Four Southeast players garner preseason all-OVC recognition

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University placed four players on the preseason all-Ohio Valley Conference football team in voting by the league's head coaches and sports information directors at Monday's media day.

All four players are no strangers to success after making either the OVC's first or second team following last season, in which the Indians were 5-7 overall and tied for third place in the conference at 5-3.

Gaining preseason accolades from Southeast were tight end Ray Goodson, offensive guard Dan Bieg, offensive tackle Dan Connolly and kicker Derek Kutz. All are seniors. Goodson, Bieg and Kutz were all first-team all-OVC after last season while Connolly made the second team.

"We've got some great players coming back, and those are four of them," said Southeast assistant head coach Kip Shaw, who filled in Monday for Tim Billings.

Goodson, a Jackson High School graduate, led the Indians last season with 66 receptions for 623 yards on his way to All-American honors.

Bieg also received All-American mention last year. He and Connolly will both be entering their fourth season as offensive line starters.

Kutz, from St. Vincent High School in Perryville, made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts last year while converting on all 30 of his extra points. He has been the Indians' regular kicker since his freshman campaign.

Southeast tied for the second-most preseason all-conference selections, as Samford also had four. Eastern Kentucky, the preseason title favorite, led the way with six. Defending champion Jacksonville Sate and Tennessee State both had three. Murray State, Tennessee Tech and Tennessee-Martin all had two, followed by Eastern Illinois with one.

OVC-Gateway Challenge

For the second consecutive year, the OVC and Gateway Conference will participate in the OVC-Gateway Challenge. The two Division I-AA leagues will have six meetings.

OVC officials no doubt hope their squads fare better against the perennially strong Gateway than they did last season. The Gateway won all eight of the games within the challenge and, for good measure, Western Kentucky routed Jacksonville State in the first round of the I-AA playoffs.

Southeast will be involved in one of the challenge games, as the Indians open their season at Southern Illinois on Sept. 2. The contest will be televised by Fox Sports Midwest.

Other challenge games are Indiana State at Eastern Illinois (Sept. 11), Murray State at Indiana State (Sept. 18), Western Kentucky at Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 18), Eastern Illinois and Illinois State (Sept. 18) and Tennessee-Martin at Indiana State (Sept. 25).

Unbalanced schedule

With most college football teams only playing 11 games this season instead of the 12 many had last year, the OVC has allowed Tennessee State to play only seven conference contests so the Tigers can continue with their four traditional "classic" games against other historically black universities.

The OVC opponent Tennessee State won't face this year is Tennessee Tech. The league's other seven squads will all have eight conference games.

The preseason all-Ohio Valley Conference team was released Monday, as picked by league coaches and sports information directors:

Offense

QB--Ray Nelson, Samford

RB--Charles Anthony, Tennessee St.

RB--C.J. Hudson, E. Kentucky

WR--Efrem Hill, Samford

WR--Andre Ralston, E. Kentucky

TE--Ray Goodson, SE Missouri

OL--Dan Bieg, SE Missouri

OL--Dan Connolly, SE Missouri

OL--Will Heineman, E. Kentucky

OL--Frank Omiyale, Tennessee Tech

OL--John Pettus, Jacksonville St.

PK--Derek Kutz, SE Missouri

RET--Allen Evans, E. Kentucky

RET--Cortland Finnegan, Samford

Defense

DL--Chad Dewberry, E. Kentucky

DL--Paul Thomas, Tennessee St.

DL--Marcus White, Murray St.

DL--Marcus Lorick, E. Illinois

LB--Justen Rivers, E. Kentucky

LB--James Dumervil, Tennessee St.

LB--Jonathan Crutcher, Jacksonville St.

DB--Cortland Finnegan, Samford

DB--Brandon Shelby, Tennessee Tech

DB--Laroni Gallishaw, Murray St.

DB--Russell Gambrell, Tenn.-Martin

DB--Chad McMahan, Tenn.-M

P--Richie Rhodes, Jacksonville St.