By Packy Moore
2024 FCS Kickoff – Southeast Missouri vs. North Alabama
Game Information
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Kickoff: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Montgomery, Ala.
Facility: Cramton Bowl (25,000)
Surface: UBU Speed S5
Series: UNA leads, 1-0
Head Coaches
Southeast Missouri: Tom Matukewicz (55-59 overall; 54-59 at SEMO; 41-30 Big South-OVC)
North Alabama: Brent Dearmon (13-9 overall; 3-8 at UNA; 1-5 UAC)
Follow the Redhawks
TV: ESPN (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, Morgan Uber)
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
Twitter: @SEMOfootball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
FCS Kickoff Classic
• The 10th Annual FCS Kickoff features North Alabama and Southeast Missouri.
• SEMO makes its first-ever appearance in the game that kicks off the 2024 football season.
• North Alabama will be playing in the FCS Kickoff for the second-straight year.
• The Redhawks are just the fourth Big South-OVC Association team to play in the event. Former OVC members Jacksonville State (2017, 2018, 2022) and Austin Peay (2020), and current Big South-OVC member Charleston Southern (2016) are the others.
• This year is the seventh time Montgomery, Alabama hosts the FCS Kickoff at its historic Cramton Bowl.
• North Alabama fell to Mercer, 17-7, in the 2023 FCS Kickoff.
• Eastern Washington beat Sam Houston State, 56-35, during the inaugural FCS Kickoff game on Aug. 23, 2014. The FCS Kickoff was canceled in 2021 due to COVID.
It’s Go Time
• Southeast Missouri is in its 120th season of college football.
• SEMO enters its 34th year at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
• The Redhawks joined the FCS in 1991 and are 143-229 all-time in their Division I era.
• SEMO won three conference titles (2010, 2019, 2022) and made four NCAA FCS Playoff appearances (2010, 2018, 2019, 2022) in program history.
• The Redhawks have a total of six winning seasons (7-5 in 1994, 8-4 in 2002, 9-3 in 2010, 9-4 in 2018, 9-4 in 2019, 9-3 in 2022) in their NCAA Division I tenure.
Series History
• Southeast Missouri and United Athletic Conference member North Alabama meet for just the second time in 2024.
• North Alabama won the only matchup between the teams 68 years ago.
• The Lions beat the Redhawks, 61-13, during the 1956 campaign.
National Exposure
• Southeast Missouri’s football team has never played a nationally-televised game on the ESPN mothership.
• SEMO football has played in other linear television games over the years.
• Most recently, the Redhawks faced Montana in the first round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs on ESPN 2. Montana won, 34-24, on Nov. 26 that year.
• SEMO’s games air exclusivley on ESPN+ each season.
Season-Opening Games
• North Alabama is just the third non-FBS opponent Southeast Missouri faces in a season-opening game under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. NAIA member Missouri Baptist (2014) and longtime rival Southern Illinois (2019, 2020, 2021) are the others.
• SEMO is 10-23 all-time in season-openers during its NCAA Division I era. The Redhawks are 2-8 in such games with Matukewicz at the helm. Six of those losses were to FBS opponents.
• The Redhawks are looking to snap a four-game losing streak in season-opening contests.
• SEMO’s last season-opening win was on Aug. 29, 2019 vs. Southern Illinois (44-26).
Preseason Recognition
• Center Zack Gieg and inside linebacker Bryce Norman were named to both the 2024 Stats Perform and Phil Steele Preseason All-America Teams.
• Zack Gieg and quarterback Paxton DeLaurent represent Southeast Missouri on the 2024 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. Gieg and DeLaurent are among 35 players on the preseason watch list. The Payton Award, which is in its 38th season, is presented annually to the National Offensive Player of the Year in Division I FCS football.
• Bryce Norman made the 2024 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List. Thirty players are on the preseason watch list for the prestigious award given annually to National Defensive Player of the Year in Division I FCS football. This year is the 30th Anniversary for the Buck Buchanan Award.
