Billings disgusted with effort in loss to Eastern Illinois

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University coach Tim Billings did not hold back with his disgust following the Indians' 35-28 loss at Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon.

While Billngs would have gladly accepted a fluke victory, he knew the Indians deserved a much worse fate than the final seven-point margin after being outgained 612 to 378 in total yardage.

"We should have got the hell beat out of us," Billings said. "We played horrible on both sides of the ball. We didn't play well anywhere except the kicking game, and that kept us in it.

"It was probably the worst effort we've had since I've been here. The score was deceiving. It was a miracle we had a chance to win the game."

Trailing 35-14 midway through the fourth quarter and apparently hopelessly out of contention, the Indians used a blocked punt for a touchdown and a recovered onside kick that led to a short touchdown drive to pull within 35-28 with still almost seven minutes remaining.

Another blocked punt in the closing seconds allowed Southeast to heave a pass into the end zone on the game's final play and T.J. Milcic almost made the reception from quarterback Andrew Goodenough before having the ball batted away.

Still, Billings could find little consolation after the way the Indians were manhandled just one week after rallying several times to beat Samford in a four-overtime thriller.

"After playing so hard and with so much heart last week, it was a different football team today. I don't understand it," he said.

Now the Indians (1-4, 1-1 OVC) will have an open date to regroup and try to heal some injuries before they host Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 16.

The numbers game

Southeast's defense entered the game ranked last nationally among 117 Division I-AA teams by allowing an average of 536 yards per game.

That figure went up after the Panthers ripped the Indians for 612 yards split nearly evenly between the pass and the run.

EIU quarterback Matt Schabert, a Wisconsin transfer, threw for 315 yards and added 56 yards rushing.

The Panthers gained 297 yards on the ground, led by Vincent Webb's 155 yards and four touchdowns. His longest run was 47 yards. Fellow tailback Ademola Adeniji added 74 yards, including a 44-yard scamper.

Southeast had a respectable offensive output of 378 yards, but the Indians' offense sputtered much of the game and they rushed for just 57 yards.

Goodenough completed 34 of 49 for 321 yards. Milcic had the best game of his Southeast career with 13 receptions for 145 yards. Ray Goodson and David Taufoou each caught six passes. Taufoou rushed for 63 yards on 13 carries. Taufoou also scored two touchdowns, giving him seven TDs this season.

"We're playing in spurts. Right now we're not consistent," Milcic said.

Punter David Simonhoff, who entered the game ranked second nationally with a 46.1-yard average, averaged 46.2 yards on five punts.