By Tim Gayle
Southeast Missouri State coach Tom Matukewicz had an inkling that Payton Brown was special, but you never really know until you put him on the field for the first time.
After watching one of the top FCS quarterbacks leave the field with an injury, the Redhawks needed a powerful runner that could take charge in the game and Brown was that guy, rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries to help SEMO pull away for a 37-15 victory in the 10th FCS Kickoff at Cramton Bowl on Saturday night.
The two teams fought evenly through the first half but a shoulder injury to starting quarterback Paxton DeLaurent put more of a focus on the running game and Brown was happy to deliver, earning Most Valuable Player honors in the process.
“I’m always mentally preparing like that’s going to happen, like that’s the case,” he said. “I’m always putting myself in game situations, even from last night, just getting prepared and whatever happens, happens.”
His three touchdowns tied an FCS Kickoff record set by Jacksonville State’s Zion Webb in 2022. Not bad for a freshman barely mentioned in the school’s media guide.
“He’s not a normal freshman,” Matukewicz said. “He was raised very, very different from most kids. Both parents are college athletes, kind of like coaches. They do a great job. He also came in in January so he got that experience in spring ball.
“We thought he was good when we signed him but we were a little surprised how sudden (he emerged). He just processed really quick. A kid that size, you just assume it might take him a little bit to build that Division I-A quickness but, really, he’s off and running.”
The 6-foot-1, 216-pound freshman from Festus, Mo., earned all-state honors after rushing for 1,605 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior at Hillsboro High, but it was Brandon Epton, a transfer from SMU, that finished preseason camp as the starting tailback. The Redhawks’ first drive of the season resulted in a touchdown, using four passes from DeLaurent to Epton and two runs by Epton that helped SEMO take a 7-0 lead.
Epton would touch the ball, either rushing or receiving, 10 times before Brown finally caught a pass out of the backfield. But as the game evolved, in part because of DeLaurent’s injury, in part because of Brown’s emergence, the freshman ended up as the Redhawks’ leading rusher as the power running game emerged in the second half.
“It was pretty nice,” Brown said. “It was just something I’ve been working on. I feel like, with my size, it comes natural so I work on also the movement part of things and I’ve gotten better at that since I’ve gotten to SEMO, for sure.”
North Alabama senior rover Gregory Reddick said the Redhawks’ physical attitude made the difference in the second half.
“They didn’t do nothing special, they just ran it down our throats,” Reddick said. “I’m going to be honest, all we did was miss tackles. They didn’t do nothing to shock us. They came out and told us what they were going to do every play. We just couldn’t stop it.”
Brown gave “all credit to God, all credit to the (offensive) line” after earning MVP honors, then was asked what message was sent with the Redhawks’ first-ever appearance on ESPN.
“I think it just shows us how we’re here to play this season,” he said. “If they didn’t know that SEMO was ready to go, they do now.”
