Not many football players at Southeast Missouri State get to make their Redhawk debut on a bigger stage than the FCS Kickoff on ESPN.

Linebacker Jared Pedraza came in after starting middle linebacker Mali Walton was ejected due to a targeting penalty. He played a key role defensively in the Redhawks shutting down North Alabama in the second half and ultimately winning 37-14 on Aug. 24, in Montgomery, Alabama.

His recent success has earned him the nickname among his teammates, “The Mexican Wolverine.”

“It just happened at the game,” Pedraza said. “I guess because I'm just aggressive and, I guess Wolverines are aggressive. They always just mess with me. They call me ‘Mijo’ and stuff like that. So they just call me the Mexican Wolverine.”

Because he wasn’t starting for the first time since 2021 at Northwestern State, he didn’t tell most of his folks that he would be on ESPN. Once he showed out on TV, everyone took notice.

“After the game, I came to my phone, and I had so many people texting me, like people I haven't talked to in a while, and just all my friends that I didn’t even tell them about the game,” Pedraza said. “It was just like a good feeling that my hard work was paying off.”

Pedraza made a big first impression by amassing seven tackles (four solo), a sack, and a forced fumble, which he recovered. He also made a fourth down stop to keep the Lions scoreless in the second half.

“We knew he was kind of a playmaker,” SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said of Pedraza. “He made some plays on the quarterback.”

Given what he had to work through to get to this point, his first game felt like validation.

“Honestly, it was a great feeling,” Pedraza said. “I kind of struggled early in the spring after my dad's passing and whatnot, but I feel like we have some great coaches that really put an emphasis on fundamentals and just helping us advance with our skills. I'm glad I was able to do what I was able to do to help our team get to win.”

Pedraza arrived at SEMO after graduating from Northwestern State University in Louisiana last year. He was the Demons’ top tackler with 50 tackles but the season ended after two months following the tragic murder of a teammate.

He needed a place to call home, and SEMO turned out to be that home from the very beginning.

“I feel like it's really a family environment,” Pedraza said. “The coaches did a great job. [Linebackers coach Connor Benado] did a great job bringing me in with open arms, even when I was struggling at first. The players here amazing, a real family environment.

“I found my crew here,” he added. “I believe everything happens for a reason. I'm glad I came here.”

There was a lot of competition to crack the top of the linebacker depth chart, a unit that Matukewicz recently considered as the strength of the defense. Even after a slow start overcoming adversity in the spring, he earned the respect of his coaches throughout training camp.

“What we found out was he makes a lot of plays. It seems like in all of our scrimmages, wherever the ball is, he is,” SEMO defensive coordinator Ricky Coon said. “That's a sign of a good linebacker. And so you can tell he's played at this level, because when you push play, man, he's making plays. So we're excited to watch him live and turn loose for somebody else. Glad we got him.”

The Redhawks travel west to take on New Mexico State on Saturday, Aug. 31. The last time SEMO defeated an FBS was a 24-14 win over Middle Tennessee St. in 2002.

Being a lower subdivision of Division I football, FCS teams typically lose by overwhelming margins when faced against the FBS. FCS powerhouse North Dakota State came close to upsetting Colorado on Thursday, coming up short 31-26. Montana State recently defeated New Mexico 35-31 in Week 0.

New Mexico State is coming off an appearance in the conference title game in its first year in C-USA, and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1959-60. The Aggies are seeking a third consecutive bowl berth for the first time in program history but have shuffled the roster with the departure of 39 players, including coach and quarterback.

Pedraza said the difference between FBS and FCS teams is the size of the players, especially in the interior.

“They tend to have bigger D-linemen and O-linemen than us,” Pedraza said. “Other than that, I don't see so much difference. I know they have a lot of transfers. I know if we play to the best to our abilities, we have a chance to go out there and get the win.”

The game can be viewed on ESPN+.