Redhawks hold off Austin Peay

~ Southeast improved to 3-8 with a 36-34 victory

The Southeast Missouri State football team kept Austin Peay winless on the season Saturday -- but it sure wasn't easy.

Austin Peay, the nation's lowest-scoring FCS squad entering play, had by far its best performance of the year.

But the Redhawks survived the back-and-forth affair in Clarksville, Tenn., holding on for a 36-34 road victory.

Southeast improved to 3-8 overall and 2-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Austin Peay fell to 0-11 and 0-7.

The Governors, whose previous closest margin of defeat this year was 24 points, had scored only five touchdowns and just 56 points all season, but they put up four TDs on Saturday.

"Two years in a row we came down here, had a good lead and they came storming back," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said. "We're a little bit banged up. ... They hadn't won a game. We saw that they continued to play hard. We had to put our best foot forward to win this one."

Southeast found itself in a major battle from the start as Austin Peay, which had not led all year, scored on the game's opening possession and built early advantages of 7-0 and 10-7.

The Redhawks rallied for a 21-10 halftime deficit, but the Govs kept coming.

Austin Peay forged a 24-24 tie by the end of the third quarter and, taking advantage of Southeast's eighth missed PAT of the season, went ahead 31-30 in the opening minute of the final period on a 99-yard kickoff return by Enriques Perry that wiped out a 30-24 deficit.

The Redhawks answered back with a touchdown drive on their ensuing possession. Junior fullback Ron Coleman's fourth touchdown of the day, from 1 yard out, with 10 minutes, 41 seconds left gave Southeast a 36-31 lead. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

"That kickoff return really flipped the momentum. It could have been a disaster, but we responded," Samuel said.

Austin Peay made it 36-34 with a field goal, then after forcing a Southeast punt the Govs converted two fourth downs during a drive that reached near the Redhawks' 35-yard line.

But Southeast's defense came up with a key stop in the closing seconds, and Austin Peay could not get off another play before time expired.

Southeast sophomore tailback DeMichael Jackson had his third straight 100-yard rushing performance and fourth in the last five games.

Jackson piled up a career-high 140 yards on 16 carries while Southeast rushed for 315 yards.

"Every game he keeps getting better," Samuel said of Jackson.

Coleman's other touchdowns came on two 5-yard runs and a 1-yard plunge.

Sopomore quarterback Scott Lathrop scored Southeast's other touchdown on a 40-yard option run. Lathrop rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries and completed 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards.

Senior D.J. Foster had four receptions for 56 yards.

"Scotty did a good job running the offense," Samuel said.

Sophomore tailback Lewis Washington added 67 yards rushing on six carries for the Redhawks.

Southeast finished with 394 yards of total offense while Austin Peay had a season-high 441 yards.

Defensively, redshirt freshman safety Eriq Moore had 10 tackles. Sophomore defensive tackle Jon Slania and junior safety Ron Davis added eight tackles each. Senior cornerback Cantrell Andrews, a Central High School graduate, intercepted a pass that led to a Southeast touchdown.

The Redhawks end the season Saturday at Jacksonville State.