Redhawks football team passes final test before big OVC exam

Southeast Missouri State's last Ohio Valley Conference test before its highly anticipated regular-season finale at Jacksonville State was as tough as the Redhawks expected.

But the Redhawks passed the exam, just as they have done in every OVC game this season, meaning their Nov. 13 contest at undefeated, second-ranked Jacksonville State will be for their first OVC championship.

Southeast fended off Tennessee-Martin 24-17 on Saturday afternoon in front of an announced 11,126 fans on homecoming -- the largest recorded Houck Stadium crowd in school history.

"We had to earn it," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said. "This was a gut-check game. I knew that coming in."

So did Southeast's players, according to senior linebacker Joshua Jackson, who had one of Southeast's three sacks.

Southeast Missouri State linebacker Joshua Jackson gestures to the crowd during the fourth quarter of Saturday's homecoming game against Tennessee-Martin at Houck Stadium. (Kristin Eberts)

"What a game," Jackson said.

The 11th-ranked Redhawks, 8-1 overall and a first-place 7-0 in the OVC, posted their eighth straight triumph for the program's longest winning streak during a season since the 1955 squad went 9-0.

Southeast, which already had notched its most OVC wins since joining the conference in 1991, also closed in on at least an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA, playoffs.

No Southeast team has advanced to postseason play -- not even in Division II -- but senior tailback Henry Harris said the Redhawks are not about to look that far ahead.

"We're still not thinking about the playoffs. One game at a time, one play at a time," Harris said. "Our focus will be on Southwest Baptist," Southeast's Division II opponent next Saturday.

Southeast Missouri State University's Chantae Ahamefule gets tackled by Tennessee-Martin's Obi Nwankwo during the fourth quarter of a Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, at Houck Stadium. SEMO won 24-17. (Kristin Eberts)

The Redhawks won on a day when their potent offense was held to less than 300 yards for the first time since the season opener, a loss at Ball State. Southeast had 257 yards.

"All week on film, we saw they were quick on defense," junior quarterback Matt Scheible said.

Southeast's defense, strong all year, stepped up even more as the Redhawks allowed a season-low 221 yards and just one touchdown. UTM scored on a kickoff return.

"What people forget about, they play solid on defense. They tackle very well," UTM coach Jason Simpson said. "It's hard to score 20 points against them."

Said sophomore defensive end Justin Love, who was credited with 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries: "I think we had one of our most successful defensive stands."

Southeast Missouri State's Joe Vucic punts during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Tennessee-Martin.

Southeast, ahead 10-0 at halftime, never trailed or was tied. But the Skyhawks (4-5, 3-3) made things uncomfortable for the Redhawks most of the way.

"Very proud of our defense," Simpson said.

Scheible's 7-yard touchdown run early in the second period capped an 83-yard drive and put Southeast ahead 7-0.

Scheible completed just 5 of 12 passes for 108 yards, the bulk of that coming on that initial TD march.

Scheible, who added 68 yards rushing on 14 attempts, hit junior wide receiver Chantae Ahamefule for 42 yards and senior tight end Bradley Brown for 31 yards.

Southeast Missouri State running back Henry Harris pulls away from Tennessee-Martin's Obi Nwankwo on his way to a touchdown during the fourth quarter.

"Load the box is what you have to do. You have to make them throw," said Simpson of trying to stop Southeast's high-powered rushing attack. "We gave up two big ones on play action."

Senior defensive tackle Josh Gipson's first career interception -- the ball bounced off the hands of a Southeast player before Gipson nabbed it -- set Southeast up at the UTM 16-yard line.

The Redhawks could not reach the end zone, but sophomore Drew Geldbach's 24-yard field goal with 8 minutes, 28 seconds left before halftime made it 10-0.

UTM never got inside Southeast's 40-yard line during the first half but had better success offensively in the second half.

A solid drive by the Skyhawks on the opening possession of the third quarter ended in a missed 38-yard field-goal attempt, but the Skyhawks marched 64 yards for a touchdown on their next possession.

"They stoned us in the first half," Simpson said. "We didn't change anything the second half."

Southeast answered right back, benefiting from a controversial penalty.

Facing third-and-15 from the UTM 46, Scheible threw a long pass incomplete to Ahamefule. A flag was thrown after Ahamefule appeared to push in the back the UTM defender covering -- but the whistle went against the Skyhawks for pass interference.

The Redhawks then got help from UTM on the same drive. On fourth-and-4 from the 24, Geldbach booted a 42-yard field goal. But the Skyhawks were offsides, resulting in a first down as Southeast took the points off the board.

Harris scored on an 8-yard run, making it 17-7 with 11:56 left in the fourth quarter.

That 10-point margin didn't last long as AJ Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. It was the second kickoff return for a TD against Southeast in two weeks and third this season.

"We've got to fix that," Samuel said. "That flipped the game right back around."

Harris scored on another 8-yard run with 7:08 left, boosting the lead to 24-14.

The teams exchanged punts before UTM kicked a short field goal with just 44 seconds remaining.

Senior Abraham Woodard recovered the onside kick. With UTM out of timeouts, another win was secured.

And just seconds after a Scheible kneel down ended things, Samuel was doused with a container of water by his happy players.

"It never crossed my mind," said a smiling Samuel, who also received a water shower following Southeast's Sept. 18 win at SIU, then ranked fifth nationally. "I feel like a rookie."

Samuel will no doubt exchange that feeling for victories any day of the week.