The perfectly groomed green grass that usually serves as the home for the Cardinals baseball team was transformed into a football field for the first time ever at Busch Stadium on Saturday in Saint Louis.

The Southeast Missouri State University's football team took on Southern Illinois in front of 14,168 fans. The Redhawks lost to the Salukis and fell to 0-3 this season with a final score of 36-19.

The teams were faced with the challenge of playing on a sand-based field, which was partially made up of the dirt from the baseball diamond. Wide receiver Paul McRoberts said that the sand was slippery and that running on the dirt was an adjustment. Three Southeast players were also injured during the game, including Buck Wilson, who had to be carried off the field with a serious leg injury.

Southeast is more known for running the ball. Quarterback Kory Faulkner said that the Redhawks took the Salukis by surprise with the amount of throwing the Redhawks did throughout the game. The Redhawks passed 249 yards, compared to SIU's 200 yards.

SIU put the first points on the board in the first quarter, but Southeast followed close behind when Kyle Snyder threw a pass of 4 yards to Spencer Davis, tying the game 7-7 with less than 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

SIU scored another touchdown early in the second quarter, followed by a safety in the seventh minute.

Cornerback Wilson intercepted a Salukis pass during the second quarter and rushed for 18 yards until SIU quarterback Faulkner tackled him at the feet.

"I don't really know what happened, but I hope it's nothing too serious and he's back on the field soon," Faulkner said.

With only six seconds left in the second quarter, McRoberts received a 3-yard pass from Snyder, making the score 16-13 at the end of the first half.

By the end of the third quarter,Southeast scored one touchdown and the Salukis scored two field goals, making the game still close with the Salukis leading 22-19.

"Halfway through the third quarter, it started slipping on us a little bit," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

In the fourth quarter, the Salukis charged the field, possessing the ball for 10:51 seconds, scored two more touchdowns. Southeast couldn't bounce back after multiple incomplete passes and one quarterback sack that resulted in a loss of 26 yards and SIU's possession.

"As far as an offense as a whole, I thought we did some good things," Snyder said. "We just got to clean up some stuff."

Snyder threw three touchdowns passes, making it the Redhawks highest scoring game of the season. He completed 17-of-33 passes for 249 yards.

On the defensive side, Ben Kargbo, Wisler Ymonice and Ron Davis each had nine tackles, while Wilson and Daniel Siehndel each had one interception.

Twenty-six of the Redhawks are from the greater Saint Louis area and being apart of history was something McRoberts appreciated.

"It was very exciting," McRoberts said. "But I was mostly worried about my team."

The Redhawks return to the field at 6 p.m. this Saturday at the home opener game against UT-Martin during Family Weekend.