Southeast Missouri State offensive line neutralizes sack-happy Tennessee State

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz and offensive line coach Jon Wiemers had a friendly wager surrounding the Redhawks' game against nationally-ranked Tennessee State on Saturday.

"I owe Coach Wiemers for a bet that I've got to go pay off after the game," Matukewicz said following Southeast's win.

Southeast's offensive line helped Wiemers win a case of Diet Pepsi after not allowing quarterback Kyle Snyder to be sacked at all against the Tigers, who led the country in sacks entering the game.

"They've got a very good defensive line, and they've been getting pressure on a lot of people," Wiemers said. "I think when it's all said and done we ended up with zero sacks and I'm really proud of our guys up front, and I think Kyle Snyder saved us about three or four times, too. I'll give him a few of the Diet Pepsi."

Snyder may have helped out the line at times by scampering out of reach of a defender, but most of the work was done by the offensive linemen.

The Tigers entered the game with multiple sacks in each of their first five games. They led the country with an average of five sacks per game.

They have had 20 sacks in the last three games alone -- seven against Jackson State and Florida A&M and six against Tennessee Tech.

Yet somehow the Redhawks were able to keep it from happening to them.

"TSU isn't a really complex defense, so a lot of it was really back to basics and fundamentals," Wiemers said of the game preparation. "They line up and let their players play, and they're successful doing it, so it wasn't about out-scheming them or anything like that."

TSU had allowed an average of 10.8 points per game through its first five games. The most points it had given up was 27 in a six-point loss to Alabama State before Southeast scored 28 on Saturday.

"They knew that we were going to have a lot of one-on-one matchups between our O-line and their D-line," senior lineman Corey Porter said of the coaches challenging them. "They made sure they stayed on us all week. I got yelled at a couple times because I just didn't have my man right. Basically it's been about being a unit and trusting the guy next to you to take care of their block.

The Redhawks entered the game leading the conference in sacks allowed with just four on the season, but the matchup with the Tigers was different than what they'd faced.

"It was the first time in awhile that we've seen a four-front team," Porter said. "Just about every other team we've played are odd fronts. When you play even-front you get more one-on-one situations. It was definitely a big emphasis because there was going to be less double teams and a lot more one-on-one things going on, so it was a big emphasis and a good challenge for us."

Matukewicz said he was "absolutely" proud of the offensive line and noted that the balance of the offense and success of the run game helped keep the Tigers defense guessing.

"The run game helped because those D-lineman can't just tee off, they've got to play the run also," Matukewicz said. "So it was a combination, but I'm so proud of those guys."

The Redhawks rushed for 226 yards on 53 carries, which was the second-most that the Tigers had allowed this season.

During Southeast's final scoring drive, the Redhawks ran the ball 10 consecutive plays for 57 yards between running backs Lennies McFerren and Brendan Stewart and Snyder. It ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by McFerren and a two-point conversion gave Southeast a 28-14 lead.

Even more impressive was that the drive lasted 6 minutes, 14 seconds.

"They're just tickled," Wiemers said. "Just the whole team in general, including us up front. I'm really proud of the last (scoring) drive. I couldn't be more fired up for those kids. We knew there was going to be a time in that game where they'd have to answer the bell up front, and that last drive where we really ate up a lot of clock and then put it in the end zone. We really got it done on the ground there when we needed to get it done on the ground.

McFerren, who finished with a career-high 115 yards rushing in the win, said that the players all knew that TSU's defense had been successful so far this season.

"We weren't worried about that," McFerren said. "We wanted to see how they lined up against us, against our O-line. We wanted to see what our O-line could do against them. Our O-line, they fought every minute of this game. I'm so proud of them. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be getting the yards I had."

Saturday's game marked the third time this season that the offensive line did not surrender a sack.

"I think they're understanding how to win," Wiemers said. "They're starting to figure out that they play a huge part. With us being able to run the football and to protect Kyle and go on those six to eight minute drives when we need them and holding at a high-tempo in the first half -- there's certain moments in the game where I think they're learning how to win. They're starting to put it on their back a little bit in those pressure moments, so the big thing is them coming through under pressure."