Experienced trigger man Scheible leads Redhawks' offense

Southeast Missouri State's offense might appear simple and basic since the Redhawks primarily keep the ball on the ground.

The Redhawks have attempted and completed the fewest passes in the Ohio Valley Conference while ranking third nationally in rushing offense with an average of 271.1 yards per game.

But Southeast players and coaches point out that the offensive attack actually is more complicated than it appears because of how much option the Redhawks employ.

They also emphasize that Southeast's offense would not be nearly as effective without an expert trigger man running the show.

Fortunately for the Redhawks, they have junior quarterback Matt Scheible.

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Matt Scheible ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing. He gained 833 yards on 154 carries this season. He also scored seven touchdowns on the ground. (Kristin Eberts)

Scheible's coaches and teammates marvel at the way he has directed the offense with his decision-making that they say borders on spectacular.

"He's perfect for what we do," senior offensive guard Bryan Curry said.

Southeast coach Tony Samuel said with a laugh that nobody is perfect and Scheible has made his share of mistakes this year.

But those have been few and far between. Scheible has thrown just one interception -- leading the nation in that category -- and always seems to make the right reads in the running game about whether to pitch, hand off the ball or keep it himself.

"There's a lot going on [with the option] and we do have the capability to throw the ball, which is important," Samuel said. "Matt runs the offense. He makes all the reads.

Junior quarterback Matt Scheible threw for 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

"Obviously you see what a trigger man can do. ... He's like a coach on the field."

Scheible has passed for 1,177 yards, completing 103 of 167 attempts for a solid 61.7 percent and eight touchdowns. He ranks in the top 30 nationally in passing efficiency and is among the country's top running quarterbacks.

Scheible has rushed for 833 yards to rank third in the OVC while scoring seven touchdowns and averaging a healthy 5.4 yards per carry.

Those statistics, along with the intangibles he brings to the field, led to Scheible being the first Southeast quarterback voted first-team all-OVC since the university joined the league in 1991.

"That's cool, but I have to give credit to my offensive linemen," Scheible said.

Senior center Sean Middleton said the fact Scheible seemingly always makes good decisions in both the running and passing games has helped Southeast's offensive line lead the nation in fewest sacks allowed, giving up just five all season. It also has helped the Redhawks rank second nationally in third-down conversions at nearly 50 percent after struggling in that area last year.

"We just give him time and he puts the ball in the right hands," Middleton said. "He always knows where to go with the ball. He's progressed a whole lot. He was good when he got here, but now he's 10 times better."

Said Curry: "We do a good job [of protecting Scheible]. Sometimes it's not a great job, but he gets the ball out of there."

Scheible's play has been among the reasons the Redhawks went from 2-9 and last place in the OVC a season ago to 9-2 and the program's first OVC title along with the first playoff berth in the university's 104-year football history.

Samuel points out that it's not an accident Scheible has performed so well. Experience and a tireless work ethic have paid dividends.

"People want things to happen right away, but it doesn't work that way," Samuel said. "It usually takes a quarterback time to understand to not force things, to let things come to him.

"Matt got all that experience the last two years and he understands to not try to do too much. And he puts a lot of time into it. He watches film all the time."

Said Scheible, an academic all-district selection with a 3.65 grade-point average in accounting: "We can put our film online so I can watch it at home. I'm kind of like a nerd, just sitting around watching film."

Asked the keys to his success, Scheible said: "I guess it would be film study and experience. I'm involved in every play. I know I have to take care of the ball, limit my mistakes."

Scheible had his ups and downs while playing quite a bit as a true freshman in 2008 and starting every game last season.

Scheible's sophomore campaign saw him complete 49.6 percent for 1,596 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also was Southeast's second-leading rusher with 487 yards while scoring four touchdowns.

Scheible rushed for 103 yards while completing 53.3 percent for 343 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions over the last two games a year ago. That strong finish carried over into this year.

"It was my first year as a [full-time] starter and it took a while to get the hang of things," Scheible said. "I played pretty good toward the end and our offense really started clicking.

"I started taking care of the ball a lot better, making better decisions."

After Southeast's offense struggled much of last year until the final two games, the Redhawks have thrived offensively most of this season.

Scheible said some tweaking of Southeast's offense late last year helped that unit become more productive. The Redhawks added more option, which fits the athletic Scheible well.

"It's what I ran back in high school. I've done that ever since I was little," said Scheible, a native of Washington, Mo. "The option has really been good for us. There are so many things we can do with it. It's tough for defenses to stop."

Scheible hopes the offense continues to be difficult to contain Saturday when the Redhawks visit Eastern Washington -- ranked No. 1 nationally -- in the program's playoff debut.

"We know they're a great team," Scheible said. "But we're looking forward to going out there and playing them."