Redhawks fall to Eastern Washington in FCS playoffs

~ The game was tied at halftime, but Southeast was outscored 20-0 over the final 30 minutes

CHENEY, Wash. -- The Southeast Missouri State football team spent Saturday's first half looking like it had a solid chance at another milestone.

But a nightmare second half led to the Redhawks' historic season ending with a lopsided playoff defeat.

Eastern Washington dominated the final two quarters and rolled to a 37-17 victory in front of just 3,665 chilled fans at Roos Field.

Southeast led 17-14 late in the opening half and went into the locker room tied 17-17.

Southeast Missouri State quarterback Matt Scheible looks for running room against Eastern Washington during the first half in Cheney, Wash. (KIT DOYLE)

"We were confident going into the second half," junior quarterback Matt Scheible said. "We were moving the ball pretty much at will in the first half. They came out and made some adjustments, kind of shut us down.

"For them to come out and stop the run [in the second half], it was big for them."

EWU's second-half splurge sends the Eagles (10-2), ranked first in both major Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) polls and the fifth seed in the playoffs, into another home game against North Dakota State in the quarterfinals.

It also sent the eighth-ranked Redhawks (9-3) to their second consecutive loss after they had won nine straight.

Southeast, making the first playoff appearance in the program's 104-year history, already had tied a school record for victories.

Redhawks defenders arrive late as Eagles' receiver Nicholas Edwards pulls in a touchdown pass Saturday in Cheney, Wash.

"I'm very proud of what went on this season," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

The Redhawks largely chose to credit EWU for its powerful second half.

"I felt like we fought hard the whole game, even though we had a lot of breakdowns in the second half," record-setting senior tailback Henry Harris said. "It was just one of those things. They got us. They made some key stops. Great job on their behalf."

Southeast piled up 242 yards in the first half while averaging more than seven yards per play. The Redhawks held the ball for nearly 18 minutes compared to a little more than 12 minutes for the Eagles.

The Redhawks were limited to 26 yards and two first downs in the second half. They averaged barely a yard per play and had the ball less than nine minutes compared to more than 21 minutes for EWU.

"I think we did get tired," senior linebacker Joshua Jackson said of Southeast's defense. "They made more plays than we did.

"We kept fighting. ... We're a resilient bunch of guys. We're going to give it all for four quarters."

EWU had 190 yards in the second half after putting up 205 in the opening half.

"They kept the ball control. We feel like we need to wear down the defense," Samuel said of the second half. "We had a couple three and outs. I thought the defense got a little tired.

"That's not the team you want to keep on the field too long. We're a second-half team, no doubt about it. They handled us in the second half."

EWU coach Beau Baldwin, whose squad improved to 6-0 this year on the distinctive red turf at Roos Field and posted its eighth straight win, credited the Eagles' second-half defense for helping swing the game in their favor.

Baldwin emphasized how difficult is it to contain an offense like Southeast's, which leans on its option principles.

"I think our guys came out fired up," Baldwin said. "The guys on defense, when you see an offense like that, the more you see it, the better you'll get against it."

EWU's defense came up with one of the biggest plays of the game late in the third quarter.

Southeast went three-and-out on its first two second-half possessions. EWU scored on its second third-period possession to go up 24-17.

The Redhawks, on their third possession of the final half, faced fourth-and inches at their 44-yard line.

Southeast had converted successfully two fourth downs during a first-half scoring drive, including Harris' spectacular 1-yard touchdown run that put the Redhawks ahead 14-7.

Harris was stopped short of the goal line but kept his legs moving and finally received a push from several teammates to get into the end zone.

"He's one of the strongest players we've played against," said EWU senior linebacker J.C. Sherritt, the Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year.

There was little doubt Southeast would go for it on this fourth down, but Sherritt knifed through to take down Harris for a 1-yard loss.

Harris had his 10th 100-yard rushing game of the season with 108 yards on 20 carries but he had minus 1 yard on six second-half attempts.

"Even though you win by 20, you look back at four or five plays as big plays. That was huge," Baldwin said of the fourth-down stop.

Samuel had no regrets about going for it there or the play that was called after it had worked so well in the first half.

"We were trying to stay on the field offensively," Samuel said. "We've gotten more than we've given [on fourth down]. That's part of the deal."

The Eagles converted a fourth down of their own on their ensuing possession to navigate the necessary 44 yards for a 31-17 lead with 13 minutes, 40 seconds left in the game. EWU also converted a fourth down on its previous, go-ahead touchdown drive.

Southeast's deep hole became almost insurmountable a short time later.

After the Redhawks were forced to punt, they also forced EWU to punt. But the short kick bounced off the foot of junior Sheldon McCullough, who was blocking. EWU recovered at the Southeast 39-yard line with just more than nine minutes remaining.

The Eagles capitalized, scoring the final touchdown with 5:57 left.

Southeast had three more turnovers the rest of the way -- including two interceptions of Scheible, who had thrown just one pick previously this season -- but by then things had been decided.

"We're excited as we can be," said EWU junior quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell of moving on in the playoffs and hosting another game.

While the Eagles were excited, the Redhawks were disappointed but able to keep things in perspective.

"It's kind of bittersweet, but we're happy with the turnaround we did," Scheible said.