• Sophomore Logan Leftrick is one of 13 players that made the 2024 FCS Punter of the Year Preseason Watch List. The FCS Punter of the Year Award is presented by The Augusta Sports Council.
• Bryce Norman was tabbed the 2024 Big South-OVC Association Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Norman is SEMO’s first Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
since fellow linebacker Zach Hall earned the honor in 2019.
• Seven Redhawks, including quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, offensive lineman Zack Gieg, tight end Danny Joiner, kicker DC Pippin, defensive lineman Steven Lewis, defensive back Joedrick Lewis and linebacker Bryce Norman are among the Big South-OVC Players to Watch.
Roster Notes
• Southeast Missouri’s 2024 roster consists of 103 players.
• SEMO has 16 seniors, seven graduates, 29 juniors, 22 sophomores and 29 freshmen.
• Ty Leonard, Darrell Smith, Zy’ier Thornton, Jared Pedraza, Peyton Knight, Zack Gieg and Steven Lewis are the graduates.
• The Redhawks return 12 starters, including seven on offense and five on defense.
• Returning offensive starters are Paxton DeLaurent (QB), Zack Gieg (OL), Kobe Sixkiller (OL), Jamarcus Hill (OL), Tyson Miller (OL) and Jack Clinkenbeard.
• Returning defensive starters are Bryce Norman (ILB), Sam Cook (OLB), Steven Lewis (DL), Joedrick Lewis (DB) and Ty Leonard (DB).
• Bryce Norman (First-Team), Zack Gieg (First-Team) and kicker DC Pippin (Second-Team) are SEMO’s returning All-Conference players from 2023.
Let’s Talk Tuke
• Tom Matukewicz begins his 11th year as head coach at Southeast Missouri.
• Matukewicz has been at SEMO his entire career as a head coach.
• He is 54-59 overall and 41-30 in Big South-OVC play.
• Matukewicz guided the Redhawks to two conference regular-season titles (2019, 2022) and three FCS Playoff berths (2018, 2019, 2022), both program bests.
• He also has a program record eight wins over ranked FCS opponents.
• Matukewicz’s 2018 (9-4), 2019 (9-4) and 2022 (9-3) teams each tied the school record in wins.
• He is the 13th head coach in SEMO football history and ranks third all-time in wins behind Kenneth Knox (88-59-4, 1952-67) and Abe Stuber (72-42-6, 1932-46).
• Matukewicz’s 54 wins are the most of any head coach in the Redhawks Division I era.
• He was named the Roy Kidd Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2022.
Notable Streaks
• Bryce Norman led Southeast Missouri in tackles for three-straight seasons. If Norman does that again in 2024, he will become the first player in program history to lead the team in tackles four years in a row.
• Three-time First-Team All-Big South-OVC selection Zack Gieg has made 25-consecutive starts at center.
• Kobe Sixkiller, a four-year starter, made 14-straight starts on the offensive line.
• DC Pippin made 20-straight PATs. The last time Pippin missed an extra point was at Central Arkansas (Oct. 7, 2023).
• The Redhawks have not had a losing record in Big South-OVC play for six-straight seasons. The last time that happened was in 2017 (3-5).
Feature Back
• Hutchinson Community College transfer Brandon Epton, Jr. takes over as the Redhawks starting running back in his first year at SEMO in 2024.
• Epton, Jr. ran for 535 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games at Hutchinson CC in 2023.
• Prior to that, he was at SMU, where he redshirted after playing in four games in 2022 and ran for 94 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in 2021.
• Geno Hess was SEMO’s starting running back from 2018-23. Hess broke seven career records and finished as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 5,119 yards.
QB 1
• Paxton DeLaurent is in his third year as Southeast Missouri’s starting quarterback.
• DeLaurent completed 159-of-247 passes for 1,792 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. He also ran for 75 yards and four more touchdowns.
