Southeast's upset of ranked Salukis was not a fluke

Where it ranks on the list of all-time Southeast Missouri State football wins is open for debate.

But there is no doubt Saturday's 24-21 shocker at fifth-ranked Southern Illinois makes the short list of greatest victories in program history.

And it could be just the shot in the arm fifth-year coach Tony Samuel and his staff needed to help the Redhawks get over the hump.

Never before had Southeast beaten a team ranked among the top five nationally since the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1991.

And make no mistake about it, this was no fluke. The Salukis didn't hand Southeast the victory with turnovers and penalties. Far from it.

On this night at least, in front of more than 13,000 spectators at new Saluki Stadium, the Redhawks were the better squad, especially in the second half.

Southeast finished with a 391-255 advantage in total yardage. The Redhawks outgained SIU 284-99 during the decisive final half that saw them rally from a 21-3 deficit.

With the game on the line, the Redhawks took control as their defense dominated and their offense scored touchdowns on three straight possessions.

SIU, which has pounded the Redhawks in recent years, was heavily favored going into the contest. When the Salukis led 21-3 late in the third quarter, a Southeast victory seemed even more improbable.

To the Redhawks' credit, they kept believing and never abandoned hope, which would have been easy to do.

I can't remember seeing a happier bunch of players and coaches after the landmark triumph. And I was happy for them because I know how hard they've all worked to try and get the program going. It was neat to see them celebrating like they had just won a national title.

And I don't blame them. Southeast football has struggled over the past two decades, posting just a pair of winning records since making the jump to Division I-AA. The Redhawks deserved to feel like champions after their biggest victory since Samuel took over.

Now the key is to keep building not only on Saturday's upset but also a strong start that has the Redhawks 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They already have equaled their overall and OVC win totals from 2009.

Southeast, which won at Murray State 30-17 on Sept. 11 in its OVC opener, resumes conference play with Saturday's home opener against Tennessee Tech.

The Redhawks won their OVC opener for the first time since 2004.

While not an upset, the victory at Murray State was still a significant step as the Redhawks pursue the program's first winning season since 2002.

That 2002 campaign also marked the only time Southeast started its OVC schedule 2-0, something the Redhawks can achieve this week.

Tennessee Tech won't be easy to beat. The Eagles were picked fourth in the OVC preseason poll.

But there is no doubt the Redhawks have a strong chance of knocking off the Eagles.

Winning at Murray State got Southeast fans hopeful.

Beating SIU elevated those hopes considerably.

Now we'll see if the Redhawks can continue raising the bar.

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Speaking of Southeast's next opponent, Tennessee Tech is coming off a strange 43-0 win over Division II Lane College.

Thursday's contest in Cookeville, Tenn., was called with 5:01 left in the first half after a second 30-minute delay for lightning. Officials from both schools agreed to halt play.

Even though it counts as a victory, statistics do not count in NCAA or OVC leaders but will count toward Tech players' individual career stats.

The Eagles (1-2) were crushed in their first two games by nationally ranked Division I-A squads Arkansas and TCU by a combined score of 106-10.

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The University of Missouri football team is off to a strong start at 3-0 following Saturday's closer-than-expected 27-24 win over San Diego State.

Grant Ressel, MU's star kicker from Jackson, is also off to an impressive beginning.

Ressel, a junior who burst onto the national scene last year by earning All-American honors in his first season as the Tigers' kicker, has made 7 of 8 field goals and all 11 of his extra points.

Ressel went 26 of 27 on field goals and 39 of 39 on PATs in 2009 as his combined kick percentage of 98.5 broke the NCAA single-season record.

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Friday's 41-6 blowout of rival Jackson wasn't a surprise -- not this year -- but it was still a landmark win for the Central High School football team.

The Tigers beat Jackson for the first time since 2002 and are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1977, which also was the last time they started 5-0.

The Tigers appear to be a virtual lock to make it 5-0 this week as they visit winless North County, which is really struggling.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.