Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Football scores 70 in rout of Tennessee Tech

Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Junior quarterback Daniel Santacaterina gets a dump pass off during a game against Dayton on Sept. 8.
Photo by Joshua Dodge ~ Photo Editor

The Southeast football team put on an offensive show, beating Tennessee Tech 70-38 in their first conference win and their third overall.

The Redhawks put together 692 yards of offense, a single-game record for SEMO. The 70 points the team put up were the most SEMO has scored against an NCAA Division I opponent and most in any Ohio Valley Conference game since moving to Division I in 1991.

Junior quarterback Daniel Santacaterina bounced back from his last game, where he threw four interceptions against Eastern Kentucky. Santacaterina threw for 395 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-27 passing against the Golden Eagles.

SEMO posted 49 points in the first half, scoring on offense, defense and special teams. The Redhawks scored three times in the first eight minutes of the contest in improving to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference against the winless Tennessee Tech (0-6 overall, 0-3 OVC).

Junior receiver Kristian Wilkerson scored on a 3-yard pass from Santacaterina two minutes and 33 seconds into the game.

The Redhawks’ defense capitalized on a blocked punt from freshman receiver Aaron Alston, and sophomore receiver Taylen Waller fell on the ball in the end zone to make the score 14-0 with 10:30 left in the first quarter.

Freshman running back Zion Custis broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-0 with 7:10 left in the first quarter.

Tennessee Tech got on the board with a field goal, but Santacaterina responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Colby Cornett at the 9:06 mark of the second quarter. On Tech’s ensuing possession, junior inside linebacker Zach Hall picked up a bad pitch by Golden Eagles quarterback Bailey Fisher in the end zone to give SEMO a 35-3 lead at the 8:52 mark in the second quarter.

The Golden Eagles responded with two touchdowns, a 1-yard rush by junior running back Andrew Goldsmith and a 57-yard run by freshman running back David Gist.

Santacaterina threw his third touchdown pass of the first half on a 60-yard strike to junior receiver Jerrick Orr with 5:22 left in the half. Sophomore running back Mark Robinson punched in a 10-yard run for his first career SEMO touchdown with 2:27 left left in the half, putting the score at 49-17.

The Redhawks scored twice in the third quarter, first on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Santacaterina to Cornett and again on a 4-yard rush by Custis.

Senior quarterback Anthony Cooper threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Waller with 9:24 left in the game for Southeast’s final score of the night. The connection was a milestone for both Cooper and Waller, as it was Cooper’s first passing touchdown of his career and Waller’s first reception and first touchdown of his career.

Orr caught four passes, one for a touchdown, for a game-high 121 yards, while Cornett had three receptions, two for touchdowns. This was the first time since 2014 the Redhawks had two 100-yard receivers in a game. SEMO had 10 receivers who registered a catch.

Robinson rushed for a team-high 75 yards and a touchdown, while Custis added 66 yards on the ground with two rushes for scores.

Senior linebacker Demarcus Rogers had a career-high 10 tackles on the night, and Hall followed with eight.

This win was the first time SEMO had beaten TTU in Cookeville since 2003.

Southeast will return to Cape Girardeau on Saturday, Oct. 13, for its homecoming. The Redhawks will be looking to avenge last year’s 38-31 loss to the Governors in Clarksville Tennessee last season.

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