BETTER TIMES ARE AHEAD FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL UNIT

Southeast Missouri State University's football team reaches the halfway point of its inaugural Division I-AA season this weekend. The Indians are winless on the gridiron, a circumstance probably not satisfactory to anyone associated with the team. However, enthusiasts of university athletics have shown few signs of being discouraged by these early setbacks ... and they should not be. Our guess is the now-struggling Indians will rise to the level of this enhanced competition in the coming years and fulfill the objectives originally set out for the Division I move.

Battling long odds, that of raising themselves in class and sustaining numerous injuries, the Indians have not played bad football this season. Playing three of their five games on the road, those against teams that now have a combined 17-4 record, the Indian players were grossly overmatched on just two occasions. In the other three defeats, Southeast lost by an average of less than four points a game. A one-point loss was recorded against Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, a team unbeaten in five games and nationally ranked in Division I-AA.

The point is, a break here or there could have changed the results; it is not outrageous to imagine the Southeast team holding a 3-2 record.

We applaud Indian Coach John Mumford for the way he has carried himself this season. His desire to win earned him a job at Southeast; it is unquestioned. His demeanor and patience while facing this institutional challenge serve as an outstanding example for his team members and probably for a lot of educators. During trying times, he has been nothing short of a class act.

Once again, Southeast is faced Saturday with a rugged opponent, undefeated Samford University from the college football hotbed of Birmingham, Ala. It is Parents' Weekend at the university and this game usually draws a good crowd to Houck Stadium. We hope that's the case for the 2 p.m. game. Home crowds have averaged 7,225 this year, a respectable total. Since four of the next five Indian games will be played in Houck Stadium, the team hopes it can give the home fans something to cheer about.

The Indians should be cheered by their own performance. As predicted, the road to Division I is a rough one. Rest assured there are better times ahead for the Southeast football team.