CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The SBU Bearcats lost their first game of the 2008 season, in a 35-28 overtime loss to Southeast Missouri.
SBU held a 28-18 lead with six minutes to play, before the Redhawks scored 10 in the last minutes of regulation to force overtime.
The Bearcats logged 541 yards of offense tonight. SBU's Steve Gachette was 33 of 51 for 298 yards, throwing four interceptions. His favorite targets were Jonathan Alvarado (8 catches for 102 yards) and Reuben Hartzler (7 catches for 62 yards). Jeff Finnell rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries.
“Our kids came out and executed well. But mistakes killed us. We didn't secure the football. We had penalties in key situations. And we gave up big plays. We've got to be stronger so we can hold the lead better.”
“We stopped their running game, but gave up too many big plays to their receivers. We're getting better, I just wish we would have brought home a victory for our fans.”
SEMO won the toss, elected to receive, and drove hard down the field in SBU's first defensive test of the season. But the Bearcat defense forced a fumble of the Redhawks at the SEMO 10.
SBU's quarterback, Gachette, began his season by orchestrating an 88-yard, 11-play drive, which was capped by a 31-yard pass strike to John Austin for a 7-0 SBU lead with 9:14 remaining in the first quarter.
Later in the first, SBU capped another touchdown drive when they alertly caught the Redhawks' defense trying to change players. Deandre Brown ran the football in from 43 yards away to give the Bearcats a 14-0 lead with 2:38 to play, which was the score at the end of the first quarter.
The SEMO offense got on the board with a field goal with 6:13 remaining in the first half, leaving SBU in the lead 14-3, which held as the teams headed into the halftime locker room.
SBU took the 2nd-half kickoff and stormed down the field for another touchdown, after a 12-play drive ended with Josh Vaughn recovering a fumble in the end zone. That touchdown allowed SBU to stretch their lead to 21-3 with 11:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
SEMO, however, emerged with the momentum after three key plays in the third quarter.
SEMO scored their first touchdown of the contest on a 2-yard rush from Jacob McKinley, getting SEMO within 11 of SBU, 21-10. SBU's first play of their drive resulted in a safety for the Redhawks, when the Bearcats were caught holding trying to protect Gachette in their own end zone. SBU's free kick went out of bounds, giving SEMO the ball back at the 50.
The Bearcats, however, reclaimed the momentum, as they went on a 93-yard drive, led by the crafty passing and running of Gachette, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Clint Carroz, getting SBU's lead back out to 16 points, 28-12.
SEMO cut the lead to 28-18 with 10:43 left in the game, when quarterback Houston Lillard hit Mike Williamson with an 14-yard touchdown. SEMO, however, did not convert their 2-point try, and still needed 2 possessions to catch the Bearcats.
After an SBU missed field goal, the Redhawks got within 3 with an opening-drive, 80-yard connection from Lillard to Miles Edwards that gave SEMO their 11-second touchdown.
SBU fumbled on their drive, with just over 4 minutes to play, allowing SEMO to drive for a 47-yard, game-tying field goal.
Lillard hit Edwards for a 23-yard strike giving SEMO the 35-28 victory in overtime.
A week from Saturday, the Bearcats head to Northwest Missouri on September 6.
