COACH'S CORNER: SEMO FOOTBALL WELCOMES HUGE CHALLENGE FROM TENNESSE ST.

It is good to return to game preparation after our 45-38 shootout victory over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 6 and a week on the road recruiting.

The Eastern Illinois win was very satisfying as it avenged last year's emotional loss and also proved that we could win a scoring battle.

Defensively, we continued to play well against the rush, allowing Eastern Illinois only 53 yards on the ground. Their quarterback, Anthony Buich, was on fire and could have thrown a ball through a car wash without getting it wet.

Brian Hinton continues to be a threat as he had 96 yards in returns. He also continues to lead the Ohio Valley Conference in interceptions with five.

Offensively, we racked up 568 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per play. Fullback Broderick Benson rushed for a career-high 125 yards as we netted 385 yards on the ground. That figure should again illustrate the improvement in our offensive line in the last month.

Quarterack Rashad West continues to make good decisions and plays as he accounted for 277 yards of offense. Leslie Weaver led the receivers with four catches for 99 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown strike.

Our past record aside, it has been extremely meaningful to watch this group of players, and in particular 16 seniors, constantly pick themselves up after disappointment and win the last three games.

It would have been so easy for people to drop their heads and give up after we lost the first seven games of the season, but nobody did that, particularly the seniors. They hung in there and set a great example for everybody else in the program. They are a group of fine young men that I will definitely miss.

OVC champion Tennessee State No. 1 in the nation Tennessee State rolls into Cape Girardeau for our season finale this Saturday.

I believe this game and the circumstances are fitting for all involved in our program. Opportunities to stand up and be counted against the best rarely occur. This is as good as it gets for anyone who loves challenges and competition.

No doubt about it, the Tigers are a tremendous football team, with great athletes and talented players all over the field. They have an explosive passing game, with excellent receivers to go along with very good running backs who can break one at any time. Their return game is extremely dangerous.

Tennessee State will come to town with a 10-0 record and a victory over us will allow the Tigers to complete a perfect season.

For the Indians, the incentive will be not only to knock off the nation's No. 1 team but also to finish the season with a four-game winning streak, which would be quite an accomplishment considering how things started out.

Saturday's game will be televised live in both Nashville and the Southeast Missouri area. The contest will be shown locally on WDKA in Cape Girardeau and that television exposure will certainly be great for our program and our university.

The Tigers are very good and present quite a challenge for our team, but come Saturday, we just may be better.

John Mumford is the head football coach at Southeast Missouri State University