Daniel Santacaterina threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, and ran for two other scores to lead the Redhawks to a 44-26 season-opening win over longtime rival Southern Illinois last Thursday night in front of a packed house at Houck Field.
SEMO started slow and trailed 14-7 before scoring 30-straight points on its way to burying the Salukis for the second-straight season.
SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said it was great to win this game for the second consecutive year, and he raved about the atmosphere and the energetic student section.
After scoring 20 second-quarter points, SEMO tacked on 17 more in the third, at one point jumping out to a 44-20 lead before another late SIU touchdown to settle the final score.
Six different Redhawks scored points as SEMO racked up 529 yards of total offense, including an impressive 281 yards on the ground.
Defensively, the reigning FCS National Defensive Player of the Year Zach Hall notched a game-high 19 tackles, including 15 in the first half. Hall went over 300 tackles in his career. He also had two tackles for loss and a sack.
SEMO forced one turnover when Marcus Lucas intercepted a tipped pass by Justin Swift deep in the Redhawks territory during the first quarter in what may have been the games turning point.
The Redhawks won the War for the Wheel again and, as a result, the ship wheel traveling trophy remains in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks won their eighth-straight home game and beat the Salukis in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2001 and 2002.
The Redhawks moved up to #12 in the national rankings following the victory, and will play at #13 Montana State tomorrow at 7 p.m. Central Time.
Follow Redhawk Athletics on Twitter @GoSoutheast.