• A native of Camdenton, Missouri, DeLaurent started the first seven games fo the 2023 campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder in injury early in the second quarter at Tennessee Tech (Oct. 21).
• This preseason, DeLaurent was ranked as the #8 returning quarterback in the FCS by HERO Sports.
• DeLaurent also made the 2024 State Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List. A total of 35 players were selected to the initial list entering the season.
• In his career as SEMO’s starting quarterback, DeLaurent has started 17 games and thrown for 4,476 yards and 30 touchdowns.
• DeLaurent was among 20 quarterbacks across all divisions of college football invited to participate as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy from June 27-30, 2024.
Sweet Home Alabama
• Three players on Southeast Missouri’s roster are from Alabama.
• Montgomery is home to senior safety JaQori Williams. Williams attended Stanhope Elmore High School.
• Freshman tight end Logan Eggart (Madison, Ala.) and freshman inside linebacker Jayden Davis (Alabaster, Ala.) are from towns less than three hours away from Montgomery. Eggart went to James Clemens High School and Davis went to Thompson High School.
• Southeast Missouri has played four NCAA Division I schools in Alabama, including Jacksonville State (7-18), North Alabama (0-1), Samford (3-5) and Troy (1-1). The Redhawks have a record of 11-25 against Alabama schools.
Mr. SEMO
• Nearby Jackson native Bryce Norman is back to lead Southeast Missouri’s defense. Norman’s hometown is just eight miles north of Cape Girardeau.
• The inside linebacker is the 2024 Big South-OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• He is the first SEMO player tabbed the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year since fellow linebacker Zach Hall earned the honor in 2019.
• Norman has become the household name of SEMO’s defense and accumulated 272 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his career.
• He ranks among SEMO’s career leaders in tackles (16th, 272), sacks (12th, 9) and tackles for loss (15th, 22.5).
• Norman was rated as the #8 returning linebacker in the FCS by HERO Sports and the #10 top returning linebacker in the FCS by Sports Illustrated.
• He is also among 30 players selected to the 2024 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List. This year marks the 30th Anniversary for the Buck Buchanan Award which is presented to the National Defensive Player of the Year in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision each season.
• Norman is looking to become the first player in SEMO football history to lead the team in tackles four-straight seasons.
Watch This
• Bryce Norman is 28 tackles away from reaching 300 in his career. Norman currently has 272 tackles. If he hits that mark, he will become the 10th player in program history to get 300 or more career tackles.
• Paxton DeLaurent is 524 yards away from 5,000 passing yards in his career as SEMO’s quarterback. His 4,476 passing yards rank seventh among the Redhawks all-time career leaders. DeLaurent is on pace to become the fourth SEMO quarterback to throw for 5,000 or more yards.
• Paxton DeLaurent has 30 career passing touchdowns. DeLaurent needs 17 to break SEMO’s all-time career record of 46 set by Daniel Santacaterina (2018-19).
• Paxton DeLaurent needs 1,704 passing yards to break the school’s all-time career record in that category. DeLaurent has 4,476 yards and is chasing Jason Liley who threw for 6,179 yards from 1989-92.
Welcome to Cape Girardeau
• Southeast Missouri has three new coaches on its football staff this season.
• Todd Drury is in his first year as safeties coach, Morris Lolar is in his first season coaching the cornerbacks and Madison Bunch is in his first year coaching the running backs.
• Drury joins the Redhawks after spending the 2023 season as defensive coordinator at Western Illinois. Before that, he was head coach at Missouri S&T from 2019-22.
• Lolar worked with the defensive backfield at Missouri Valley College in 2023. He, too, has previous head coaching experience working three years at the helm of NAIA member Bethel College (Kan.). Lolar played college football at Minnesota and Friends University before going on to spend six years in the CFL between the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Bombers organizations.
• Bunch was the offensive analyst and assistant running backs coach at Rutgers in 2023. He returns to SEMO’s coaching staff where he once worked as the Redhawks recruiting coordinator and assistant wide receivers coach in 2022.
