Semo shocks Southeastern Louisiana

It might have been the interception by senior outside linebacker Wisler Ymonice late in the first quarter, or the 54-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Ryan McCrum to end the half. Maybe it was the first of two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Kyle Snyder to junior wide receiver Paul McRoberts, or maybe it was something else.

Whatever it was, Saturday night at Houck Stadium on National Guard Field, the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks pulled off the greatest upset in the school football history.

"I was hoping at the end of the game the student section would go rip down the goal post and throw in the Mississippi, but that didn't happen, so I'm going to have to educate the fans," Southeast coach Tom Matukewicz said.

The Redhawks needed to score on their final drive, and after Snyder hit McRoberts with a touchdown pass and McCrum made the PAT, the Redhawks had a 24-23 victory over No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana.

"That's something you can't even buy," Matukewicz said. "Because it takes so much effort and sacrifice and years and years to have a program win like that. And I'm so proud of the seniors and the team."

Matukewicz and his coaching staff preach to their players about doing things the hard way, but Matukewicz admitted that maybe they made things a little too hard for themselves Saturday night.

The first big play for the Redhawks was an interception by Ymonice that ended the Lions third drive of the game off a tipped pass by sophomore defensive end Selwyn Carrol.

"When I seen the ball in the air I was like, 'Hey I have to go make this play,'" Ymonice said. "And sure enough I came down with it and made a stop for the defense."

The next big play for the Redhawks occurred when senior running back Lennies McFerren scored from one yard out to put his team ahead 7-3 with 6 minutes, 4 seconds left in the second quarter.

Following a fake field goal for a touchdown by the Lions, the Redhawks answered with a 54-yard field goal by McCrum that tied things up at 10-10 just before halftime.

Next, McRoberts came through for the Redhawks with his first touchdown grab of the game from Snyder, capping a 13 play drive, and Southeast pulled ahead 17-10. It would be the only score in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter is where the magic and unbelievable turn of events unfolded for the Redhawks.

Lions' quarterback Bryan Bennett, a transfer from the University of Oregon and Walter Payton Award watch list member, threw a touchdown pass with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter. However, the aggressive Lions decided to go for a two-point conversion and the lead that was sniffed out by Ymonice.

"I knew something was up," Ymonice said. "Because I was down in my stance and out the corner of my eye I seen the tight end motion over, and the only thing I could think of was to get the ball to the perimeter of the defense. And sure enough he popped up, and I seen him."

The failed two-point conversion left Southeast with a 17-16 lead, but the Redhawks gave the Lions the ball back after a fumble by McFerren.

The following drive for the Lions featured a 22-yard touchdown run by Bennett that put the Lions up 22-17. They risked giving the Southeast offense one last chance, who moved the ball well for the whole night, when they kicked the extra point to go up by six. A complete contradiction to the aggressive play calling from the Lions all night, giving the Redhawks one final opportunity with 2:47 left.

Then Snyder led a drive that will be hard to top at Southeast. He completed four third-down conversions, with completions to junior wide receiver Peter Lloyd, Davis for 16 yards, and Lloyd again for 8 yards. Snyder then had a tough run up the middle for 15 yards that put the Redhawks at the 2-yard line.

Moments later Snyder threw a touchdown pass to McRoberts to tie the game.

"You can call it arrogance or whatever, but that's what I do," McRoberts said. "It's my job to make the big plays for my team."

Then Ryan McCrum continued his remarkable turnaround from last season by hitting the game winning PAT -- twice. The Redhawks were called for holding on the first attempt.

"That's crazy," sophomore linebacker Roper Garrett said. "That's like a once in a lifetime opportunity there, and we took full advantage of it."

It was a special night for Southeast, which beat a Top 5-ranked team for the second time in school history. The other time was in 2010 when the Redhawks took down Southern Illinois, which was ranked No. 5.

Senior wide receiver/return specialist Spencer Davis also had a special night with his 145 all-purpose yards to bring his career total to 4,248. He passed Kelvin Anderson for first all-time in Southeast all-purpose yards.

Next the Redhawks will open up conference play against University of Tennessee-Martin (1-3) at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27, at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.