GAME 9
RMU (2-6) vs. Southeastern Missouri (4-4)
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 • 2:00 p.m.
Houck Field (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Missouri
 
TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) 
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
No Huddle
 
- The RMU football team will make one last road trip during the 2023 campaign as they look to pick up their third win of the season. The Colonials will travel west as they'll battle Southeastern Missouri which is slated for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff.
 
- The Colonials are led by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his sixth season at the helm of the program. In his first head coach position, Clark was named the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Coach of the Year and owns an overall record of 15-39 (.277).
 
- Clark was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation, joining Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma) and Grant Wistrom (Nebraska) as part of the Class of 2022. The trio were honored at the annual AvMed Orange Bowl Coaches Luncheon presented by AutoNation Dec. 29, 2022, at Jungle Island and were recognized in an on-field ceremony at the 89th Capital One Orange Bowl Dec. 30, 2022, at Hard Rock Stadium.
 
- RMU is coming off a 38-13 loss against Tennessee Tech at Joe Walton Stadium (10/14) in their first matchup in series history. The Golden Eagles scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and held the Colonials scoreless in the first half en route to a road conference victory.
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt finished 20-for-28 passing for 133 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Both of Chiccitt's touchdown passes came in the third quarter where RMU positioned themselves for a comeback.
 
- Tight end Landen Lucas caught four passes for 38 yards and one touchdown, including a 12-yard scoring reception from Chiccitt in the third quarter. Lucas has caught a touchdown in two straight games for the Colonials and has been the team leader in receiving yards over the past two games.
 
- Defensively against Tennessee Tech, linebackers Jamar Shegog and Joe Casale led the Colonials with nine tackles with Shegog also having three tackles for loss. Seth Verilus had a solid performance with two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Cornerback Diassa Diakite came away with the Colonials lone interception right before the end of the first half to prevent a Golden Eagles touchdown. 

- Prior to the Tennessee Tech contest, the Colonials lost on the road to Bryant, 43-24. RMU posted their highest score since their home win against UVA-Lynchburg just a month prior. The Colonials scored two touchdowns in the second quarter but it wasn't enough as the Bryant offense scored at least one touchdown in all four quarters.
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt was 12-for-21 passing with one touchdown and one interception. RMU quarterback Tyler Szalkowski also played as he went 9-for-12 for 69 yards and one touchdown pass. DJ Moyer and Lucas were on the receiving end of the RMU touchdowns as it was Moyer's first receiving touchdown of the season.

- Moyer also had a good day on the ground against the Bulldogs as he had 14 rushes for 60 yards, averaging just over four yards per run. Chiccitt also had success rushing as he ran for 39 yards on eight carries, including a six-yard rushing touchdown.
 
- A total of three Colonials were named to the 2023 Big South-OVC Association Watch List, which came as part of Big South-OVC Association Media Day in Nashville, Tenn., at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. Garnering the plaudits for RMU were senior linebackers Joe Casale and Jamar Shegog and fifth-year punter George Souders III. Casale was named to the 2022 All-Big South Second Team, while Shegog earned a spot on the 2021 All-Big South Second Team as well as the HERO Sports 2020-21 Freshman All-America Team.
 
- The Big South and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) announced Feb. 20, 2022, the creation of an association of their football member institutions to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I season and have an initial term of four years. The unique agreement combines the football membership of the two conferences to ensure NCAA championship access and stability. Selected as the 2023 preseason favorite for the inaugural Big South-OVC Association in a vote of league head coaches was Southeast Missouri State.
 
- RMU will play their last two games of the regular season at Joe Walton Stadium as they'll host Charleston Southern and Eastern Illinois to close out the year. Next week, kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. as the Colonials will look for their second home win of the season.

SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI LINKS
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
                           
The All-Time Series (Southeastern Missouri) – The Colonials and Redhawks have never faced each other as Southeastern Missouri was formerly part of the OVC before the merger with the Big South this season. 
 
Conference Leader – Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt continues to stay atop the Big South-OVC leader board in one of the top passing categories. Chiccitt leads the conference in completion percentage (66.50).

Did You Know? The Colonials rank first in the Big South-OVC in pass defense as they have given up just over 177 yards through the air in eight games.
 
Firecracker – To get ready for the 2023 season, redshirt senior linebacker Jamar Shegog entered the Brentwood Firecracker 5K in Pittsburgh, Pa., on the Fourth of July. Shegog navigated the 40th annual 3.1 mile jaunt in a time of 27:03 to finish in the top half of the 1,686 participants. Shegog has compiled career totals of 155 career tackles in 22 games in an RMU uniform, the most by a student-athlete that has spent his entire career with the Colonials. Included among his career numbers are 78 solo stops, two-and-a-half sacks and two forced fumbles.
 
The Third – Returning for the Colonials as the starting punter is grad student George Souders III, who has anchored the RMU special teams for years. Also serving as the holder for kicker Jayson Jenkins, Souders has amassed 8,112 career yards punting on 210 attempts, an average of 38.6 yards per punt. In RMU's last game @ Youngstown State (9/16), Souders punted six times for 252 yards (42.0 yards per punt) with a long of 51. He also pinned a pair inside the 20-yard line of the Penguins. Entering Saturday's game as part of Homecoming festivities, Souders ranks fourth in the RMU career record book for punting yards.
 
Still On Top – The program's first running back, Tim Hall (1994-95), spent two seasons with the Colonials and during his career rushed for 2,908 yards. He accomplished the feat on 393 carries, an average of 7.40 yards per attempt. That total remains No. 1 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record book (minimum 350 rushes) entering the 2023 season, a span that hits 27 years this fall. Matt Cannon of Southern Utah sits second with an average of 7.25 yards per carry thanks to 5,489 yards on 757 attempts.

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