. . . level of astonishment is minuscule compared to the shock that Redhawk fans felt after watching the second half of SEMO’s FCS Playoff game on Saturday at the University of Montana in Missoula.
With 23:41 remaining in the 60-minute game, the Redhawks were rolling, as they stunned the home crowd in building a 24-3 advantage following the second of two touchdown runs by junior running back Geno Hess. And then the rest of the game happened. With 8:29 left in the third quarter, Montana got an 80-yard kickoff return for a score and trimmed its deficit to 24-10, and unbeknownst to everyone in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, as well as those watching on national television, the floodgates had opened for the No. 17-ranked Grizzlies, as they scored 31 unanswered points to win going away 34-24.
“It hurts,” ninth-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz said afterward. “It should hurt.” The third quarter proved to be a special team’s disaster for No. 12-ranked SEMO (9-3). Montana (8-4) got the aforementioned kickoff return for one score, and another touchdown on a 58-yard punt return (tying the game at 24), both of which sandwiched a missed field goal by Redhawk freshman DC Pippen. “I was hoping to break even,” Matukewicz said of the special team’s battle. “Ultimately, they were better than us. But still, we shouldn’t have given up two touchdowns.” As the SEMO special team’s play faltered, the offensive line, which was a pregame concern of Matukewicz, began to give way. SEMO sophomore quarterback Paxton DeLaurent hadn’t played in two-plus weeks due to a foot injury but made a valiant return and showed glimpses of his ability that had been so magical this season. However, he was under constant pressure all night (Montana had a sack and seven quarterback hurries), and by the end of the game, he had been pummeled by the blitzing Grizzlies and was limping noticeably.
“It was truly a gutsy performance,” Matukewicz said of his quarterback. “He played well but hadn’t practiced a lot and played through pain. I am super proud of the way he performed today.” The magnitude of today's FCS Playoff football game for Southeast Missouri State is not lost on ninth-year Redhawk coach Tom Matukewicz.
DeLaurent completed just 25 of his 49 passes for 277 yards. As great as the Redhawk defense was in the opening half, and it absolutely was dominating, that is how much it struggled to contain the surging Grizzlies over the final 23-plus minutes. After stopping the Montana offense on five of its initial six drives in the game and getting an opening score on a fumble return by defensive back Lawrence Johnson, Montana scored on three of its final four offensive series, and that didn’t even include the special team’s plays. Montana rarely got its run game going, but throughout the second half, the Grizzlies passing game continually attacked the SEMO secondary with success. The Grizzlies got touchdown receptions of 17 and 19 yards in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, as part of the onslaught of offense produced in the final two quarters. From a defensive standpoint, Montana loaded up the box to control Hess, who worked his way to 122 yards. However, with Hess somewhat contained, it forced DeLaurent to throw, and the Montana linebackers just unloaded on him whenever he dropped back to pass.
