SEMO's first win was far from pretty

It certainly wasn't the prettiest of victories, but at least the SEMO football team got into the win column with Saturday night's mistake-filled 30-18 triumph over Division II Mars Hill College in the Redhawks' home opener.

SEMO never really had the game in hand until a touchdown with under four minutes left gave them a 30-12 lead and finally put away the scrappy Lions.

The squads combined for 10 turnovers, six by Mars Hill and four by Southeast.

Now the Redhawks (1-1) will try to climb above the .500 mark when they visit regional rival Southern Illinois Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

The Salukis, 0-2 for the first time since 2001 and coming off two straight losing seasons, will no doubt be in a foul mood as they chase their first victory.

And the Salukis, despite romping 38-10 last year in Cape Girardeau, surely haven't forgotten what happened during the Redhawks' most recent visit to Carbondale, Ill., in 2010.

SEMO pulled off a 24-21 upset of SIU, which was playing just its second game in its brand new, $25 million Saluki Stadium.

All of the above should make for an interesting matchup.