3 takeaways from No. 12 SEMO’s 54-45 shootout win over Western Illinois on Senior Day

CAPE GIRARDEAU – The No. 12 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks bounced back from their first FCS loss — and put themselves in prime position for an outright conference title.

SEMO (9-2, 6-1 in Big South-Ohio Valley Conference) used a 31-point first half to engineer a 54-45 shootout victory over Western Illinois (3-8, 2-5) on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Houck Stadium.

“It was just a hard-fought win,” head coach Tom Matukewicz said. “Kind of like this season. There's been a lot of ups and downs and crazy games, and that was definitely one of them. Super proud of how our offense responded. Certainly, that's not how we thought of ourselves up in St. Louis, and so they've been working hard this last week and got more balance to their offense. Guys caught the ball well, threw it well and moved the ball exceptionally well.”

A win over Tennessee State (8-3, 5-2) next Saturday will clinch the conference championship for the Redhawks.

Here are three immediate takeaways from the SEMO win:

SEMO answers questions on offense

There were a few questions about the Redhawks offense following their performance against Lindenwood last week, and SEMO answered them with an exclamation point.

On three of the Redhawks’ six first-half drives, they drove at least 55 yards for a touchdown. SEMO put up 567 yards in the game and moved the ball with ease. In the first half alone, the Redhawks averaged 14.7 yards per completion and 7.8 yards per rush. They were equally dominant in both the run (192 yards) and the pass (375 yards) on Saturday, which was a great sign after only putting up 60 rushing yards and a season-low 12 points last week.

Then in the second half, it was just a continuation. Wide receiver Dorian Anderson, who entered the game with a team-high 13.9 yards per reception, broke things open when he burned the WIU cornerback over the top for an electrifying 48-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

It was a big-time game from a big-time player in quarterback Paxton DeLaurent. The senior threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns on a 62.5% completion rate, while also making an impact with his legs behind 40 rushing yards and a score.

DeLaurent connected with six different receivers, including touchdown passes to Anderson, Cam Pedro, Tristan Smith, and Brandon Epton Jr. The SEMO offensive line held up in pass protection after not allowing a single sack, as well.

“I think after last week we had to just go back to believing in each other,” DeLaurent said. “Just going back to all the work we put in the offseason, everything that we've done. We’ve got to believe that we can make those plays for this team, for this university, and they did it. My job can be very easy when guys are making plays and you just give the playmakers the ball, and they were doing that. So, just an unbelievable job by six different guys and just lots of running backs coming in.”

Brandon Epton Jr. steals the show

This season has been an emotional ride for the junior running back out of Dallas, Tex., and his performance on Saturday was nothing short of outstanding.

Epton Jr., a junior college transfer, had a career day behind 132 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry) and two total touchdowns – just two months after suffering an injury in a car accident.

His memorable moment came midway through the first quarter when he dashed into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown reception before dropping to his knees and saying a prayer.

“I’ve had a crazy year,” Epton Jr. said. “First couple of games I wasn’t really performing how everyone expected me to and then after UT Martin, the car accident happened. After the car accident I just really dialed in and really wanted to come back and get these seniors a ring. That’s always been on my mind and that was never a doubt.”

Perhaps no one understands the value of a player like Epton Jr. more than the man who brought him in this past offseason.

“Some of the things you guys don't understand is Brandon Epton could have just taken a redshirt,” Matukewicz said. “And so, in this day and age, that's uncommon. Most people just care about themselves and their career. Brandon is different. He truly cares about his teammates.”

Shaky defensive performance

This was not a typical Saturday for the SEMO defense. The Redhawks were gashed by explosive plays all day long, as they surrendered a season-high 593 total yards, 500 of which were through the air, and leaned on the offense to exit Houck Stadium with a win.

Quarterback Nathan Lamb and Western Illinois gave the SEMO secondary fits all game long, generating eight plays of 20-plus yards, including a pair of 81-yard touchdown passes.

“I think what you saw is we're just kind of limping in here in the secondary," Matukewicz said. "We're out of starters, and those guys are playing a lot of snaps and things like that. Ultimately, they made a bunch of plays that were kind of wide open. It was more the mental busts and stuff like that. So, I know our coaches are prideful. We'll get it fixed. I know our secondary doesn't want to see those things and I know Tennessee State's glad he (Lamb) saw those things. So, if we don't get it fixed it could be another shootout.”

On the bright side, SEMO produced several game-changing plays on the defensive side and ultimately won the turnover battle (3-to-1). A big moment came with 1:35 left in the second quarter behind linebacker Mali Walton’s leaping interception at the SEMO 39-yard line, which led to Smith 21-yard touchdown catch. Veteran cornerback Ty Leonard also had a pivotal play late in the fourth quarter when he picked off Lamb’s wobbly pass to set up an eventual DC Pippin field goal to go up 54-39.

Looking ahead

SEMO will travel to Nashville, Tenn. for a conference showdown against Tennessee State next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.