Throughout the offseason, Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz harped on the importance of finishing strong and winning close ball games after the Redhawks lost five games by a combined 17 points in 2017.
That focus was evident in SEMO's home opener Saturday as the hosts out-scored Dayton by 13 points in the fourth quarter, pulling away for a 40-21 win over the Flyers at Houck Field.
"I appreciate how we ended the game," Matukewicz said. "We were in a fourth-quarter game, and we ended up blowing it open. We haven't been able to do that in the past."
With less than six minutes remaining, Dayton had the ball in SEMO territory with an opportunity to take the lead. The defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs, and the offense responded with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Santacaterina to Zach Smith.
That score gave the Redhawks (1-1) their first double-digit lead of the game, and they cruised from there.
"That was the backbreaker," Matukewicz said. "That was huge."
It was a back-and-forth game from the onset with six lead changes, including four in the second half.
Each time Dayton (1-1) took the lead in those final two quarters SEMO responded with a touchdown.
It was a reversal of fortunes for the Redhawks, who have struggled closing out games. Since Matukewicz took over in 2014, SEMO has lost 16 games by seven points or less.
Santacaterina had 264 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-30 passing. He was carted off the field last week against Arkansas State after a hard hit but later returned to the sideline. Matukewicz credited co-head athletic trainer Ben Fox and the rest of the training staff with getting Santacaterina ready to play against Dayton.
Marquis Terry was a force on the ground, rushing for 202 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. He averaged 12.6 yards per carry.
Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Dayton retook the lead on a 35-yard TD run by Tucker Yinger.
SEMO again responded with Santacaterina finding Wilkerson with a back-shoulder throw for a 19-yard TD. The two-point conversion failed, and SEMO led 26-21.
After each team forced a three-and-out, Dayton drove to the SEMO 31-yard line. But on 4th-and-8, the Redhawks came up with a stop with Al Young making the tackle four yards short.
Smith scored on the next play, and from there the lead grew. A forced fumble by Swift led to Terry's 95-yard TD run. Swift led the team with 11 tackles. That late-game surge, as SEMO out-scored Dayton 20-7, led to a comfortable win.