COACH'S VIEW: RASCO KEEPS SE EQUIPPED FOR MAJOR UNDERTAKINGS

As we prepare to go on the road for our next two football games, I am reminded of all the hard work and dedication shown by one of our behind-the-scenes staff members.

Equipment manager Robby Rasco does a remarkable job of getting all our equipment to and from the away games. He is in his second season at Southeast after serving one season at Tulsa and after being a student manager at Florida State.

Robby is in charge of purchasing and maintaining all of the equipment for our 100 football players and 10 coaches. He does all the laundry after every practice and game and puts the folded towels and equipment back in the players' lockers.

During our fall two-a-day drills, Robby actually slept in the equipment room because he had to do laundry after every practice and we have only one washer and dryer.

In addition to keeping the equipment in good shape and all the laundry clean, Robby also has to get all of the blocking bags and other practice equipment ready for every practice and he keeps the time and blows a horn to signal the end of periods during our practice sessions.

The fact we practice some days on the practice fields and some days on the FieldTurf at Houck Stadium really keeps Robby jumping to have all the practice gear ready to go at the right place and time.

This Friday, Robby will load a rental truck with all of our travel gear, which includes a bag for every player and all the balls, extra uniforms and equipment that we will need at the Eastern Kentucky game. He leaves ahead of the team and goes directly to Roy Kidd Stadium to have everybody's practice gear ready when the team arrives for practice Friday afternoon.

After practice, he will do laundry and get everything ready for the game. When we arrive at the stadium on Saturday, every player's uniform and pads will be laid out and ready for the players to get dressed. Robby also makes sure the coaches' field phones are hooked up and ready for use during the game.

After the game, Robby loads up all the equipment, drives back to Cape Girardeau and does the laundry. It is time to get ready for another week of practice.

You can see that Robby Rasco is a very important member of our staff!

Saturday night's Eastern Kentucky game is a big one for both us and the Colonels. Both teams are 0-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference after losses last Saturday. I'm sure Eastern Kentucky is upset after being picked to win the OVC and I know I'm upset because we had an opportunity to beat Western Kentucky last Saturday.

I told our team that I didn't think any team would go through the OVC unbeaten this year, but the loser of Saturday's game has only a longshot at contending for the title.

We have to find a way to get back on track and beat an excellent football team. For us to win, our defense has to find a way to stop the run. On offense, we have to complete drives and put the ball in the end zone. We're moving the ball, but we aren't scoring as often as we should.

If we can stop the run and finish our drives, we have a chance to be the first Southeast football team to ever beat Eastern Kentucky. We're excited about having that opportunity.

Tim Billings is the head football coach at Southeast Missouri State University