CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Interstat) — Johnny Weber passed for 283 yards and two touchdowns, and Brandon Epton Jr. scored twice to lead Southeast Missouri State to a 28-12 victory over Tennessee State on Saturday at Houck Field.

The Redhawks, who evened their season record at 1-4, dominated the first quarter, building a 14-0 lead that the Tigers could not overcome. Weber, a 6-foot-5 quarterback from Kenosha, Wisconsin, completed 24 of 39 passes, connecting with Donnie Cheers and Kalvin Gilbert for touchdowns.

Southeast Missouri State’s offense struck quickly. Weber engineered an 80-yard opening drive, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cheers. Later in the quarter, Epton broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run to extend the lead. Epton, a running back from Dallas, finished with 69 yards on 16 carries.

Tennessee State, which also moved to 1-4, struggled to find offensive consistency. The Tigers managed only two field goals from Freddy Perez in the second and third quarters before finally finding the end zone in the fourth.

The Redhawks added a score in the second quarter on a 2-yard plunge by Epton, making it 21-3 at halftime. After Perez’s second field goal brought Tennessee State within 21-6, the Tigers showed a spark early in the fourth quarter. Zack Simmons-Brown broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 21-12.

Any momentum for the visitors was short-lived. Weber answered by leading the Redhawks on a 75-yard scoring drive, finishing it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gilbert to seal the game with 10:23 remaining.

Weber’s primary target was Cam Pedro, who hauled in eight receptions for 94 yards. The Redhawks’ ground game was bolstered by Cole Ruble, who rushed for 93 yards on just 12 carries.

For Tennessee State, the quarterback duties were split. Starter Byron McNair of St. Louis completed 15 of 32 passes for 175 yards and was intercepted once. Caleb McCreary of Wetumpka, Alabama, relieved him and went 3 for 8 for 50 yards with an interception. Simmons-Brown led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 55 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

The Tennessee State defense managed two interceptions, one by Byron Davis and another by Brendan Hale, but the offense was unable to capitalize fully on the takeaways. The Redhawks defense also came up with two interceptions, from Adrian Patterson and Slade Dollar.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, whose game simulator had forecast a narrow 36-35 victory for Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks’ ELO probability to win was set at 79.70 percent.

Both teams will continue their schedules next Saturday. Southeast Missouri State is set to host Eastern Illinois, while Tennessee State will return home to face Howard.