Southeast Missouri State (9-2)
At Eastern Washington (9-2)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 1:05 p.m. PST, Cheney, Wash.
Roos Field (11,000, Red SprinTurf)
Internet: www.ncaa.com
The Records: Eastern Washington opens the playoffs with a 9-2 record and a seven-game winning streak. The Eagles finished 7-1 in conference, tying Montana State for the regular-season Big Sky Conference title. EWU earned an at-large bid to the playoffs. Eastern Washington opened the season with a loss to Nevada, and lost at Montana State. Southeast Missouri State also brings a 9-2 record into the playoffs. The Redhawks won the Ohio Valley Conference title and the league’s automatic bid to the playoffs. SEMO opened the season with a 27-10 loss at Ball State and then won nine straight. The Redhawks closed the regular-season with a 29-27 loss to Jacksonville State on Nov. 13.
The Series: First Meeting.
The Coaches: Eastern Washington’s Beau Baldwin is 23-11 in his third season with the Eagles. He is 33-14 in his fourth season as a collegiate head coach. Baldwin was the head coach at Central Washington in 2007. Baldwin is 0-1 in the Division I playoffs…Southeast Missouri’s Tony Samuel is 22-34 in his fifth season. He is 56-91 in his 13th season as a head coach. Samuel was the head coach at New Mexico State from 1997-2004. He was recently named the OVC Coach of the Year.
Big Sky vs. Ohio Valley: The Big Sky is 5-3 all-time vs. the Ohio Valley in the playoffs. This is the first meeting between the conferences since 2000 when Montana beat Tony Romo and Eastern Illinois 45-13 in the first round. EWU has not played an OVC team in the playoffs.
Notes: EWU is in the playoffs for the fifth time in seven years. SEMO is making its first postseason appearance in the 104-year history of the program…SEMO is located in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The school was founded in1873 and has an enrollment of 10,858…The game features the top two all-purpose yardage players in the FCS. SEMO’s Henry Harris ranks first with an average of 219.8 yards per game. EWU’s Taiwan Jones second at 195.1. Harris is second in the nation in rushing at 147.9 yards per game. Jones is fourth at 134.4. Both are Walter Payton Award candidates…SEMO is second in the nation in turnover margin. The Redhawks have thrown just one interception this season. EWU ranks second in the nation with 20 total interceptions and is third in turnovers gained with 33…SEMO has allowed a national-low five sacks...Opponents have returned four kicks for TDs against SEMO. EWU’s Jesse Hoffman has two kick returns for touchdowns this season...EWU LB JC Sherritt is a Buck Buchanan Award candidate. He ranks second in the league in tackles with an average of 11.4 per game...SEMO free safety Tylor Brock has six interceptions this season, two returned for touchdowns...EWU is 0-1 all-time in playoff games in Cheney, losing to Sam Houston State 35-34 in 2004. EWU’s 1997 home playoff games were played in Spokane at Joe Albi Stadium....This will be SEMO’s first game since Nov. 13.
Team Breakdown
National Rank in Parentheses
SEMO Category EWU
217.1 (3) Rushing Offense 158.6 (46)
146.5 (56) Rushing Defense 125.0 (27)
107.0 (114) Passing Offense 245.6 (22)
163.5 (15) Passing Defense 279.8 (116)
378.1 (39) Total Offense 404.3 (20)
310.0 (24) Total Defense 404.8 (101)
27.8 (38) Scoring Offense 30.6 (22)
20.1 (25) Scoring Defense 25.1 (61)
1.36 (2) Turnover Margin .73 (19)