Rested Redhawks gear up for potential trap game against rival Lindenwood

The Southeast Missouri State football team emerges from its second bye week of the season undefeated in FCS play, leading the Big South-OVC and riding a seven-game winning streak.

The bye week came at an opportune time for the Redhawks, who have piled up injuries right next to their stack of victories. SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said he took the opportunity to give his players the week off to rest before returning to prepare for their next game.

"We needed to let go of the rope emotionally and physically," Matukewicz said. "You confuse activity with accomplishment. You feel good because you’re out there but you’re not really getting much done."

The rested Redhawks will take on Lindenwood at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the third edition of the Game Ball Brawl in St. Charles. Lindenwood’s move from Division II to DI in 2022 has given SEMO a natural rival within the state. Matukewicz mentioned not only has it been a good rivalry between two conference opponents close to each other who compete not only in recruiting and on the field, but also in terms of what the game means for SEMO alumni in St. Louis.

"We have a big alumni group in St. Louis and certainly a lot of our students are from there," Matukewicz said. "Two years ago, we had a really nice showing, a lot of red in the stands, a lot of tailgating. So that’s the hope that SEMO faithful come out and see a good football game this weekend."

The Redhawks have dominated the Lions in the first two meetings, but the Lions have improved greatly in Year 3. Lindenwood (4-6, 3-3) is 3-2 at home and finds itself in the middle of the conference pack. In the past four games, the Lions have been at their best at home and their worst on the road. With the game being in their den, Matukewicz is preparing for the potential trap game.

"We’re expecting that we’re gonna get their best," Matukewicz said. "Being able to knock us off would I’m sure feel great, so I know that they will be ready to go. It all starts with stopping the run."

The Lions’ rushing attack features three running backs, who have combined for 1,540 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Leading the way is freshman Steve Hall, who rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns in Lindenwood’s last home game two weeks ago.

"Every running back has a different style," Matukewicz said. "That’s why you play some because some running backs work against different opponents because of their running style. They got big backs, they got fast backs and they kind of have all of it in between. It’s a nice challenge for our defense."

The SEMO defense has been a brick wall for opposing ground games of late, led by linebacker Bryce Norman’s 87 tackles. The Redhawks haven’t allowed a running back to rush for 100 yards since UT Martin’s Patrick Smith during SEMO’s 45-42 double-overtime win in September.

"We certainly take pride in stopping the run," Matukewicz said. "We’re not going to get bullied up front. We got to win the line of scrimmage, and that’s going to be hard to do this week."

Lindenwood’s offense is led by Nate Glantz, who has thrown for 1,801 yards and 14 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Nine of those scoring passes have gone to junior receiver Jeff Caldwell, who also has hauled in 834 yards.

"They got the leading receiver in the conference," SEMO cornerback Ty Leonard said. "So we’re going to expect them to pretty much try to run the ball and throw the deep shot to (Caldwell)."

Leonard, who is coming off a two-interception performance, is more familiar with Caldwell than anyone else in the SEMO secondary. He and Caldwell were once teammates at Butler Traditional High School in Louisville.

"Going against Jeff just be like reliving in the old days," Leonard said. "So I know what to expect from him."

When it comes to matching up passers, one can hardly do better than SEMO senior Paxton DeLaurent. Despite the numerous injuries in the running back room and offensive line, he has been the one constant presence. His 2,734 passing yards and 23 touchdowns put him among the elite FCS quarterbacks.

"We got really good quarterback play in this league," Lindenwood head coach Jed Stugart said. "I think that’s a compliment to our conference. The opponents week in and week out, we’re facing good quarterbacks and this guy has kind of raised the bar when you’re talking about an accurate, smart quarterback."

Despite numerous key injuries in the offensive line, the Redhawks have continued to give DeLaurent enough time to pass to his trio of receivers. Dorian Anderson leads the pack with 720 yards and eight touchdowns, while Tristan Smith and Cam Pedro have combined for 1,157 yards and seven scores.

"He’s hard to get to and hit, so they’re doing a good job in protecting him, and he’s got weapons around him," Stugart said. "Those are the types of things that keep you up at night. Especially being a defensive guy, you got to start with that position and kind of work from that."

While SEMO has utilized a pass-heavy offense throughout the season, the Redhawks have found balance with the run in some games despite being down to their fourth running back and having to replace half of their offensive line on the fly. In their most recent game before the bye week, Cole Ruble ran for 122 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries to lead the ground game in a 30-24 victory over Gardner-Webb. It was the Redhawks’ first 100-plus-yard rushing performance since Darrell Smith ran for 127 yards in twice the carries in a 19-0 win against Northwestern State.

Ruble described his 65-yard touchdown run against the Runnin’ Bulldogs as the "prettiest blocking I’ve ever seen in my life," as he simply ran a straight line nearly untouched to the end zone. It’s also a testament to the evolution in running style he has undergone since arriving at SEMO.

"I do think it has changed," Ruble said. "In high school, I was more of a sight get out of bounds, just get what I can. But this year, I think I’ve put in my arsenal more power running back, and just try to hit the hole as hard as I can and get what I can."

The Redhawks are expected to retain their Game Ball Brawl trophy and win this game just like their previous victories. However, all the elements of a trap game lie in St. Charles on Saturday.

"Soon as you start thinking, we got this, that's the chink in the armor or the crack in the dam, and get your butt beat," Matukewicz said. "So we just got to stay focused and locked in, lean on our seniors to keep everybody focused on the mission."