In spite of loss, opportunities are ahead for Indians

Saturday's loss at Murray State was the most painful loss I have endured at Southeast Missouri State.

Our players played hard and played well enough to win, but our defense simply gave up too many big plays and our offense didn't capitalize on a turnover late in the game. Our players worked so hard to be in a position to play for something and I feel bad for them and also feel bad that we let down our fans.

We want our administration and community to have a football team to be excited about and proud of. We do have a lot of things to be proud of this season. We are breaking records, recording a lot of firsts and we played on regional television for the first time in a long, long time.

The exterior of Houck Stadium has been refurbished and looks great. Work is starting on a complete renovation of our weight room that will benefit all the athletes at Southeast. The support of the community has been great and I really appreciate the support.

We have a lot to play for in our final three games of the season. We still have an opportunity to have a winning season and we have the opportunity to continue to improve. Our seniors can realize that they have been a part of what we are starting to build and our younger players can keep improving and preparing for next season. A strong finish will also help us in recruiting.

We are climbing a big mountain and we can't afford to rest. Over the next three weeks we have to continue to take the steps that will help get us up the mountain. How we respond to our last three games will show us what kind of character we have.

I want to thank our fans for the great support. This is your football team and we hope you will continue to turn out for our final two home games beginning with the Tennessee Tech game at 6 p.m. Saturday. Grab a blanket and head for Houck Stadium. It should be a great college football game.

It is Hall of Fame day and the first Hall of Fame induction class will be honored at halftime. The Athletic Hall of Fame at Southeast is long overdue but due to the hard work of the Hall of Fame Committee we now have one at the Show Me Center.

It will be great to see the greatest athletes and coaches in Southeast history on the field at Houck Stadium during halftime ceremonies. This is a special event and I hope you will be a part of it.

Your football team still has a lot to play for. We won't win the OVC or advance to the playoffs, but we can still have a great season.

I'll see you at Houck Stadium on Saturday evening.

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