Brandon Epton Jr. leads SEMO's revamped backfield in post-Geno era

With 5,119 yards and 63 touchdowns in six seasons, Geno Hess left Southeast Missouri State as the school’s all-time leading rusher and proud owner of seven career records.

Even with his departure, the offensive philosophy has not changed. The two fall camp scrimmages demonstrated an emphasis on the ground game.

“We were running the ball before Geno, we’ll run it after Geno,” Matukewicz said. “As long as I’m the head coach here we’re going to be able to run the ball.”

The Redhawks brought five new running backs to fill their room of eight. Matukewicz said he identified four tailbacks, a combination of in-house products, incoming transfers, and a freshman, who can expect plenty of carries this season.

“All four of them really could play,” Matukewicz said.

Leading the way is junior Brandon Epton Jr., who started his college career at Southern Methodist University. Epton has lined up alongside senior starting quarterback Paxton DeLaurent for a majority of the snaps during spring practices and fall camp.

“They count on me to make plays,” Epton said. “They want to be successful in the run game and I got to be a pivotal point in the run game.”

The Dallas native carried the ball nearly 40 times for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns during his two seasons at SMU. He spent last year at Hutchinson Community College, where he ran for 535 yards with five touchdowns before arriving at SEMO.

Epton was rated as the 52nd high school running back in the country when he chose SMU over the likes of Houston, Ole Miss, Purdue, Texas Tech, and Tulsa. His experience in an FBS program has prepared him well for adapting to an FCS program like SEMO.

“Just seeing how things are supposed to be done,” Epton said. “They do stuff right. You have to be on top of your stuff every day. It just taught me to be on the schedule and take everything serious.”

Epton said he’s “been trying to build a relationship with the o-line” since his arrival to the program in January. It’s a wise way to acclimate himself with the offense, given how important that unit is, and how improved it appears compared to the past season.

"Ultimately there's one position on the field that really dictates all the other positions," Matukewicz said during the Redhawks Kick-Off Luncheon last week. "The O-line is really the key to all of it. If you're blocking people, you'll be able to throw it and you'll be able to run it. So that's been our mindset from recruiting to development."

Peyton Brown, a freshman from Hillsboro High School, is right behind Epton in the depth chart and is expected to contribute as well. Brown earned First-Team All-State honors last year after running for 1,605 yards and 26 touchdowns on 152 carries as a senior.

More importantly, he is a freshman who doesn’t look like a freshman.

“Peyton Brown just has the size,” Matukewicz said. “I think just from his size alone gives him an edge in some of the pass pro.”

Darrell Smith and Cole Ruble are two returning running backs who are also expected to make contributions in the ground game. Smith, a graduate student, was in the mix last year behind Hess but has been limited by injuries.

Ruble, a sophomore, redshirted his freshman season but played the final three games. He’s another back who carried the ball plenty with both the starting and No. 2 unit during the two fall camp scrimmages.

“I really like our running back room as far as when the ball is in their hand,” SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said. “The thing that I’m concerned about is when the ball is not in their hand, their protection, route running, all those types of things aren’t good enough.”

The 2024 season starts early for the Redhawks, as they travel to Montgomery, Alabama, to take on North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 24.