SEMO FB has endured a 'painful gift' leading into BIG game

There is no need for a dramatic motivational speech delivered by veteran Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz this week. His team is traveling to No. 16-ranked UT Martin (7-2, 4-1 Big South/OVC Football Association) on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+), and all that is riding on this game is how the Redhawk fan base will view this entire season.

“This is a game that I always circle,” Matukewicz said.

The Redhawks (4-5, 3-1) are one of three teams, along with Gardner-Webb (5-4, 3-1) and the Skyhawks, who each have one league loss. If SEMO wins its remaining two games, and Gardner-Webb loses a game, then the Redhawks will earn the automatic qualifying bid into the FCS Playoffs. If the Runnin’ Bulldogs and SEMO each win both of their remaining games, then a complex tie-breaking formula will be implemented to determine which teams get the automatic berth.

“This is a game,” Matukewicz continued, “that I always look forward to. I judge how we are doing as a program based on the outcome of this game.”

The series between the Redhawks and the Skyhawks is knotted at 19 wins apiece, with SEMO winning four of the last five meetings.

The two teams have either shared (2022) or won (UT Martin in 2021 and SEMO taking a share of the 2019 title) in three of the last four seasons.

“It’s always been a great game,” Matukewicz said. “They pin their ears back and get after you, and we do too. I love how they coach and how they play.

“There is a lot of respect from my standpoint. This is not a rivalry where there is bitterness, and I don’t like all of those guys. I like all of them.”

Matukewicz referred to this season as a “painful gift,” due to the “feedback” that he says games deliver.

The Redhawks have suffered four losses by a combined 10 points this season.

“All games are really just feedback,” Matukewicz said. “The reason that you take an exam in a class is to give you feedback on how you are doing. Football games are just feedback. Really, what this season has been is a painful gift.”

SEMO had 10 players listed on the conference “Players To Watch” list in the preseason and five of those have missed time with injuries, including junior quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last month.

“There are people who think Paxton was overrated,” Matukewicz said. “Now that he is not there, people appreciate him a lot more.”

That was evident in last week’s 21-20 home loss to then-last place Robert Morris.

In the first five games of this season, SEMO never completed fewer than 25 passes. In the four games since, the Redhawks have not completed more than 19, which included just 14 against Robert Morris.

“That is the painful gift that I am talking about,” Matukewicz said. “There is a lot of pain in these losses, but it is a gift because there are lessons in there that will last a lifetime.”