Column: SEMO FB wins, but that is about it as far as progress goes

Southeast Missouri State beat Eastern Illinois 35-28 in Big South/OVC Football Association action on Saturday at Houck Field in front of 7,236 fans. So, let’s be clear, the Redhawks won the game, and thus, snapped a three-game losing streak.

SEMO (2-4, 2-0 Big South/OVC) remains unbeaten in league play, so, the season is not in a dire situation. However, it’s not in a great situation either, or 10th-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz knows that better than anyone of the 7,000-plus people who watched his team play on Saturday.

“That is not a championship team,” Matukewicz said afterward of his group. “We look like a talented team that is poorly coached.”

No argument here.

All of the detriments that plagued the Redhawks through their unfathomable fourth-quarter debacles over the past three games, were not resolved with Saturday’s victory.

SEMO came within one Panther pass completion of blowing another fourth-quarter double-digit lead, as Eastern Illinois (4-3, 0-2) rallied from a 35-21 deficit with 8:06 remaining.

The Redhawk defense was abysmal late, once again, as the Panthers orchestrated a three-play, 71-yard scoring drive in just 74 seconds in the final period, and then closed the game by moving 56 yards in 11 plays in just 82 seconds.

The Redhawk coaches had to burn an unnecessary timeout in the final period (think back to the recent Eastern Kentucky loss) because the SEMO players were unaware of what down it actually was for the Eastern Illinois offense, as opposed to what down the SEMO players thought it should be.

The Redhawk offense failed to sustain a game-sealing late drive for the fourth-straight time because of two costly penalties, which ultimately led to not only the drive ending but took SEMO out of field goal range, which would have crushed the Panthers’ last breath.

“Champions don’t make mistakes like that,” Matukewicz said. “That is the truth. I love my guys, and that is probably the problem.”

Matukewicz has said before, as it relates to penalties: You’re either coaching that or tolerating it. And both are bad.

And what the SEMO football program has shown this season is that it has failed miserably in handling past success.

The Redhawks have been the best football program in the Ohio Valley Conference in recent years, but that means zilch in 2023. They don’t get extra credit because they are the defending league champions.

“But I don’t like this team,” Matukewicz said moments after saying he loved them as individuals. “They’ve got all the answers. We’re talking about (issues) in Week 6 that we were talking about in January.

“You know why things don’t get better? Because you’re not humble. You think that you’ve got all of the answers, and that is why nothing gets better.”

If the Redhawk players and coaches aren’t humbled by this season, one which HAD the potential to be the greatest football season in SEMO history, and now needs five consecutive wins (with four games on the road) in order to not be regarded as a disappointment, then I’m not sure what will humble the group.

And the lack of focus and arrogance is coming from the top Redhawks, according to Matukewicz.

“There is no reason that things that are happening, are still happening,” Matukewicz continued. “But we haven’t been able to get it fixed yet.

“Championship teams don’t make mistakes like we made tonight. It’s a reflection of me. It is my player’s job (to execute), but I keep putting them out there. I’m not talking about the bottom of my roster; I’m talking about the All-Americans.”

The SEMO offense had three players earn preseason All-American honors in center Zack Gieg, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, and running back Geno Hess while the defense had two in linebacker Bryce Norman and defensive back Lawrence Johnson.

Matukewicz noted that in training camp he “suspended the captain’s program” (a leadership and oversight group within the locker room) within his team.

“That should tell you all that you need to know,” Matukewicz said of his group.

Despite the SEMO talent level, the Redhawks couldn’t finish the game-sealing drive offensively – again – and the SEMO defense was two yards shy of allowing 350 yards of passing by an opponent for the fourth time in six games.

“Either I’m not a very good coach,” Matukewicz said, “or (the players) don’t want to listen. And both of those are a bad deal.”

Tom Davis is a freelance sports reporter for Semoball.com