Freshmen fill key roles for Southeast

When Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings said before the season that plenty of freshmen would have an opportunity to fill key roles for the Indians in 2001, he sure wasn't kidding.

Nine either redshirt or true freshmen are currently manning starting positions for the Indians and at least that many more are filling key backup roles.

"Our freshmen on both sides of the ball are really doing well," said Billings. "We knew going into the season that we would be using a lot of freshmen and they've really come through for us."

The most notable freshman starter for the Indians has been quarterback Jeromy McDowell, a redshirt who has already passed for more than 1,000 yards in a little more than three games (he was injured late in the first quarter of last Saturday's win at Illinois State and is doubtful for this Saturday's game at Tennessee State).

Four true freshmen start on the offensive side of the ball, including three of the five linemen: center Brett Swann, right guard Dan Bieg and right tackle Dan Connolly.

The other freshman offensive starter is tight end Ray Goodson out of Jackson High School, who had been playing a lot all along but recently broke into the regular lineup.

Defensively, true freshmen Adam Jones at end and Dimitri Patterson at cornerback start, as does redshirt frosh Cal Jillson at end. Patterson is already one of the Indians' top performers in the secondary, having intercepted two passes and making 13 tackles, while Jillson is fourth on the team in tackles with 38 and Jones ranks seventh with 31. Jillson also had three tackles for loss, which is third on the squad, and one quarterback sack.

Rounding out the rookie starters is true freshman kicker Derek Kutz from St. Vincent High School in Perryville, who has been extremely solid, booting four of five field goals -- including kicks of 41 and 43 yards -- and eight of nine extra points.

Southeast's other true freshman kicker from the local prep ranks -- Cape Central's Brian Emmendorfer -- handles the kickoff duties for the Indians.

True freshmen listed as No. 2 on the current depth chart are offensive linemen Taurean Robinson and Corey Bryant; wide receiver Chris Brawley; defensive tackle Caleb Daniel (Jackson), who has 11 tackles; linebacker O.J. Turner (Cape Central); and cornerback Mike Miller, who has one interception and one fumble recovery. Defensive back Chaun Tate is not on the depth chart but has seen considerable action and has made six tackles.

Redshirt freshmen listed as No. 2 are wide receiver Mark McCluney, who had three catches against Illinois State; defensive end John Paul Usrey, who has 13 tackles; and defensive back Bruce Tanner, who has 17 tackles and a sack.

"It's not easy for freshmen to play in college, but I feel like we've really recruited some good athletes since we've been here and it shows by how much these young guys are helping us," Billings said.Locals contribute

In addition to the aforementioned local products, some other players from Cape Central and Jackson are also making solid contributions for the Indians.

Senior Bobby Brune, a Cape Central product who has started at quarterback for much of his Southeast career, came off the bench after McDowell was injured and helped lead the win over Illinois State. Brune, who will likely start against Tennessee State, has passed for more than 3,500 yards at Southeast.

Junior Tatum Kitchen, a backup defensive end from Cape Central, has 10 tackles while senior Mike Gross, a backup safety from Jackson, has one tackle and has broken up a pass.

Senior Andy Dunaway from Cape Central serves as the Indians' holder for field goals and extra points.

Cooper pays dividends

Curtis Cooper was one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top punt returners last year, but he did not return punts for the first two games of this season.

But after the Indians struggled to get anything going on punt returns in those first two games, Billings decided to return Cooper to that spot. And that decision has paid huge dividends.

In two games returning punts, Cooper is averaging 29.2 yards on five attempts to rank second nationally. His 70-yard punt return for a touchdown late against Illinois State lifted the Indians to victory. Cooper, one of the OVC's top tailbacks, is also fourth nationally in all-purpose yards with 198.25 per game.

Wide receiver Willie Ponder is fourth nationally in receiving yards per game (146.5).

As a team, Southeast is sixth nationally in passing offense with 320.5 yards per game.