#19 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (7-2, 5-1 OVC)
at
Murray State Racers (4-5, 4-2 OVC)
Saturday, November 10 • 11:00 a.m. CT
Roy
Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV:......................................................................
ESPN3
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=229573
Series
Record:........................ Murray State leads 39-12-1
Last Meeting:......
Southeast Missouri won 21-10 (11/18/17)
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:.......
22-32 (5 yrs.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:............................. 23-32
(6 yrs.)
Mitch Stewart at Murray State:..................... 14-28 (4 yrs.)
Mitch
Stewart Overall:.............................................. same
Southeast
Missouri Last Week: W, 38-21 vs. Tennessee State
Murray State Last Week:........
L, 27-24 at Tennessee Tech
GAME NOTES: Rivals will clash for the 53rd time on Saturday in a key OVC matchup. Southeast Missouri enters the week tied for first place in the OVC with Jacksonville State; the Redhawks control their own destiny and with a win over Murray State and over Eastern Illinois next week would win only its second OVC Championship (2010 being the other) and earn the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. A loss by SEMO would open the door for JSU (who plays its final OVC game this week) to earn the automatic bid. Murray State, who was tied for first place before back-to-back losses the last two weeks, owns a 39-12-1 advantage in the all-time series, although SEMO has won three in a row, four of five and six of the last nine overall. Six of the last 10 games in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less. A year ago, Marquis Terry had 92 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 21-10 Redhawks victory. Murray State was led by Jordon Gandy, who had 11 catches for 132 yards.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: During its five-game winning streak, Southeast Missouri has averaged 46.4 points and 509.6 yards of total offense/game and only one of those contests has been close in the fourth quarter. Entering this week the Redhawks rank 10th nationally in scoring offense (39.4 points/game). In its win over Tennessee State last week, Marquis Terry accounted for 183 all-purpose yards (107 rushing, 76 receiving) and a pair of touchdowns in being named OVC Offensive Player of the Week. Terry has reached the 100-yard plateau three games in a row and ranks sixth nationally in all-purpose yards (157.0/game) and seventh in total rushing yards (1,021 - making him one of seven FCS players to reach 1,000 yards so far this season). Quarterback Daniel Santacaterina matched his season-high with four touchdown passes in the win (three to Kristian Wilkerson) and he now ranks fifth nationally in that category (23). The SEMO defense had two interceptions against TSU and is now tied for first nationally with 16 interceptions in 2018; the Redhawks also rank second nationally in turnover margin (1.89/game). Zach Hall, who ranks second nationally in tackles (13.2/game) had 12 stops against the Tigers and picked off his third pass of the season.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after a 27-24 loss to Tennessee Tech last week followed a loss to Jacksonville State the previous week. Against Tech, the Racers fell behind 14-0 and despite trimming the margin to 27-24 with 2:08 left, could not get the ball back for a last attempt. Quarterback Drew Anderson passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns and led the team with 27 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground. Anderson has accounted for 19 touchdowns in nine games this season. As he is accustomed to doing, Anderson completed passes to 11 different receivers, with Tyre Gray leading the way with seven receptions for 71 yards. Malik Honeycutt added 136 all-purpose yards including 80 receiving yards and a six-yard touchdown catch. Gray leads the team with 23 catches this season while Honeycutt has 22 catches and a team-high 421 receiving yards. Quincy Williams had a team-best 11 tackles and now ranks second in the OVC and 11th nationally with 10.3 stops/game. The Racers were whistled for 12 penalties for 70 yards in the game. Entering this week MSU ranks seventh nationally in net punting (39.44 yards/punt) and ninth in defensive touchdowns
The Massey Ratings predict a 38-31 Southeast Missouri victory.