stadium to face its second consecutive FCS opponent.

The Hawks are coming off a devastating 18-10 loss to Kennesaw State, which is in its first season of Division I football.

Shorter set up to kick what could've been a game-winning 37-yard field goal with 8 seconds left in the game.

After a bad snap, he Owls scooped up the ball and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown to seal the win.

"It was really just a tough, tough thing at the end," Shorter coach Phil Jones said in a phone interview. " ... Our snapper snapped the ball while our holder was looking at the kicker. There was 3 seconds in the game, and if we hit that field goal, we win. So that miscue hit us right there."

The Hawks (0-2) were 3-8 last season and have not won a game since Oct. 2, 2014.

They bring a nine-game losing streak to Cape Girardeau.

Shorter's defense did not give up a touchdown to KSU. The Hawks have allowed two touchdowns this season to Carson-Newman College, also a Division II school.

Linebacker Zach Butts leads the Hawks with 31 tackles, including six for loss, and was the Gulf South Conference's defensive player of the week after the KSU game. LB Dominique Henfield has 19 tackles while senior safety Jordan Shaw has 16 tackles.

"The strength of our team is our defense," Jones said. "We know that we're (outsized), and we've got to play fast -- very, very fast -- and get more people to the ball if we can. That would be the factor for us."

Sophomore Aaron Bryant directs the Hawks' triple-option offense. He started his freshman season as a backup quarterback but moved to slotback where he rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries.

He's completed 8 of 11 passes for 135 yards -- all against KSU. He's rushed for four yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for 31 yards.

QB Devane James has completed 4 of 12 passes for 70 yards.

Junior BJ McCoy, a 5-foot-8, 215-pound fullback, leads Shorter with 139 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Receiver Cody Simpson is the top target through the air but only has four catches for 88 yards.

"That's what we do. We try to be the best that we can at it," Jones said of the triple-option. "Typically in our situation, you can have some smaller linemen that can make it happen in that offense more so than you can when you've got a whole lot of pass protections and the guys that are throwing a lot of passes."

Southeast will pay Shorter $47,000 to play on Saturday.

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Series history

Saturday marks the first meeting between Southeast and Shorter

Last meeting

N/A

OVC schedule

Saturday

Shorter University at Southeast Missouri, 1 p.m.

#1 Jacksonville State at UT Martin, 2 p.m.

Tennessee State at Florida A&M, 5 p.m.

Austin Peay at #18 Eastern Kentucky, 5 p.m.

Tennessee Tech at Murray State, 6 p.m.

The OVC's top two pass offenses meet for their first conference games of the season. Murray State's high-powered offense, led by quarterback KD Humphries, and Tennessee Tech's offense, led by QB Jared Davis, enter Saturday's game at 1-2 on the season.

MSU, which had won the previous four meetings with the Golden Eagles before losing 30-27 last season, averages 439.3 yards total offense and 324 passing. TTU averages 324 yards of offense with 258.7 of it passing.