College Sports

The Southeast Missouri State football team is headed to the playoffs. The No. 20 Redhawks received one of the 14 at-large bids to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs when the 24-team field was announced Sunday morning in a live selection show on ESPNU...

Zion Custis caught the ball three yards from his own goal line with one thought in his mind: "make a play." He did just that. Seconds later, the Southeast Missouri State football freshman was raising his arms and strolling into the opposing end zone for a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team claimed its third consecutive victory Saturday, cruising past Chattanooga 63-42 at the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile, Alabama. It was SEMO's second win at the tournament in as many days after the Redhawks (3-2) opened with a 77-71 win over Jacksonville on Friday...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team picked up its first win over a Division I opponent this season, beating Jacksonville 77-71 on Friday in the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile, Alabama. SEMO (2-2) went on a 12-2 run late in the second half to pull away and secured its second consecutive win. The Redhawks were coming off a 102-66 win over Division II Quincy University in the home opener Monday...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee has an opportunity Saturday to show how far it has come in the last year. One year after setting a school record for losses and failing to win a single Southeastern Conference game, the Volunteers (5-5, 2-4 SEC) are a win away from bowl eligibility. A victory Saturday over Missouri (6-4, 2-4) would assure that Tennessee avoids being stuck at home for the holidays again...

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Kevin Puryear scored 17 points, and Missouri pulled ahead in the final two minutes to beat Kennesaw State 55-52 on Friday at the Paradise Jam tournament. Jeremiah Tilmon added 12 points for the Tigers (2-1), who will face Oregon State in Sunday's semifinals at the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports and Fitness Center...

The Southeast Missouri State football team blew a chance to win a conference title last week, but there's still hope. While a heartbreaking, last-second loss to Murray State last week cost the Redhawks the Ohio Valley Conference championship, a playoff berth remains within reach...

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team suffered a season-ending loss Thursday morning, falling to third-seeded Morehead State in straight sets in an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal in Clarksville, Tennessee. The third-seeded Redhawks lost 25-23, 25-10, 25-19, and ended the season with a 16-14 record...

Here are a few things to watch during Week 12 of the Southeastern Conference football season: Missouri at Tennessee: Consider it a statement on the dreadful nature of this week's SEC slate that our top game involves two unranked teams. A victory Saturday would make Tennessee (5-5, 2-4 SEC) bowl eligible, a giant step forward for a team that went winless in SEC competition last season. ...

Southeast Missourian A fast start wasn't enough to propel the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team to its first win of the season Wednesday. SEMO scored 15 of the game's first 18 points, but struggled to score for the rest of the contest and fell 60-40 to rival Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Illinois...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Missouri offensive coordinator Derek Dooley said he's grateful about the opportunity he had at Tennessee as the former Volunteers head coach prepares for his return to Knoxville. Dooley went 15-21 at Tennessee from 2010 to 2012 before getting fired amid his third straight losing season. After spending five years in the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys' wide receivers coach, Dooley came back to the college ranks this season as Missouri's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach...

Alex Caldwell had shot the ball well during warmups, so when he caught the inbounds pass with an open look at the basket from behind the 3-point arc, the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball freshman didn't hesitate. The shot was true, flying through the air and falling through the hoop for Caldwell's first points of the night two minutes after he entered the game. ...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team looks for its first win of the season at noon today against rival Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Illinois. The Redhawks are 0-2 after losing to No. 6 Mississippi State and Bradley last week. Southern Illinois and Bradley are both members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley was picked to finish sixth in the conference while Southern Illinois was tabbed for a fourth-place finish...

As Jonathan Dalton drove toward the basket with seven minutes remaining in the first half, he saw Sage Tolbert streaking down the baseline. So the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball senior tossed the ball into the air. Tolbert rose above the Quincy defenders, caught the ball and dunked in one fluid motion, showcasing the gulf in talent between the two teams...

On the back of a last-second loss, the Southeast Missouri State football team dropped to No. 23 in both the FCS Coaches and STATS Media polls. The Redhawks (7-3, 5-2 Ohio Valley Conference) lost to Murray State 40-38 on Saturday as the Racers scored the game-winning touchdown on a last-second kickoff return. ...

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. ...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team coughed up a fourth-quarter lead in a 85-79 loss to Bradley on Saturday in Peoria, Illinois. With the loss SEMO drops to 0-2. The Redhawks lead 63-58 with 9 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the game, but the Braves (1-0) responded with a 10-0 run to take the lead for good...

