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NewsSeptember 25, 2004

Southeast makes home debut after three road losses By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Will either team be able to slow down the other when Southeast Missouri State University and Samford square off tonight at Houck Stadium in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both squads?...

Southeast makes home debut after three road losses

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

Will either team be able to slow down the other when Southeast Missouri State University and Samford square off tonight at Houck Stadium in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both squads?

That appears to be the million dollar question as the Indians (0-3) and Bulldogs (1-2) prepare for the 6 p.m. kickoff. It will be Southeast's first home game of the season.

"It's going to be great to finally play at home," Southeast coach Tim Billings said. "Hopefully we'll have a big crowd because this first conference game is really important."

Billings and Samford coach Bill Gray both believe fans will get their money's worth tonight -- particularly if they enjoy offensive shootouts, which on paper the contest has all the makings of being.

While both squads have struggled mightily on defense -- albeit against rugged schedules -- they possess some of the OVC's most talented offensive players.

"I don't know what kind of game to expect, but looking at it from our point of view, we haven't been very good on defense against anybody. I don't know how that's going to change," Gray said. "It's going to take a lot of points for us to win at any time because we're not stopping anybody right now. Hopefully we'll be able to move the ball."

Said Billings, "We just haven't been able to slow anybody down, and we're going up against such a good offense."

Gray and Billings acknowledge that both teams' statistics might be a bit hard to gauge because the squads have played such tough schedules, particularly Southeast.

The Indians have been outscored 135-40 by Division I-AA top-ranked Southern Illinois and Division I-A Bowling Green and Central Michigan. Southeast is last among 117 Division I-AA squads in total defense (517.7 yards per game) and 115th in scoring defense (45 points per game).

"I'd fire my defensive coordinator but I can't," said Billings, who is serving in that role this season.

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Samford opened with a 34-20 win over Division II West Alabama, then was outscored 73-17 in losses to Division I-A Georgia Tech and Division I-AA second-ranked Furman. The Bulldogs are seventh in the nine-team OVC in total defense (397.7 yards per game), sixth in scoring defense (31.0 points per game) and last in rushing defense (260.3 yards per game).

"Samford has had a tough schedule, too," Billings said. "They're kind of in the same boat as us."

Because of the rugged competition, both squads also don't rank high among league statistics in most offensive categories -- although Southeast is first and Samford third in passing offense -- but it figures to be just a matter of time before that changes, considering all the offensive weapons the teams possess.

Samford is led by All-American wide receiver Efrem Hill and returning first-team all-conference quarterback Ray Nelson.

Hill was last season's OVC offensive player of the year as he caught a league-record 92 passes for 1,387 yards. Nelson, also a dangerous runner, racked up a school-record 3,140 yards of total offense, including 2,759 yards passing.

So far this year, Hill leads the nation with 30 receptions while Nelson has completed 59.8 percent of his passes (73 of 122) for 703 yards and seven touchdowns, with just one interception. He leads the OVC in total offense.

"Hill is the best wide receiver in the conference and Nelson is such a good quarterback," Billings said.

For Southeast, quarterback Andrew Goodenough leads the OVC in passing yards with 756. He's completed 66.1 percent (78 of 118), with three touchdowns and three interceptions. All-American tight end Ray Goodson is third in the league in receptions with 19.

"Offensively, they can hurt you in a lot of ways," Gray said.

While Samford's defense has struggled like Southeast's, the Bulldogs possess All-American safety Cortland Finnegan, the 2003 OVC defensive player of the year who is also one of the nation's top kickoff return men.

Southeast's defense has been riddled with injuries and safety Anthony Lumpkin, the Indians' second-leading tackler, is expected to miss tonight's game with a shoulder injury.

But the defense received good news this week when cornerback Marco Tipton was cleared to play after missing the first three games with a hamstring injury. Tipton's return should help a Southeast secondary that has been highly suspect in coverage so far.

"Hopefully we'll play better on defense," Billings said. "We'll have to because their offense is that good."

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