Payton Brown, SEMO freshman running back, runs for three TDs in debut

Southeast Missouri State freshman running back Payton Brown’s college football debut on Saturday night looked a lot like many of his performances for the Hillsboro High School Hawks during his senior season.

Playing in the FCS Kickoff on ESPN, Brown ran for 97 yards and three touchdowns to help the Redhawks earn a come-from-behind 37-15 victory over North Alabama in Montgomery, Ala.

Brown earned the game’s Most Valuable Player award after tying the FCS Kickoff single-game record with his three touchdowns. He finished with 126 total yards in his college football debut.

A 6-foot-1, 216-pounder, Brown entered SEMO’s season opener as No. 2 on the depth chart as the Redhawks were looking for a running back to replace all-time leading rusher Geno Hess. Hess ran for 5,119 yards and 63 touchdowns in six seasons at SEMO.

The Redhawks have had a 1,000-yard rusher in six of the last nine seasons, but went into 2024 with five newcomers among the eight running backs on their roster, including Brown.

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Brown enrolled at SEMO early after a sensational senior season at Hillsboro where he racked up 2,054 total yards (1,605 rushing, 449 receiving) and scored 34 total touchdowns in leading the Hawks to a runner-up finish in Class 4. He earned first-team all-state honors as well as all-conference and all-district accolades.

As a junior at Hillsboro, Brown was the Hawks’ third-leading rusher with 839 yards and third on the team in touchdowns with 13.

2023 Missouri Football Coaches Association all-state teams

On Saturday night, Brown stepped up showed the skills that he displayed during his standout high school career with the Hawks.

SEMO trailed 15-7 late in the second quarter before Brown scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard run, cutting the deficit to 15-14.

With the Redhawks playing without standout starting quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, who went out with a game-ending injury, Brown led the comeback charge and took over in the second half.

Brown scored on a 25-yard run in the third quarter to put SEMO ahead 21-15 and then scored again, on another 1-yard run, to extend the Redhawks’ lead to 27-15.

The Hillsboro High product finished with 97 yards on 19 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, and the three touchdowns. He also caught two passes for an additional 29 yards.

SEMO’s next game will be at New Mexico State on August 31.

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– Nate Latsch |  latsch@scorebooklive.com