Southeast Hosts Eastern Illinois on Family Weekend
Southeast Missouri (0-3, 0-1) returns to Cape Girardeau to host Eastern Illinois (1-3, 0-2) during its Family Weekend Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., CT, at Houck Stadium.
Redhawks Rally Against Hunger
Southeast Missouri State University is holding a canned food drive titled “Redhawks Rally Against Hunger” Sept. 30-Oct. 2 during several athletic events over Family Weekend. The drive will benefit the Southeast Missouri Food Bank and the food bank for Joplin (Mo.) tornado relief. Student Government, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) the Clerical-Technical-Service Employee Staff Council and the Professional Staff Council are sponsoring the effort. Food will be collected at both women’s soccer games (Sept. 30, Oct. 2) and the football game (Oct. 1) this weekend.
Chasing 200
Senior LB Philip Klaproth (195) needs just five more tackles to reach 200 in his Southeast career. Klaproth has made at least one tackle in 37 of his 38 career games. If he accomplishes the feat, Klaproth will become the 21st Redhawk defender to get 200 career tackles.
Terrell Has Breakout Performance
Junior RB Levi Terrell became the first Southeast player to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season when he ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns at Tennessee Tech (Sept. 24). Terrell, who transferred to Southeast from Nebraska-Omaha, averaged 10.3 yards per carry on 15 attempts. He also tied the game at 31-31 on a 40-yard touchdown run with 5:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Hit Man
Junior middle LB Blake Peiffer recorded a career-high 17 tackles in his first Ohio Valley Conference start of the season at Tennessee Tech (Sept. 24). Peiffer had seven solo tackles and assisted on 10 others. He also had one tackle for a loss and forced a fumble. Peiffer’s forced fumble helped set up Southeast’s game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. Peiffer, who has recorded double-digit tackles in two of his three starts this season, leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks fourth in the nation with 12.3 tackles per game.
Series History
Eastern Illinois owns a 13-5 advantage in the all-time series with Southeast. The Redhawks snapped a six-game losing streak against EIU when they beat the Panthers, 28-13, in Charleston last season.
Samuel on Family Weekend
Southeast is 2-3 all-time in Family Weekend games under head coach Tony Samuel. This year marks the third time Eastern Illinois visits Houck Stadium on Family Weekend with Samuel at the helm.
Last Meeting Between Southeast and Eastern Illinois
Southeast forced five turnovers and had a season-high four interceptions in a 28-13 road win over Eastern Illinois on Oct. 2, 2010. The Redhawks won in Charleston for the first time since they joined the Ohio Valley Conference. Tylor Brock accounted for two of the interceptions, one of which he returned 48 yards for a touchdown to help Southeast pull away late in the third quarter. In addition, the Redhawks outscored the Panthers, 21-3, in the second half.
About Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois comes to Cape Girardeau on a three-game losing streak. The Panthers, who are 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference, recently fell at Jacksonville State, 28-21, on Sept. 24. EIU has the league’s top all-purpose threat in Lorence Ricks. Ricks is averaging 177 all-purpose yards per game, with 307 of those yards coming on kick returns. The Panthers lead the OVC with an average of 23.7 yards per kick return. QB Jimmy Garoppolo ranks third in the conference in passing with 257 yards per game. He also has a league-high nine touchdown passes this season. EIU is coached by Bob Spoo, who is retiring after 25 years as the Panthers head coach. Spoo has led EIU to 13 NCAA Playoff appearances.
