Fake punt helped Indians hold on

Mike Gross has been something of a jack-of-all trades during his undistinguished yet valuable Southeast Missouri State University football career.

Saturday night, thanks in large part to another gutsy call by Southeast coach Tim Billings, Gross just might have come up with the play of the game during the Indians' wild 45-30 victory over Tennessee-Martin. Southeast improved to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Indians, who trailed entering the fourth quarter, were nursing a 31-30 lead with a little more than five minutes left. Facing a fourth-and-2 from their own 35, they lined up in punt formation. Virtually everybody at Houck Stadium -- including UTM's coaching staff -- figured Southeast would definitely kick the ball away.

But Billings, who had called two successful fake punts earlier in the season, had other ideas. Gross, playing the up-back position in front of punter Kyle East, took the snap and found huge running room up the middle on a fake. He easily made the first down and wound up gaining 51 yards, which led to a Southeast touchdown with 4:25 left that helped open up some breathing room.

"It was wide open," said Gross following the game. "The way they lined up, they left a big gap."

Gross, a former star quarterback at Jackson High School, has done a little bit of everything in his Southeast career.

After being redshirted in 1997, Gross saw very limited action at quarterback in 1998, attempting one pass -- which went for a touchdown.

In 1999, Gross started one game at quarterback and saw action in every contest either at quarterback or on special teams. He finished the season completing 29 of 59 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 168 yards on 29 carries, with one TD.

Last year Gross played strictly on special teams, recording six tackles. After his junior season, Gross was first moved to wide receiver but then shifted to defensive back, where the senior has settled in as a backup safety. He doesn't see all that much action except for on special teams, but he has recorded two tackles and broken up two passes.

"I just like playing and I try to do whatever I can to help the team," said Gross, whose father is Jackson High School coach Carl Gross.

The good-natured Gross, a four-time Southeast Scholar Athlete who is majoring in mathematics, used to run with the football quite a bit in high school and also early in his Southeast career. But he had not had that opportunity since the 1999 season, so he acknowledged Saturday's 51-yard romp felt good.

"It did bring back some memories," he said with a grin.

Cooper honored again

Southeast senior tailback Curtis Cooper, who continued his brilliant season with another big game Saturday night, was honored Sunday as the OVC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in the past three weeks.

Cooper rushed for a career-high 216 yards on 31 carries and he scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help the Indians hold off the Skyhawks. The performance marked Southeast's first 200-yard rusher since Dione Tyler in 1995.

Cooper also caught five passes for 18 yards and returned three punts for 42 yards, giving him 276 all-purpose yards. He ranks fifth nationally in that department.

For the season, Cooper has rushed for 798 yards and has caught 30 passes.Several players hurt

Several Indians suffered injuries Saturday, the extent of which are not yet known.

Quarterback Jeromy McDowell, who originally suffered a sprained left knee Sept. 22 at Illinois State, banged up the knee in the first quarter Saturday and did not return.

Wide receiver Adrian Sanders, who scored Southeast's first touchdown on a pass from McDowell and had four receptions, bruised a knee late in the first half and did not return.

Defensive end Adam Jones also suffered a first-half knee injury while safety Leotis Belcher sprained an ankle in the first half. Both did not play in the second half.