SEMO overpowered by Illinois State 35-27 in FCS playoff opener

CAPE GIRARDEAU – It was supposed to be a game remembered for perpetuity.

But instead, it will live in disappointment for Southeast Missouri State football and its diehard fans.

With just its second-ever FCS playoff victory in reach, SEMO (9-4) suffered a 35-27 loss to Illinois State (10-3) in the opening round Saturday, Nov. 30, at Houck Field.

The Redbirds dominated SEMO in the final three quarters – capitalizing on a plethora of offensive mistakes by a Redhawks team that looked overmatched.

SEMO senior quarterback Paxton DeLaurent threw 85 passes (tied FCS record) for 567 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions in his final game of his Redhawk career. Cam Pedro led the team with 149 yards on 11 catches.

The Redhawks struck first on a 4-yard touchdown pass from DeLaurent to Dorian Anderson to take an early 7-0 lead. Anderson finished the game with 81 yards and two touchdowns.

The Redbirds responded with 28 unanswered points in the first half, highlighted by a pick-six by Jake Anderson.

SEMO gained some hope early in the second half after a 10-yard touchdown pass from DeLaurent to Donnie Cheers put the Redhawks within striking distance, trailing 28-14 with 11:40 left in the third quarter. Cheers finished with a career-high 119 yards.

Whatever hope SEMO had was dashed after a second DeLaurent interception was returned for a touchdown — this time from Keondre Jackson, who went 17 yards to the other end zone to put Illinois State up 35-14 with 9:45 left in the third quarter.

The Redhawks staged a late rally in the fourth quarter with touchdown passes to Tristian Smith and Anderson, but it wasn't enough.

SEMO senior linebacker Bryce Norman led with 11 tackles and a sack in his final game as a Redhawk. Mali Walton was right behind with nine tackles of his own.

Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Sobkowicz led Redbird receivers with 136 yards and a score.

Illinois State (10-3) advances to play UC Davis in the second round of the playoffs.

SEMO's season ends with a 9-4 record.

Here are three immediate takeaways:

Offensive woes

The good: SEMO finished the day with a season-high 670 total yards of offense. The bad: it was the nine turnovers that made the difference.

Whenever the Redhawks found a rhythm or were within striking distance, Illinois State's defense delivered.

Two of DeLaurent's interceptions went right through the hands of his intended targets, while his fifth one came on a desperation throw on third-and-goal with 2:41 left as he was being suffocated by two Redbird defenders.

Illinois State defensive coordinator Travis Niekamp smelled blood and started to bombard DeLaurent’s pocket with heavy pressure early and often. The momentum shift of the game came with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Trailing 13-7, DeLaurent was under duress before his pass was swatted away by Redbird defensive lineman Jalan Gaines and fell right into the lap of Anderson for a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.

"There are two things in football that you saw in that first half that make the difference," Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said. "The one is turnovers and the next is explosive plays. Those explosive plays were critical and separated us into a three-score lead by halftime.

"Our coaching staff does a good job working on creating those turnovers, which ultimately kept us ahead most of the game."

Ongoing problems exploited

What became apparent as Illinois State started to distance itself from SEMO is that problems the Redhawks were having in recent weeks began to resurface.

As mentioned, the inability to prevent the explosive play on defense saw the Redbirds’ offense open up, as they finished the game with six plays of 15 yards or more. Cornerback Justus Johnson was burnt on a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter as the secondary was victimized on several other big plays. At the end of the first half, defensive back Chris Daigre was burnt on a back-shoulder touchdown throw in the corner of the end zone, as Illinois State took a commanding 28-7 lead.

"Coach (Ricky) Coon had a great game plan for us going in," Norman said. "Our game plan was to stop the run. I think we did that very well, especially in the second half. And then, we just gave up a couple big plays there in the secondary. But other than that, us being down all year, we were just very comfortable in that position of trying to battle back. And I'm just proud of all the seniors on the team of just being able to keep it close at the end."

The Redhawks' banged up offensive line, who was without starting left tackle Tyler McMillan, also surrendered three sacks for the second straight week and had trouble giving DeLaurent a clean pocket most of the game despite putting up video game numbers through the air. The run game struggled to get going too. SEMO finished with 53 rushing yards on 15 carries, with the longest run being a 9-yarder by Brandon Epton Jr.

Remarkable season comes to an end

SEMO reached the FCS playoffs as co-Big South-OVC champions for the fifth time in program history. The Redhawks began to mount a late comeback, but just couldn't make up for the many miscues to topple a stingy Illinois State squad.

Still, battered with injuries, setbacks and all, SEMO found a way to host a playoff game and put itself in a position for a national title run.

If there is one word to describe the 2024 SEMO Redhawks, DeLaurent said it's "resilient.

"Next man standing up," he said. "It just sucks. It's hard. All of the seniors and guys who laid it out there. This guy (Norman) played for four years here, won a state title at Jackson. I don't think I cried until I saw him. So proud and thankful for him and the guys."

DeLaurent, who ends his college career as the most decorated passer in SEMO football history, will turn the page to his pro day and aim to compete at the next level. Norman, as well as DeLaurent and the 14 other seniors, are departing.

"I didn't even think of playing college football for a while in high school," Norman said. "Then Coach Tuke gave me the opportunity here and just what it means to be a part of SEMO football and becoming a better man. Just building the relationships with the people around me that I never thought I'd really have, because it's been awesome for me. The respect I have for this program has been awesome."