Southeast rally comes up short

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Although Southeast Missouri State's football team has struggled this season, coach Tim Billings has never questioned his players' heart.

Billings figures that attribute was clear for all to see Saturday night -- even though an amazing comeback fell just short as Tennessee State held on for a wild 38-36 homecoming triumph in front of 23,421 fans at The Coliseum.

Southeast fell to 2-7 overall and 2-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference, dipping to eighth place in the nine-team league. TSU improved to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in OVC play by snapping a five-game losing streak.

"The second half was the most heart I've seen from this football team since I've been here," Billings said.

Southeast appeared headed for a blowout loss after TSU built a 38-13 lead early in the third quarter. But Southeast scored the game's final 23 points and very nearly pulled out the victory.

"I looked up at the scoreboard and we're behind 38-13," Billings said. "It would have been easy to pack it in. But they just played so hard."

In a strange twist of fate that perhaps sums up Southeast's frustrating season, all-conference senior kicker Derek Kutz -- who has been one of Southeast's top players ever since his freshman year -- was wide left on a 27-yard field-goal attempt that would have put Southeast ahead with 4:29 remaining.

"I don't know what happened. I just came around too far and just had a bad kick," Kutz said.

Kutz kicked three field goals earlier in the game, including a career-long 51-yarder that was one of the few first-half highlights for Southeast. His others were from 21 and 20 yards. But that was of little consolation to Kutz.

"That's what makes it real disappointing, 'cause these guys fight their guts out, and I'm on the field like five plays all game, and I don't come through," he said.

After all the big kicks Kutz has made in his Southeast career, no way was anybody pointing a finger at him, as was apparent by the many pats on the back he received in the locker room.

"I'd put Derek in the foxhole with me," Billings said.

TSU, leading 24-13 at halftime, appeared to put the game out of reach with two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the third quarter, including an 80-yard run by All-American tailback Charles Anthony that made the score 38-13 with 11:34 remaining.

But all of a sudden Southeast's offense -- which gained just 96 yards in the first half -- woke up. Combined with a defense that suddenly stiffened, the result was a remarkable rally.

Andrew Goodenough's 20-yard touchdown pass to Oge Oge with 10:44 left in the third quarter made it 38-19 (a pass for two points failed).

With 6:29 left in the third, Goodenough hit David Taufoou from 6 yards out. Goodenough then connected with T.J. Milcic for the two-point conversion. All of a sudden it was 38-27.

After Antonio Scaife returned a punt 31 yards to the TSU 27, Goodenough and Brian Matthews hooked up on a 13-yard scoring strike with 1:54 to play in the third. A conversion pass failed, leaving the score 38-33.

Southeast kept coming, but missed a golden opportunity to go ahead early in the fourth quarter after a drive reached inside the TSU 5-yard line. Southeast settled for Kutz's 20-yard field goal with 9:39 left to make it 38-36.

Continuing to surge, Mike Miller ran 36 yards on a fake punt to set Southeast up at TSU's 25-yard line with 6:37 remaining, which led to Kutz's field-goal attempt that was off the mark.

TSU then rode Anthony and a key third-down pass completion to several first downs as the Tigers were able to bleed the remaining 4:29 off the clock and squeeze out the victory.

"We've got a lot of character and heart, but a win is a win and a loss is a loss," Goodenough said. "There are probably 10 plays that could have won the game."

Goodenough completed 30 of 54 passes for 292 yards. Southeast had 365 total yards.

TSU finished with 458 yards. Anthony rushed for 248 yards on 36 carries while quarterback Bryson Rosser passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns.

Along with Kutz's 51-yard field goal that gave Southeast an early 3-0 lead -- its only advantage of the night -- the other big first-half highlight was an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by redshirt freshman Romae Rucker, who returned kicks Saturday for the first time all year.