Another slow start on offense doomed the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team to a loss. The Redhawks again scored fewer than 25 points and couldn't overcome a halftime deficit, falling to Bradley 68-57 on Saturday in Peoria, Illinois. Sage Tolbert led the way with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection Ledarrius Brewer added 11 points, eight boards and three assists...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri had been lacking a signature win in quarterback Drew Lock's final season, losing late on the road against South Carolina and two weeks ago to Kentucky. The moment finally came last week on the road against No. 11 Florida, when the Tigers seemed to put everything together for the first time in a 38-17 rout -- coach Barry Odom's first win over a ranked team...

The Southeast Missouri State football team heads into the final two weeks of the regular season with an advantage the program isn't used to: control over its destiny. If the Redhawks, who before this season hadn't had a winning season in eight years, win their final two games they will win the Ohio Valley Conference for the first time since 2010 and earn the automatic Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth that comes with it...

Facing the No. 6 team in the nation, Southeast Missouri State women's basketball was simply out-matched Tuesday in the season opener. Mississippi State, which reached the national championship game last season, cruised to an 88-53 win over SEMO in Starkville, Mississippi...

A youthful Southeast Missouri State men's basketball dug itself into a first-half hole, and despite a spirited comeback attempt, fell in the season opener Tuesday. SEMO was down by as much as 22 early in the second but battled back to within five in the final minute before suffering a 75-65 loss to host Saint Louis in front of 6,028 at Chaifetz Arena. Ledarrius Brewer, one of a handful of players with Division I experience, led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds...

Voters are beginning to take notice of the Southeast Missouri State football team. Two days after winning its fifth consecutive game, SEMO moved up five spots in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll to No. 19 on Monday. The Redhawks also jumped four spots in the STATS FCS Media Poll to No. 21...

The wait is over. For the first time tonight, fans will get to see the new-look Southeast Missouri State men's basketball compete in a regular-season game. Since last season ended with a 72-66 loss to UT Martin on Senior Day, there's been plenty of roster turnover with four players transferring away, including leading scorer Denzel Mahoney...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team opens the season with perhaps its toughest games on the schedule as the Redhawks play a Power Five conference team in the opener for the second straight year. Last season it was Louisville of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This time, it's the Southeastern Conference's Mississippi State. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA championship game last year before losing to Notre Dame and are ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25...

Justin Swift reached out and snagged the interception, changing the complexion of the game in an instant. Less than a minute into the second half, the Southeast Missouri State linebacker hauled in an under thrown pass near the goal line, and the offense did the rest, driving down the field for a touchdown and a 17-point lead...

Esmie Gonzales was named first team All-Ohio Valley Conference on Friday, one of three Southeast Missouri State women's soccer players to earn all-conference honors. Gonzales, a junior midfielder, made the first team for the second consecutive season. She was second in the conference in goals (10) and goals per game (0.56), third in shots (63) and fifth in shots per game (3.5), points (20) and points per game (1.11)...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team completed exhibition play with an 82-50 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville on Tuesday at the Show Me Center. The Redhawks scored the first eight points of the contest and led throughout, moving to 2-0 in exhibition play...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team beat Division II program Southwest Baptist 85-78 on Saturday in exhibition action at the Show Me Center. Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference guard Ledarrius Brewer scored 25 points and was 10-of-11 from the free throw line...

It took the Southeast Missouri State football team less than three minutes to jump out to a two-possession lead Saturday. From there, the Redhawks didn't look back. SEMO never trailed in a 56-33 win over UT Martin in Ohio Valley Conference action Saturday in Martin, Tennessee, taking a double-digit lead into halftime and pouring it on late to claim its fourth consecutive win...

Coming off a program-defining win, Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz knows his team can't let its guard down. Last week, SEMO snapped No. 12 Jacksonville State's 36-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak. This Saturday, the Redhawks' opponent isn't quite as ballyhooed, but still poses a threat...

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team claimed the first set of a road match Friday against Murray State, but the rest of the evening belonged to the Racers. Murray State emerged with a four-set victory, winning 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17. Southeast (14-10 overall, 6-5 OVC) trailed 19-15 in the first set but reeled off four straight points to pull even...

Southeast Missouri State freshman goalkeeper Bailey Redden stopped both shots she faced by Belmont in the second round of a shootout to send the Redhawks into the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference on Friday in Charleston, Illinois. The teams played to a scoreless deadlock through regulation and two overtime periods before arriving at the shootout...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference, the league announced Tuesday at its media day. In the coaches and communication directors poll, SEMO finished ahead of Morehead State, UT Martin and SIU Edwardsville in the 12-team conference. Belmont was tabbed as the preseason favorites with eight first-place votes and 227 points...

A day after ending the nation’s longest conference winning streak, Southeast Missouri State football was rewarded with two weekly honors. Linebacker Justin Swift was named Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week and punter Jake Reynolds was tabbed as OVC Specialist of the Week, the league announced Sunday...