Southeast Missouri State football team defeats Urbana with late heroics

~ Southeast scored a last-minute TD, then blocked a field goal to beat the visiting Division II school 37-35

The Southeast Missouri State football team expected a major challenge from Urbana University -- but the Redhawks nearly got more than they bargained for Saturday afternoon.

Southeast, which trailed most of the way, scored the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left, then blocked what would have been a game-winning 50-yard field goal on the game's final play.

The result was a harrowing 37-35 victory over the Division II visitors from Urbana, Ohio, in front of a sparse Houck Stadium crowd announced at 1,249.

"We knew they'd come out hard and ready to play," said redshirt freshman defensive tackle Austin Black, who blocked the last kick.

Southeast Missouri State’s Spencer Davis carries down the sideline before being tackled by Urbana’s David McComas during the first quarter Saturday at Houck Stadium. (Fred Lynch)

Southeast improved to 2-7 while the Blue Knights, who had their five-game winning streak snapped, fell to 6-3.

"A great comeback. We never look down on an opponent. We knew they'd be good," sophomore wide receiver Paul McRoberts said. "We just had confidence somebody would change the game around."

McRoberts continued his season-long knack for coming up with dazzling catches with one of the day's biggest plays.

McRoberts laid out in the end zone to make a twisting 23-yard reception on a pass from junior quarterback Kyle Snyder with 37 seconds remaining to wipe out Urbana's 35-31 lead.

"He [a defender] kind of had my jersey so I couldn't really turn until the last second," said McRoberts, a former high school basketball star who was recruited by several Division I programs for that sport, including Southeast.

McRoberts caught two touchdown passes, giving him a team-leading eight TDs on the season.

"You can see the raw ability. The sky's the limit for this kid," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

Southeast avoided disaster earlier during its winning drive that started at its 39-yard line with 3:12 remaining when what looked like a sure interception was dropped.

The Redhawks, who missed the PAT after their go-ahead score, again averted disaster when the Blue Knights moved from their 31 to Southeast's 33 in the final seconds.

Sophomore Blaine Hafner, with a strong wind at his back, lined up for the 50-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds left.

"Of course you're nervous. It's a kickable ball," Samuel said.

Black put Samuel at ease when he knifed through to get a hand on the kick. It rolled harmlessly toward the goal line as time expired.

"I laid out. I thought it hit my hand. It was a great feeling," Black said.

Urbana took advantage of a Southeast fumble deep in its own territory on the game's opening possession to grab a 7-0 lead.

The Blue Knights, led by All-America senior quarterback D.J. Mendenhall, went ahead 14-0 late in the first quarter and built a 21-7 margin with just under 10 minutes left in the half.

Southeast rallied for a 21-21 halftime tie on two touchdown passes by sophomore quarterback Scott Lathrop.

"Finally I thought we settled down offensively," Samuel said.

Sophomore wide receiver Peter Lloyd scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 47-yard reception with 7:01 left in the half. He took a short pass and made several nice moves along the sideline.

"It's just exciting to help the team," Lloyd said. "We started off real slow, but I knew we'd finish."

Lloyd, a Caruthersville High School graduate, caught another TD pass in the second half.

"Peter is coming up big. He made a couple of real nice runs after the catch," Samuel said. "I feel like he's got a lot of talent."

Lathrop, who started his fourth straight game, threw consecutive interceptions deep in Urbana territory to begin the third quarter. He was replaced by Snyder after the second pick, in which he was on the verge of being sacked and threw the ball up for grabs.

"I just felt like he was probably pressing," Samuel said.

Snyder, the starter to begin the season, had not seen action since Oct. 5 at Tennessee State. He said he tried to stay as prepared as possible.

"I hadn't been out there in a few weeks, but I went through every practice preparing like it was a game," Snyder said.

That preparation paid off as Snyder made big plays with his arm and legs.

Snyder's key 19-yard scramble on his first series set up freshman Alex Knight's 38-yard field goal with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter, giving Southeast its first lead of the day at 24-21.

The lead changed hands from there.

After Urbana went ahead 28-24, Snyder scrambled to elude several defenders and threw a 42-yard touchdown strike to Lloyd to give Southeast a 31-28 advantage with 9:20 left.

The Blue Knights came right back, moving ahead 35-31 with just under seven minutes to play.

Southeast had a three-and-out possession, then the Redhawks' defense forced Urbana into the same to set up Southeast's winning drive.

"Our receivers made big catches when we needed to, and our line did a great job," Snyder said. "We just kept fighting, giving it all we had."

Snyder completed 7 of 15 passes for 109 yards and the two touchdowns. He ran six times for 34 yards.

"Kyle came in and was productive," Samuel said. "He continued to work hard [in practice]."

Lathrop completed 7 of 17 for the two TDs and two interceptions. He rushed 12 times for 51 yards.

Sophomore tailback DeMichael Jackson, who scored Southeast's first TD on a 4-yard run, had his second 100-yard rushing performance with 112 yards on 24 carries.

McRoberts caught five passes for 79 yards. Lloyd had four receptions for 109 yards and junior wide out Spencer Davis caught four passes for 46 yards.

Southeast gained a season-high 494 yards while Urbana finished with 425 yards.

Mendenhall completed 23 of 38 for 260 yards and a TD. He also ran for a score.

"He's a good one," Samuel said.

Senior Joe Webb caught 10 passes for 110 yards.

Junior tailback David Hill, a St. Louis native, rushed for 146 yards on 25 carries and scored three TDs.

Defensively for Southeast, junior linebacker Matt Starks led in tackles with eight and had his first collegiate interception. Junior safety Ron Davis and freshman linebacker Michael Holt each had seven tackles. Redshirt freshman defensive end Selwyn Carrol recovered a fumble and junior linebacker George Neuhaus recorded a sack.