BACK TO FULLBACK: MIRGAUX RETURNS TO FAMILIAR POSITION

Britt Mirgaux is back at his preferred position of fullback and nobody is any happier about that than Mirgaux himself -- even though the number of times he touches the football figures to decrease.

Sure, Mirgaux was happy with the kind of season he had last year, even though Southeast Missouri State University's football team -- and the offense in particular -- struggled big-time as a unit.

Running primarily out of a one-back set because injuries and various other factors severely depleted the Indians' backfield, Mirgaux fought and scrapped his way to a team-high 661 yards on 173 carries (3.8 average) even though the line play in front of him was spotty at best. He finished more than 400 yards in front of Southeast's second-leading rusher.

But the hard-nosed Mirgaux, who stands 6-feet-1 and weighs a rock-solid 230 pounds, is the first to admit that he's much more comfortable in the role of true fullback, which is what he'll play this year as the Indians -- now stocked with more tailbacks -- go to a more conventional, two-back offense.

"I'm glad to be back (at fullback)," said a smiling Mirgaux. "I'm tired of getting caught by all those fast defensive backs. I feel like I'll have a better chance to help the team at fullback."

A product of Scott City High School, Mirgaux turned in one of the great seasons in recent area prep football history when he rushed for 2,357 yards as a senior in 1993. He earned Class 2A All-State honors and signed with Southeast.

But, because of some academic troubles, Mirgaux first played one season of football at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College before returning to Southeast in 1995.

After sitting out a season, Mirgaux finally got back into action last year and led the team's ground attack in addition to scoring five touchdowns.

"Britt really had a good season for us," said Southeast head coach John Mumford. "We were kind of shorthanded in the backfield and he's more of a natural fullback, but he ran extremely hard and gained a lot of those yards on his own. What little running game we had, he was a big reason for it.

"This year we feel like he'll be a very valuable player for us at fullback. He's a tough, hard-nosed player who can block and run with the football."

Mirgaux said he and the rest of the offense felt bad for what happened last year, when the Indians' struggled to score points and gain yards and left the defense on the field entirely too much during a 3-8 season.

This year, said Mirgaux, an improved offense intends to help out a talented defense quite a bit more.

"Last year our defense was stacked," he said. "This year our offense is bigger, faster and stronger. The talent is a lot better. We've got some backs who can really run."

Which will allow Mirgaux to play the position he feels most comfortable at.

INDIAN NOTES: Southeast had its second intrasquad scrimmage of fall drills Wednesday night at Houck Stadium. The Indians will probably have one more scrimmage at Houck prior to the Aug. 30 season opener against visiting Lambuth...

Lambuth, located in Jackson, Tenn., has been ranked fifth in the NAIA Division II preseason poll. The Eagles went 9-2 last season.