Three takeaways from SEMO’s 38-27 win over Eastern Illinois

CHARLESTON, Ill. — There aren’t a ton of questions for head coach Tom Matukewicz and his No. 13 SEMO Redhawks following their 38-27 triumph over Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.

While Eastern Illinois began to mount a comeback in the second half, SEMO bounced back from a low-scoring win over Northwestern State last weekend and took care of business to leave little doubt about the team’s mental state as they continue to dive into conference play.

“Really good win on the road,” Matukewicz said. “Loved how we prepared and came out ready to go. In the first half we dominated, so it's exciting. We didn't take our opponent lightly. I just wish we'd have played better in the second half; some miscues and then our injuries in the secondary are starting to show itself. That's a great quarterback, but we’ve got to play better in secondary. So, we just can't let teams stick around because you'll drop one of them.”

The Redhawks (5-1, 2-0 OVC) collected 425 total yards of offense in the game and outscored the Panthers (1-5, 0-2) 24-7 in the first half en route to the team's seventh consecutive win in the series.

Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent got back to lighting up the stat sheet behind 364 passing yards and three touchdowns on a 69.8 completion rate.

Running back Darrell Smith continued to step in for a banged up Payton Brown and ran for 63 yards, star wideout Dorian Anderson finished with eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Tristan Smith had a standout performance behind eight receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

With several things to dissect, here are three takeaways from SEMO’s road victory:

Passing attack back on track

If there were any concerns about the SEMO passing game following the Northwestern State outing, they quickly went mute at O’Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois on Saturday.

DeLaurent and his wide receivers clicked on a cylinders, and their performance was enough to keep the Redhawks on script and ahead of the sticks all afternoon. For reference, DeLaurent out-gained Eastern Illinois’ entire offense in the first half 211 (of SEMO’s 239 total yards) to 63, as the Redhawks went to the locker room up 24-7.

DeLaurent was on time with most of his throws, there were only two dropped passes, and the receiver options with Smith, Anderson, Cam Pedro, and Mitch Sellers continued to make a difference.

Anderson had another strong game with five receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter alone, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season. Smith led the team in practically every receiving category and had a groundbreaking 54-yard catch in the second half.

O-line continuing to shine

One of the key reasons why DeLaurent is having a career year and SEMO is averaging 32.2 points per game this season is the big boys up front.

SEMO entered game with just seven sacks allowed on the season (T-34th in FCS) and continued to win the battle in the trenches on Saturday. The Redhawks yielded just two sacks and four QB hits, giving DeLaurent plenty of time to develop plays and remain poised in the pocket.

“They're playing hard and relentless,” Matukewicz said. “Fundamentally, they're much improved from a year ago. They're keeping Paxton upright and doing their part.”

Even though this group is breaking in two new starters in Northwestern State transfer Tyler McMillan and true freshman Carter Guillaume, the offensive line has been in-sync for a large portion of the season and is continuing to coalesce. Next week will be a stiff test as Tennessee Tech knows how to disrupt the quarterback and entered Saturday averaging 3.0 sacks per game (T-8th in FCS).

Defense holding its ground

It was not the prettiest of performances, but the Redhawk defense did enough to keep Eastern Illinois at bay most of the afternoon. The Panther offense thrived off chunk-yardage plays, but their struggles stemmed from an inability to run the football (19 rushing yards) and convert on third down.

Midway through the second quarter, Eastern Illinois had yet to convert a third down in four attempts, and with the help of an up-and-down SEMO second half, that rate was pushed to 4-for-13 in the ball game.

The turning point of the game came late in the third quarter when the Redhawks, who were ahead 31-14, stopped the Panthers on fourth-and-goal at the two-yard-line to hand the ball back to the offense. The stop set up an emphatic 98-yard touchdown drive, which essentially put the game out of reach.

“That was huge,” Matukewicz said. “Obviously just find a way to make a play. I think our front seven has been very consistent and dominated all year. Then the offense took it 98, so that was probably the difference in the game in the second half.”

If there were any nits to pick, it was the defense’s inability to limit explosive plays. SEMO entered the game allowing just 11 plays of 20-plus yards through the first five games, but surrendered five of such against Eastern Illinois, including three pass plays of 40-plus yards.

Five different defenders earned a sack and defensive backs Zi’kef Johnson and Chris Daigre tallied two pass breakups apiece, but perhaps linebacker Jared Pedraza was the Redhawks’ X-factor on this side of the ball on the afternoon, as he recorded a team-high nine tackles, including one for loss.

What’s next?

The win pushes SEMO to 5-1 on the season as the team remains perfect in conference play. After the game, Matukewicz voiced optimism in the team’s direction moving forward.

“I think we have a confident team,” Matukewicz said. “Confidence comes from preparation, so, at the end of the day, they'll be ready and excited to play at home with a 2-0 conference opponent at Houck with good weather. Hopefully we get a good fanbase there. Let's go 3-0 in the conference.”

SEMO will return to Houck Stadium, this time facing a tougher test in Tennessee Tech next Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3 pm.