Division II Boll Weevils give Indians a double-OT scare

It was hard to tell the NCAA Division I-AA football team from the Division II squad Thursday night at Houck Stadium.

In fact, it looked more like Southeast Missouri State University was the lower division outfit after being outplayed by Arkansas-Monticello for much of the season-opening game.

But there was still good news for the Indians. Despite a less-than-stellar performance, they squeezed out a wild 42-41 double-overtime victory in front of an announced crowd of 6,822.

"At least we got the win. That's the main thing," Southeast coach Tim Billings said.

It was a real struggle, however, against a UAM squad that went just 5-6 last year and has a new coaching staff.

The Boll Weevils also have a new quarterback in Fred Leonard II, a transfer from I-AA Arkansas-Pine Bluff. And Leonard was the primary reason the Indians' defense was gouged for an incredible 622 yards.

Leonard, extremely quick and agile to go along with a strong, accurate arm, completed 34 of 51 passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns.

"He was an awesome athlete," said Southeast defensive end Ryan Roth, who spent much of the night chasing Leonard in the backfield -- most of the time to no avail.

"I know SEMO didn't expect us to do what we did," Leonard said. "It was a real battle out there today."

The battle finally ended in the second overtime after the squads had ended regulation tied 35-35.

In college overtime games, each squad is given equal possessions from the opposition's 25-yard line until the tie is finally broken. Neither squad scored on its first overtime possession, Derek Kutz missing a 31-yard field goal for the Indians, followed by a Leonard interception in the end zone by Southeast safety Chaun Tate.

It was on to the second overtime. UAM had possession first and scored on Corwin Elliott's 1-yard run, but Jordan Dennis' extra point was blocked, leaving the door open for the Indians.

They took advantage as, on the first play, Keiki Misipeka scored on a 25-yard run. When Kutz booted his sixth extra point of the contest, the Indians had avoided what would have been a stunning upset.

"Before the play, I said a little prayer to myself," said Misipeka, a transfer from Hawaii. "The blocking scheme and everything was just perfect on that play."

After a wild fourth-quarter sequence that featured four touchdowns in a span of a little more than four minutes, the Indians needed a clutch drive to even get the game into overtime.

Trailing 35-28, Southeast faced a fourth-and-5 situation from its own 45-yard line with under two minutes remaining. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Bill Coleman, in his first collegiate game, made a one-handed catch of a pass from quarterback Jeromy McDowell for a first down to the UAM 23. Corey Kinsey scored on a 17-yard run with 1:24 left and Kutz converted for a 35-35 tie.

McDowell was supposed to play only a few series while he continues to recover from shoulder surgery. But he went most of the second half and all of the overtime, throwing for 147 yards and three touchdowns despite having a knee banged up several times.

"They played great. You can't take anything away from them," McDowell said of the Boll Weevils. "I was just praying we'd come through in overtime. It's disappointing in a way but we're happy to win."

Southeast had 430 yards of offense, led by Kinsey's career rushing performance of 180 yards on 21 carries. He scored two touchdowns.

Willie Ponder caught eight passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Coleman and Chris NesSmith had five and four receptions, respectively, and each scored a TD. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff East threw a first-half touchdown in his first college game as all three Southeast signal callers saw action.

In addition to giving up all those yards, the Indians were hurt by six turnovers -- including four interceptions -- and 16 penalties for 123 yards.

"When we executed, we looked really good. At other times, we looked really bad," Billings said. "They had some really good athletes, but we helped them out a lot. How often can you win and have six turnovers and 16 penalties?"