Injuries and academic issues have plagued Southeast Missouri State quarterback Houston Lillard. They are the reason he ended up at SEMO but also have fueled him to where he is today — on the verge of a showdown with the sixth-ranked Missouri Tigers.

Lillard said he had an offer from Division I Kent State as a high school senior in 2004, but lackluster grades in his final semester caused that school and others to pull their offers.

So Lillard made his way to Laney College in his hometown of Oakland, Calif.

In his one year as the starter, he threw for 1,833 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2005. He earned all-Golden Gate Conference honors and led his team to victory in the Capitol Shrine Bowl — Northern California’s junior college championship game.

The next spring, SEMO offered Lillard a scholarship. Having already talked to Coach Tony Samuel, Lillard got the hard sell from friend Stephen Harper, who played for the Redhawks at the time.

He decided to make the trip east to Cape Girardeau for a visit. It was a visit that ultimately led to a commitment to the Redhawks.

“Harper said that we need a quarterback, so I decided to make the trip up there,” Lillard said. “It felt like a sign that I should be there.”

Things didn’t pan out immediately. Lillard was expected to start for the Redhawks, but a torn anterior cruciate ligament just before fall practices sidelined him for the 2006 season.

After taking a redshirt year, Lillard rehabbed and took over the starting job in 2007. Though he missed nearly a month with injured ribs, he started the season’s final four games and finished with 1,350 passing yards and 10 touchdowns as the Redhawks finished a disappointing 3-8 season.

The 2008 season looked like it would be much the same on Aug. 28 when the Redhawks were down 28-12 to the Division II Southwest Baptist Bearcats with just more than 10 minutes left. Lillard’s three second-half touchdowns and career-high 387 yards lifted SEMO to a 35-28 overtime victory. Lillard earned the Ohio Valley Conference offensive player-of-the-week award.

“Houston really came on down the stretch,” Samuel told the Southeast Missourian newspaper. “I think he really plays well under pressure.”

It’s a good start to a season and a career that has taken a little longer to materialize than expected. And though his college career didn’t start on this path, Lillard said this is where he was supposed to end up all along. “Everything that happened to me was for a reason, I believe,” Lillard said. “I

met a lot of people that helped me change my life around, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

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