Redhawks' season opener fell well short of thrilling

I learned a long time ago that it's never wise to read too much into any one game, good or bad.

That being said, it's hard to imagine a more unimpressive season opener than what the Southeast Missouri State football team had Thursday night.

The Redhawks looked every bit like the young, inexperienced squad they are during a 45-7 loss at Southeastern Louisiana that probably left Southeast fans grasping for any tiny sliver of hope.

Southeast's offense generated less than 300 yards, the defense allowed nearly 500 yards and the special teams also struggled.

It all caused me to breathe a sigh of relief that I didn't make the roughly 510-mile trip to Hammond, La., although I did watch the entire game online.

We'll have to see how strong Southeastern Louisiana turns out to be. The Lions have not been good the past decade since restarting their program, but they had a much improved 2012 season and look to be on a serious upswing.

I do think it's safe to say that the Lions have an exceptional quarterback in junior Bryan Bennett, an Oregon transfer who sliced and diced the Redhawks to the tune of 169 yards passing along with 106 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Like I wrote earlier, it's never wise to read too much into any one game.

Southeast fans can only hope the Redhawks' opening performance was an aberration and not an indication of the type of season that's in store.

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Things certainly won't get any easier for the Redhawks -- significantly more difficult, on paper at least -- during their next two contests.

The Redhawks visit Mississippi on Saturday in the program's annual "money" game, then comes the highly anticipated Sept. 21 matchup with longtime rival SIU that will mark the first football game at the seven-year-old Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

By the way, the Southeast Alumni Association and department of athletics is hosting a pre-game tailgate party from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. before Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff at Mississippi.

The event will be held at the Redhawks Club tent, near the Grove in front of the Barnard Observatory.

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It was a strong showing for Ohio Valley Conference football as five of the league's nine teams began their seasons with wins last week.

None was more impressive than Eastern Illinois, which posted a stunning 40-19 triumph at FBS San Diego State, which went 9-4 last year, tied for the Mountain West Conference title with a 7-1 record and played in a bowl game.

Tennessee-Martin also was impressive, winning 31-21 at 24th-ranked Chattanooga.

Other OVC squads to capture their opener were Eastern Kentucky (38-6 over Robert Morris), Jacksonville State (24-22 over Alabama State) and Tennessee Tech (63-7 over NAIA Cumberland).

Along with Southeast, OVC clubs to lose their openers were Austin Peay (45-0 at FBS Tennessee), Murray State (58-14 at FBS Missouri) and Tennessee State (12-9 to 20th-ranked Bethune-Cookman).

Tennessee State played without its starting quarterback, standout junior Michael German.

German recently regained his academic eligibility and returned to practice, but he is not being allowed to play in the first two games of the season. During the offseason, German was charged with felony vandalism but the charge was recently dismissed.

German, the 2011 OVC freshman of the year, has thrown for 4,650 yards and 30 touchdowns in his two-year career.

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Eastern Illinois' victory at San Diego State was part of a banner opening weekend for FCS teams.

Seven FCS squads won on the road against FBS opponents, not only gaining a huge win but a hefty payday in the process. Those victorious underdogs received checks ranging from $225,000 to $450,000 each.

Eastern Washington became only the third FCS team to beat a ranked FBS squad, knocking off No. 25 Oregon State 49-45. Two-time defending FCS national champion North Dakota State shocked defending Big 12 co-champion Kansas State 24-21.

McNeese State routed South Florida 53-21, the most points scored by an FCS team against an FBS opponent. Northern Iowa defeated Iowa State 28-20; Towson beat Connecticut 33-18; and Southern Utah nipped South Alabama 22-21.

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One of Southeast's all-time great athletes is returning to his alma mater as a coach.

Miles Smith, a former world-class 400-meter runner who has been competing professionally since finishing his collegiate eligibility in 2008, will be an assistant for the track and field program.

The university has not yet announced Smith's hiring, but that should come in the next few days.

Smith, who recently retired from the pro ranks, was a five-time All-American at Southeast who also made his mark on the international stage. He won a gold medal as a member of the USA's 1,600-meter relay team at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. He was sixth in the 400 in both the 2005 and 2011 USA Championships, while finishing eighth in the 2009 national event.

Smith placed himself among the contenders for a 400-meter berth in both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics but fell a bit short. He was 12th in the 2008 Olympic Trials and 13th in the 2012 Olympic Trials.

I talked to the personable, energetic Smith -- on the short list among my all-time favorite Southeast athletes I have covered -- at last week's Booster Club Barbecue at the Show Me Center, and he said he's super excited about returning to Southeast.

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The Plaza Tire Capahas garnered another accolade following their fourth-place finish at last month's National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan.

Plaza Tire recently was sent a plaque signifying it as the tournament's top defensive team. The Capahas committed just two errors in six games in Wichita.

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Brandon Shemonia, a sophomore runner at SIU Carbondale and a Scott City High School graduate, finished seventh in the 10,000 meters at last week's Pan Am Junior Championships in Medellin, Columbia.

Shemonia's time was 32 minutes, 22.75 seconds. He qualified for the championships earlier this summer with a mark of 32:15.99.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.