2024 Schedule Notes
• Southeast Missouri begins its 2024 season a week earlier with its first-ever appearance in the FCS Kickoff vs. North Alabama (Aug. 24).
• SEMO will play a 12-game schedule with five home games.
• The Redhawks travel over 1,200 miles west to play Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA member New Mexico State (Aug. 31).
• Longtime rival Southern Illinois (Sept. 21) and Northwestern State (Sept. 28) are SEMO’s other non-conference foes.
• The Big South-OVC Association slate features nine league teams playing an eight-game conference schedule in 2024.
• SEMO opens conference play at home against reigning Big South-OVC Co-Champion UT Martin (Sept. 7).
• Tennessee Tech (Oct. 12), reigning Big South-OVC Co-Champion and 2023 FCS Playoff participant Gardner-Webb (Oct. 26) and first-year Association member Western Illinois (Nov. 16) complete the Redhawks home portion of the schedule.
• The remainder of the Big South-OVC schedule includes trips to Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5), Charleston Southern (Oct. 19), Lindenwood (Nov. 9) and Tennessee State (Nov. 23).
• SEMO faces Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern for the first time in 2024.
• Big South-OVC Association games will primarily take place between weeks five and 13, with one game apiece during weeks two and four. Seven weeks will feature four
Association matchups.
• SEMO has two bye weeks (Sept. 14 & Nov. 2) this season.
Redhawks Third in 2024 Big South-OVC Preseason Poll
• Southeast Missouri was picked third in the 2024 Big South-OVC Association Preseason Poll released on July 17.
• SEMO accumulated 51 points and two first-place votes in the balloting by the Association’s head coaches.
• UT Martin was tabbed this year’s preseason favorite and Eastern Illinois was voted second.
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Lions to play SEMO in FCS Kickoff at 6 p.m. in Montgomery
https://roarlions.com/documents/2024/8/20/2024_Game_Notes_Week_0.pdf
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 23, 2023) – The University of North Alabama football team will play in the first primetime game on ESPN this season, as the Lions battle Southeast Missouri on national television on Saturday, August 24 at 6 p.m.
This marks the third time in a year’s span the Lions will play on a national network. On August 26, 2023, UNA played Mercer at the FCS Kickoff on both ESPN and ESPNU. In the final game on Nov. 18, the Lions played No. 4 Florida State on The CW.
For a list of things to know for Saturday’s game, click here.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri
Date: Saturday, August 24
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Montgomery, Ala.
Stadium: Cramton Bowl
Capacity: 25,000
TV: ESPN (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, Morgan Uber)
Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM (“Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Social Media: @UNAFootball
UNA Game Notes | Opponent Game Notes | UAC Website
NOTABLES
YEAR TWO: The Lions enter their second season under head coach Brent Dearmon. UNA finished seventh in the United Athletic Conference last season with a 3-8 overall record. The Lions are on the upswing with 44 returning lettermen, 18 returning starters and a heavy mix of newcomers expected to contribute right away.
ABOUT THE LIONS: The Lions have eight of 11 starters back on defense, seven of 11 back on offense and three on special teams. Among those are preseason all-conference selections Takairee Kenebrew and Edwin White Schultz, who was named UAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches. UNA returns four of its top five receivers from last season and three starters on the offensive line, but will have new faces at the quarterback and running back positions atop the depth chart in Stanford transfer Ari Patu and Tennessee Tech transfer Jayvian Allen, respectively. On defense, four starters return on the defensive line, three starters are back at linebacker and nearly the entire secondary returns. The Lions added key pieces such as linebacker Jackson Bratton from UAB and Travis Collier from Jacksonville State, among others. Special teams will be headed up by sixth year senior kicker Sam Contorno and graduate transfer Scott Payne from MTSU, as well as sophomore punter Adam Watford after netting all-conference and Freshman All-American honors last season.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS: SEMO enters 2024 after finishing 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big South-OVC last season. Prior to last season, the Redhawks won a conference title in 2022 with a 9-3 record and made their fourth-ever FCS Playoff appearance. SEMO is receiving votes in the AFCA/Hudl Coaches poll this week, returning seven starters on offense and five on defense. In total, 60 players return for 11th year head coach Tom Matukewicz. The offense is led by third year starter Paxton DeLaurent, who threw for 1,792 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He and starting center Zack Gieg are on the Stats Perform Walter Payton Preseason Watch List. On defense, linebacker Bryce Norman is a preseason All-American and has led SEMO in tackles for three-straight seasons.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the second all-time meeting between UNA and SEMO. The first meeting happened 68 years ago in 1956, where the Lions cruised to a 61-13 win in Florence.
