After giving up big plays, Southeast Missouri State defense records two pivotal stops late

The members Southeast Missouri State football team's defense knew when it faced the University of Tennessee at Martin on Saturday night that the Skyhawks, which averaged 487.5 yards of total offense coming into the game, would pose a challenge.

"Coming into the game we knew that they had an explosive offense," senior cornerback Tim Hamm-Bey said. "They run the ball well and they throw the ball well, so it was a great test for us this week."

Just like with any other team, the Redhawks wanted to limit big plays and force turnovers.

Southeast did force two fumbles, and recovered one, but quarterback Jarod Neal didn't throw an interception and UT Martin compiled 514 yards of total offense.

Neal completed 20 of 37 passes in the game, and 13 of them were receptions of more than 10 yards.

Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz noted that his team wasn't able to put any pressure on Neal.

"It felt like we were throwing water ballons at a battleship," Matukewicz said. "... They're a lot better O-line than anybody we've played and just hats off to them. They're just better. Then we started bringing some safeties and some things like that to just all-out try to get there, and we finally were able to."

No defensive plays were bigger than the two fourth-down stops that the Redhawks made late in the fourth quarter.

UT Martin began a drive with 9 minutes, 4 seconds left in the game and trailing by four. The Skyhawks got three first downs on the drive, including on a 48-yard pass from Neal to put UT Martin on the Southeast 5-yard line with about six minutes remaining.

Four straight incompletions -- the final broken up by Hamm-Bey -- stopped the Skyhawks and Southeast took over on downs.

"On fourth down with our defense, you give it all you've got, and a little bit more after that. I think we were comfortable with the situation and composed during it," Hamm-Bey said. "Coach [Bryce] Saia called the right coverage, and we played the technique the right way and got the job done."

UT Martin took over on the Southeast 45 with 3:19 left in the game and the Redhawks clinging to their 31-27 lead. Neal completed a 7-yard pass before an incompletion and a sack made it fourth-and-4 on the 39.

Neal attempted a 39-yard touchdown pass that sophomore safety Eriq Moore was credited with breaking up, but Moore said it was senior cornerback Reggie Jennings who made the critical stop that allowed Southeast to hold on for the victory.

Moore said the reason the Southeast defense gave up big plays throughout the game was because of poor "eye discipline."

"Eye discipline's really about when you're supposed to have your eyes on your man or your receiver -- that's your guy," Moore said. "You've got to watch him. You can't be watching the backfield because the quarterback can do some fakes and things with the ball. If you jump a route that you're not supposed to jump then your man will go by you."

Moore said that the coaches got onto the defense about the issue, and the players took more responsibility for it in the second half.

Still, Neal caught the defense off guard with 5:18 to go in the third when he connected with a wide-open William Tanner for a 35-yard touchdown.

"UT Martin, the scheme of their offense is very creative and they can disguise things in a certain way and you can lose your eyes, especially in man-to-man coverage that's the key -- eye discipline," Hamm-Bey said. "On those two plays our eyes weren't disciplined and that was the result. That's what a creative offense should do. They should take advantage of bad plays."

Southeast expected UT Martin to run the ball more -- and a key was to stop the run game, especially the OVC's second-leading rusher Abou Toure.

Toure entered the game averaging 91.8 yards per game and was held to 23 on five carries against Southeast. UTM rushed for 173 yards on 29 carries.

"It kind of caught us off guard," Moore said of UT Martin's passing game. "But at the end we got in a good groove and held on."