MURRAY, Ky. -- It's not often a coach says his team is too ready to play a football game, but Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz believes that may have been the case in his team's stunning 40-38 loss to Murray State on Saturday.
Going into the game, the Redhawks controlled their own destiny. Two wins would ensure the program's first Ohio Valley Conference title since 2010. Instead, the day ended with Jacksonville State celebrating a fifth consecutive conference crown as SEMO blew a 31-point lead and then lost on a last-second touchdown.
That devasting defeat, coupled with JSU's blowout win over Tennessee State, means SEMO will likely miss the postseason for the eighth consecutive season.
"Obviously we're heartbroken as a football team," Matukewicz said before the JSU game concluded. "I just want to give credit to coach (Mitch) Stewart, the Racers and their coaches, they had a tough one last week and they got their team ready to go this week and really battled because we obviously had a three or four score lead there in the first half and they found a way to win it so hats off to coach Stewart and his players."
Three scores in the final two minutes capped off one of the wildest games of Matukewicz's career, including a squib kick to Murray State's Malik Honeycutt that turned into a 79-yard touchdown return for the game-winner with four seconds left.
"That one, that's got to be up there," Matukewicz said. "Certainly if you squibbed it 99 times out of 100, we're going to get him down. That's why you play it, that's why you snap it. Good job for Murray State because they just got scored on. If they were thinking about the last play they wouldn't have had the kickoff return they had so they did a really nice job getting their mind right and going to the next play."
SEMO's Daniel Santacaterina found Zack Smith for a five-yard score with 20 ticks on the clock to put the Redhawks ahead 38-34, but it wasn't enough.
The Redhawks (7-3, 5-2 OVC) came out of the gate soaring and forced four turnovers in the first quarter en route to a 31-0 run to start the contest.
"We were really ready to play this game," Matukewicz said. "That momentum and that surge we had in the first half also had some penalties, but that's why you keep playing. They made those plays in the second half, we made them in the first half."
Senior running back Marquis Terry continued his stellar season with a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put the Redhawks on the board. Terry added another score later in the game and finished with 120 rushing yards for his fourth-straight game of at least 100 yards and sixth this season.
When it rains it pours and big plays poured for SEMO in the first half.
Justin Swift made his statement for Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week with a 60-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown followed by a 76-yard pick six.
"Everything was just clicking for us," Swift said. "Running to the ball, tackling, getting our hands up, just doing everything right."
After Terry's second touchdown, everything was coming up Redhawks as SEMO held a 31-0 lead with 2:24 left in the half.
Murray State would add a touchdown before the break, but SEMO had complete control heading into the third quarter.
After the Redhawks' run in the first half, the Racers (5-5, 5-2) responded by scoring 27 straight points to start the second half.
"Nothing changed," Swift said. "I guess they just started making plays. They made more plays."
Matukewicz agreed with his defensive standout.
"I just think they outplayed us," he said of the third quarter. "I don't think schematically it was a lot of new stuff, they just did a better job and executed."
Despite the Racer run, the Redhawks head coach said they had to find an answer in the third quarter.
"You're going to have days when you're off, but you've got to find way to at least get some first downs and try to grind them out," he said.
The Racers finished with 550 total yards to the Redhawks' 297 yards.
Murray State's Drew Anderson tossed three touchdown passes in the second half en route to 412 passing yards for the game. His 7-yard pass to LaMartez Brooks gave the Racers a 34-31 lead with 1:42 remaining.
That was more than enough time for the Redhawks to drive down the field and score a late go-ahead touchdown, just like they did against Southern Illinois and Austin Peay earlier this season.
This time, though, the opponent answered with its own dramatic score.
While SEMO's chance at an OVC title and the automatic Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth are gone, it has a chance to end the season on a high note next week on Senior Day against Eastern Illinois.
With a win, the Redhawks would finish 8-3 with six conference wins. SEMO's five wins in the OVC are its most since it went 7-1 in 2010 and finished 9-3 overall.
A shot at the playoffs is a little more tenous. There are 14 at-large bids handed out, but OVC teams usually don't receive at-large bids. Last year, Austin Peay went 8-1 against FCS teams and did not receive an at-large bid.