UNA AGAINST THE SHOW ME STATE: The Lions have a 6-3 record against the state of Missouri, playing games against five different schools from the state over the years. All three losses have been at the hands of Division II power Northwest Missouri State, including the 2016 National Championship game. Meanwhile, UNA is 2-0 against Central Missouri State and Missouri State and 1-0 against SEMO and College of the Ozarks. The last time UNA played any of those four schools came in 1992.
TV GAMES: This will be SEMO’s first time on the ESPN mothership, but not the first time on a linear network. For North Alabama, this will be the eighth time on an ESPN station, as the Lions hold a 3-5 record in those games. Those three wins all came during the national championship three-peat in 1993, 1994 and 1995. In total, UNA is 32-21 in televised games, not including ESPN+ or ESPN3.
UNITED AS CAN BE: The Lions are proud members of the United Athletic Conference, which was officially branded in 2023 as an alliance between football members from the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Although Stephen F. Austin abruptly departed the conference this offseason, the league remains intact with nine member institutions with the addition of former Division II school West Georgia.
18-WHEELER ROLL ON: The football program received a generous donation from Greg Trapp and Single Source Logistics in Russellville last week, as the Lions have a UNA-branded 18-wheeler to transport equipment to football games this season. The new rig was wrapped by Cre8tive Graphics and is sponsored by Game one and Adidas. The truck will roll out for the first time this Friday.
SAME STAFF: A rare achievement in today’s landscape, UNA head coach Brent Dearmon retained nearly every staff member this offseason, including both coordinators Brock Caraboa and Kevin Wewers. As far as position coaches, the only position to fill this offseason was the quarterback room, which Dearmon decided to take on himself. Dearmon is an accomplished passer in his own right, setting records while playing at Bethel University in Tennessee.
IN-STATE PRIDE: The coaching staff put a major emphasis on recruiting locally and recruiting talent within the state of Alabama. The roster currently lists 73 players from the state of Alabama, as well as 33 from surrounding states, including 12 from Florida, 11 from Tennessee, seven from Georgia and three from Mississippi.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL: Beyond the Alabama seal, the Lions have players from California, New York, Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina, Illinois and Louisiana on the roster. Additionally, UNA added three players beyond the continental United States, including offensive linemen Anthony Faiivae from American Samoa and Dominic Braesch from Germany. The Lions also added tight end and longsnapper Braden Forscutt from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
KENE-BREWING FOR A LONG TIME: Seventh-year wide receiver Takairee Kenebrew announced in January that he would be returning as a graduate student to finish his career. After joining the team in 2018, he received a redshirt, a medical redshirt and a COVID waiver. Since then, he has played three full seasons in 2021, 2022 and 2023 with 98 career receptions for 1,838 yards and 26 touchdowns. The 26 scores are a career school record at UNA, which he set with a TD last season at No. 4 Florida State. He ranks eighth in all-time receiving yards at UNA.
NEXT ON THE DOCKET: After the FCS Kickoff, UNA heads to FBS opponent Memphis on August 31 at 6 p.m. The home opener will be against Illinois State on Sept. 7 at Braly Stadium.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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